Lady Macbeth’s famous soliloquy is fearsome to behold. In the speech—which appears in Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth—Lady Macbeth resolves to kill Duncan, the King of Scotland, so Macbeth can then become king (spoiler alert!). Lady Macbeth uses the second person to directly address the spirits, saying: “fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty,” among other spine-chilling things.
This video takes a literal approach to the scene, exploring what would happen if Lady Macbeth’s requests that the spirits possess her came true. Called Shakespeare Lives in 2016, the short film gives Macbeth a modern-day setting. It opens on a misty evening as Lady Macbeth stands on the porch of a modern house, cigarette in hand, looking contemplative. The sound of a raven in the sky prompts her speech, which famously begins, “The raven himself is hoarse/That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/Under my battlements.”
From there, things begin to stray from the traditional interpretation, ultimately ending ambiguously, leaving the final interpretation up to the viewer. Watch the short film above to experience the fresh take on classic Shakespeare for yourself.
