MACBETH VISUAL PROPOSAL

By Shalui Abeles

CHARACTERS
Macbeth
Godfather Duncan's right hand man. His ambition leads him to murder, but eventually it all comes
crashing down around him.
Mrs. Macbeth
The wife of Macbeth who pushes him to kill Duncan. Eventually, the guilt is too much for her and
she is driven to madness.
Banquo
A noble member of the mafia crew whos kids are prophesized by a psychic to become the next
ruler of the mafia. Macbeth kills Banquo and his ghost comes back to haunt Macbeth.
Godfather Duncan
The wise and peaceful highest ranking member of the mafia who is respected by everyone. His
position was taken over by Macbeth after his murder.
Macduff
A high ranking member of the mafia who distrusts Macbeth and his intentions from the start.
Macduff flees to Mexico after the death of Duncan. He and Malcolm eventually come back to
overthrow Macbeths ruling

CHARACTERS
Malcolm
The son of Duncan who flees to Mexico with Donalbain after the death of his
father.
Mrs. Macduff
The wife of Macduff who is left alone with their son after Macduffs escape to
Mexico. She and her son are killed by Macbeths murderers.
Lennox
A member of the mafia.
Ross
A member of the mafia.
The Murderers
A group of young thugs who do what violent acts Macbeth tells them to do.

Macbeth

TIME PERIOD

Set in the late 20 th century in Chicago, Illinois.

SETTING
The scenes where members of the mafia are in dialogue would occur
indoors in an office space that resembles the Dons office in the 1972
movie, The Godfather. The musty old fashioned office is where the leader,
(Duncan and Macbeth) would reside to .

In the Banquet scenes, or when there is a large gathering of people, a

large room, seen in The Godfather, would hold be the meeting place mafia
members.

The Office

Banquet Room

STYLE

Since the time period is in the 90s, much of the clothing will accompany
the look of that era. The costumes will be describes in the following slide.
Unlike the costumes, the setting design would visually compare to the
70s era, where the furniture and ornaments are usually described as a
little tacky and loud. That means, plush velvet furniture, thick carpeting,
fake wood covered walls and orange lighting.

COSTUMES
Men
Mob costumes are the main attire in
this version, which for men consists
of
Track Suites
Suit and Tie
Loose fitted Hawaiian shirts
Chains around the neck

Women
80s style clothing- leopard or zebra
print
Tight clothing
Jewelry is a must ( chains, watches,
hoop earrings )
Long Acrylic Nails

COSTUMES

MOOD
The moods would vary throughout the play. At the beginning the mafia
lives harmoniously with each other, but slowly, due to greed and power, the
loyalty of the crew becomes erratic. As members of the mafia and their
family are murdered by Banquet, an unsettling dark mood overshadows
the play. Not until the last act where Macduff kills Banquo and Malcolm
takes over does the tone lighten up, due to the resolution and the end of
Macbeths terror.

Architecture
The architecture style would
resemble sections of the old
town Chicago. The indoor
scenes would occur Brown
stones would have been
built in the 19 th century and
the darker scenes (murder
scenes) would happen in
ominous alley ways.

COLORS

Throughout the entire play, striking colors, such as gray, black, gold, and
silver would accompany the wardrobe and set design. Since the sets will
be designed to look more like the 70s era, that would mean plush red
velvet chairs and window drapes, mustard yellow carpets, and fake
mahogany wood walls.

WORDS

Much like Rome + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, featuring Leanardo

DiCaprio and Clair Danes, this late 20 th century play would not stray from
the original script written by Shakespeare. Some colloquiums would
change, due to the characters involvement in the mafia, instead of an old
Scottish monarchy.

THEMES

Ambition

The idea of ambition and lust coinciding is a crucial theme in Macbeth. Mrs.
Macbeth ambition makes her use lust as an influence for Macbeths murder of
King Duncan. Additionally, due to ambition, Macbeth is lead to commit
horrible acts of violence and destruction.
Guilt
Mrs. Macbeths guilt towards the murders she proposed (mainly Duncan)
drives her to madness. She beings sleepwalking, and muttering words of
blood and murder. Eventually she dies, apparently a suicide, unable to deal
with her decisions.

IMAGE CREDITS

Domain Home (American Hustle Set Design)

Chicago Traveler (Old Town Chicago)

Wikipedia (Sopranos cast)

New York Post (Sopranos Adriana costume)

Zimbio (The Godfather office)

Tested (The Godfather banquet hall)

eWallstreeter (Ian McKellen in Macbeth)

Live Auctioneers (Track suites in the Sopranos)