My own Soliloquy Analysis

“She should have died hereafter;
    There would have been a time for such a word.
    To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
    To the last syllable of recorded time,
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
    And then is heard no more: it is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing..” 

The climactic scene when Macbeth learns of the death of lady Macbeth is a scene equal in the desolation that Macduff experiences when he learns of his wife's death. Macbeth cannot set his grief in perspective and he does not react with the disbelief Macduff shows but accepts it wearily.

The action of the scene shows how closely the Witches control Macbeth's fate and the action of the scene is projected onto settings and characters that have been visibly drained of their energy. Macbeth who was so bound by his own power is stripped to barest of essentials that are faded ghosts of their former glory.

As a climactic scene the news of Lady Macbeth's death is a turning point in which Macbeth's choice of either a faded existence at the hands of the Witches or a last act of self will is made clear. He realizes that his newfound power is not worth the price it has cost him. Taking his crown he hurls it away to have it return to his feet. The consequences cannot be escaped.

I chose an image by a famous photographer named Duane Michals. Duane Michals merges writing and photography into highly distinct and original bodies of work. Fed by literature, poetry, philosophy, film and art history, Michals moves between a melancholic gravity and a fanciful humor.

I believe this image is a reflection on Macbeth’s soliloquy over the news of his wife’s death. The three figures to me symbolise the three characters. Macbeth far left, Lady Macbeth Beside him and on the far right entering the image is Macduff. The two figures in the centre are stripped of their clothes this could symbolise their loss of innocence and good which has been erased and transformed into bitterness and evil. The dull colours of the photo are cliché as black and white symbolise passivity giving a negative vibe to the image. The women is leaning upon the man this could symbolise a desperation for grief as throughout the play Macbeth left his wife alone to go mad and to commit her own death. However the man does not seem to be responding to the women and seems to have a vague outline of him drifting. This could be a symbol for Macbeths belief that we live in a meaningless universe as his face seems deflated and lonely. This could also symbolise the separation of Macbeth from Lady Macbeth as he seems heartless to the news of her death the word “Tomorrow” could be a metaphor for the thought that everyone has to die. Another reasoning to him that life is meaningless.

I want to expand on this soliloquy project by experimenting with different images that could link with my chosen quotation. I also want to merge text into the images to create a distinct image that reflects on the play of Macbeth.

I found this image by a photographer named Gregory Crewdson. Gregory Crewdson's photographs usually take place in small town America, but are dramatic and cinematic. They feature often disturbing, surreal events and his photographs are shot using a large crew, and are elaborately staged and lighted.

The mood of the image is very cinematic in the way the light reflects off the rain as it falls and glistens on the ground. It seems beautiful but the mood of the image is solumn and depressing. The deserted area gives a sense of isolation towards the figure in the centre.

the mans body language and facial expression seems to be curious yet dissapointed. He seems to be catching the rain in his hands. It can be interptreted that he is looking at the rain in disgust or as though it is pointless. This could link with the line ...

 "it is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing..” 

As macbeth thought that we live in a meaningless universe. It can also be interpreted as a metaphor for grief. this could link with the grief that Lady Macbeth seems to desperatly want from her husband. The  rain could symbolise her, however the mans hands are open so the rain just slips through his fingers like the memory of Macbeth's wife.

Before

After

One of my key interests this year is fashion photography, so I wanted to find a fashion photo that i could link with this soliloquy project. one of my favourite fashion photographers is Nick Knight ...

Nick Knight is a British fashion photographer, documentary photographer, and web publisher.

In November 2000, Knight launched SHOWstudio.com , an online fashion broadcasting company committed to pioneering, live fashion media. SHOWstudio.com has broken new ground with its experimental interactive projects, films and live performances. Its collaborations with influential cultural figures, from Björk, Boy George, Lady Gaga, Gisele Bündchen, Kate Moss and John Galliano to Leigh Bowery, Heston Blumenthal and Antony & the Johnsons, are broadcast live.

two of his photos jumped out at me, which I thought could link to the character of lady macbeth and the emotions macbeth feels for her in this soliloquy.

I thought both these photos express the emotions felt by Lady Macbeth from the words her husband speaks.

"She should have died hereafter;
    There would have been a time for such a word.
    To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day"

The top image to me expresses her emotions through her body language. The way she stands awkwardly with her head lowered and her legs bent reminds me of grief as she seems to be holding her stomach, as though she has been winded. this reminds me of the choking feeling you get when you are hurt through someones words. this could be a metaphor for how she felt when her husband said those words. allthough the purity of the background and her dress symbolises peace and tranquality, to me this is a symbol for the harmony she feels as her suicide took her away from the nightmare she was living.

"The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
...
Signifying nothing..” 

The second image to me signifies macbeths belief that life and the universe is meaningless. If life is meaningless to him then that must mean his wife was meaningless to him too. The model is overwhelmed by a collection of fabrics which look like hair and netting. The contrast between the sweet blue and the harsh black to me symbolise the differnece between the nightmare she felt when she was living and the peace she probably feels now she has escaped. however she is still smothered and all of her that can be seen is her legs. The fact her identity is hidden symbolises that she is just another person nothing special. To me this is a metaphor for macbeth's belief that "Life's but a walking shadow" that is "signifying nothing..." just like his wife. 

I decided for the first image to place the scriptions on the wall as though carved by her own hands that were covered in the blood of duncan. I created two versions of the image using photoshop. It took a while to place all the words on the wall as i had to dublicate each layer. after placeing them on the wall I dublicated the bvackground and rubbed out the words that overlayed the models dress. after doing so the layer with the words opacity was lowered so they did not appear to bold so that it drew the eye away from the model. After completing this i decided to use a filter called "cote crayon" whcih created a disrted effect on the image. this appealed to myself and my goal in manipulating the photo. I wanted the contrast the purity of her death and the nightmare of her life into one image. I print screened the process and created two final outcomes. 

I didnt want to overwhlm the second image, i just wanted the words to be manipulated into the image in a subtle way. by rasterizing some text and greatly contrasting the image i ended up with this 

Overall my favourite and most relatable image to the soliloquy task is the two black and red vulnerable girl images. these are my final outcomes ...