The Representation of the Twenty-first Century Children in Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth 2015

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, College of Literature and Humanities, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

2 Professor of English Literature, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, College of Literature and Humanities, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

3 Assiatant Professor of English Literature, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, College of Literature and Humanities, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

10.34785/J014.2021.311

Abstract

Children in Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth 2015, represent many symbolic concepts, such as the dominant ideology of the Elizabethan era. This research study explains why the source text has undergone many changes regarding the representation of child characters. Kurzel has added new child characters to the original story to signify his concern for the young generation of our contemporary time. Contextualization and the socio-historical events will explain the reason behind the abundance of children in the film adaptation. Robert Stam’s model of intertextual dialogism helps to understand how Macbeth 2015 relates to real physical and psychological damage to contemporary children by war. The adaptation is in constant dialogue with the reality of violence and war in the turn of the century. Child soldiers, grieving and revengeful parents and children, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are serious contemporary dilemmas. These traumatic events are a consequence of the pursuit of power by people who encourage war and violence.

Keywords

References

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Critical Literary Studies
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 6
September 2021
Pages 39-54

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History

  • Receive Date: 03 December 2020
  • Revise Date: 09 March 2021
  • Accept Date: 21 June 2021

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