UC The Weird Sisters and The Tragedy of Macbeth Essay

The votes are in, and it wasn’t close!  You’ve collectively decided on The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), directed by Joel Coen.  

As it happens, this is a great choice for this assignment.  As you’ll see, Kathryn Hunter’s performance as the “weird sisters” is remarkable.  And this adaptation makes big and bold choices in its depiction of the “sisters.”  After watching (and maybe re-watching) the film, provide an analysis of at least 500 words in which you reflect on decisions that the directors and actors and others involved in the production made in relation to the weird sisters.

-How do these decisions affect the audience’s understanding of what the weird sisters are?

-How do these decisions affect our understanding of how the sisters relate to the human world presented in the film?

-Why do these decisions matter for our understanding of the artistic vision of the film?

As always, we are looking for concrete and detailed observations.  These observations could point to narrative choices, character choices, performance choices, aesthetic choices; they could point to sound design, production design, lighting, costuming, framing, camera movement, etc.  The list of possibilities is endless, but your focus is the “sisters.” 

Also, please remember that we don’t want the assignment written in the form of a review.  Please avoid “liked/disliked,” “thumbs up/thumbs down” style evaluation.  We say this not because your opinions aren’t valuable but because we want your observations, thoughts, and analysis first and foremost.  Also, please don’t use ChatGPT or other large language models when writing.  This inevitably leads to a lot of vague and uninteresting assertions that don’t tell us anything about what *you* observed about the film.