Macbeth and Macbeth Retold Comparison

Analyse how the central values portrayed in Macbeth are creatively reshaped in Macbeth Retold
Through the exploration of connections between a pair of texts, the central values portrayed in the original are ultimately reshaped to reflect the modern context. As a result by enhancing the accessibility to a modern audience, the core values are able to be transpired through a change in medium and context, inevitably leading to a greater understanding of the underlying values of both texts. In Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” and in Mark Brozel’s modern appropriation “Retold”, the implicit and explicit relationships initiate the fundamental values of an individual’s overarching ambition, the disintegration of the identity and the significance of external forces in initiating their demise. Additionally, despite the varying contexts between Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era and Brozel’s 21st century, these common values which connect the texts together are able to transcend the barrier of time. Consequently, by reshaping the characters, contextual values and ideas of the original, the modern adaptation is able to enhance the audience’s appreciation and understanding of Macbeth by relating it to modern values concerning the issues of today.
The central value of an individual’s overarching ambition acting as the facilitator to their downfall is creatively reshaped in Retold to allow the modern audience to gain a deeper understanding of the original. At the start of Macbeth, the tragic hero is still able to restraint his ambitions from his thoughts when he announces ‘If chance will have me King, why, chance will crown me without my stir’ where the reassuring tone emphasises his self-control. Similarly, Jo in the modern adaptation remains calm and pure as seen through his excessive drinking of the milk which symbolises purity. However as both the play and film progress, Macbeth and Jo’s desires to attain power and control ultimately lead to their downfall, which is interestingly...