Add-ons, Deletions, and Exaggerations

In this new adaption of William Shakespeares notorious play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, we are
transporting ourselves into a modern day setting. This version takes place in a place we are all
familiar with, high school, and our main character has swapped genders and has become a super-
ficial teenage busy body. In this movie, we follow Macbeth as she tries to claw her way to the
top of the hierarchy. Instead of becoming king of Ireland, she is becoming the queen bee of
North Shore High School.

Many of Shakespeares original characters remain. The language of the play has completely
changed, taking a modern and relatable dialogue in order appropriately transport viewers into the
hallways our main characters are scheming in. Modern slang and casual encounters have re-
placed the original Shakespearean language.

This adaption will remain to be five acts long, but many of the scenes will be removed because
they are not relevant to the time setting.

The three witches in Macbeth have gone under a makeover. They are combined into one lead
character, Hecate, a flamboyant high school boy who wants to see Macbeth take down the old
queen bee, Duncan. To accommodate to the change in the witches transformation, the cauldron
scenes have been omitted.

The scene in which Macbeth imagines the dagger has been removed because the supernatural
theme to the scene does not match with the reality of the new adaption.

Lady Macbeth has also undergone changes. Instead of being the lover of our Macbeth character,
she will be identified as a misunderstood friend of Macbeth. She will be cunning and manipula-
tive but also supportive in order to Macbeth to get things done.

The character of Donalbain will not be making an appearance in the new adaption, having only
three lines in Act II of Macbeth. Act II, scene III will be altered as a result.

The Thane of Cawdor and Banquo will not be killed in this adaption. Instead they will be ex-
pelled from school. The three murderers will not be responsible for Banquos death, instead they
will frame them for graffiti. Fleance will be changed from son to friend. Fleance will not be ex-
pelled because Banquo will take all the blame for the crime she did not commit to protect her
friend.

Unlike the play, the King Duncan will be staying at Macbeths house because she had gone to a
party the night before. The next day at school, Macbeth will kill King Duncan.

Lady Macduff and her children will also not be transferred to the new adaption, as they do not fit
into the revised plot.

Ross and Lennox will be combined into one character and will be represented by only Lennox.



Characters such as the murderers, Siward, young Siward, three messengers, three servants, a
lord, a soldier, a captain in Duncan's army, an old man, an English doctor, a Scottish doctor, A
Scottish gentlewoman are to become nameless characters that appear to be the peers of the main
characters. This change is to add to the setting of a regular high school.


The death scene of King Duncan will be altered to appear less sinister, it will be located in Act
II, scene II. Instead of Macbeth using a dagger to violently murder King Duncan, Macbeth will
use a school bus. The death scene will go as follows: Macbeth will walk King Duncan to her car,
making small talk to appear less suspicious, and as soon as they turn a corner, Macbeth will play-
fully nudge King Duncan off of the curb. This places King Duncan in the middle of the street
and right in front of a bus. Her death by school bus will be assumed to be an accident among the
school campus, but the viewers will know the true intentions behind it. The original act II, scene
II from Macbeth will be omitted because Janis has no direct contact with Reginas dead body.
Also parts of act II, scene III will be removed because they are not relevant to the story line.

Lady Macbeth will not commit suicide as Lady Macbeth did in the play, she will be pulled out of
school because she appears to be insane from imagining blood on her hands.

The apparitions will also change to match the setting. Instead of a floating armed head, a bloody
child, and a child wearing a crown and holding a tree, the apparitions will come in the vision of
teenager wearing goth and dark clothing. One will be holding an inhaler, the second will be hold-
ing a dance banner, and the third a plate of broccoli. Each have a significance to the death of Ca-
dy. Cadys cause of death will be asphyxiation, and the inhaler signifies the failure of her lungs.
The dance banner will be the signal that shows her that her death is near. The plate of broccoli is
the actual object that kills her; it will be lodged in her throat causing her to choke.

The battle scene between Ireland and the English does not belong in this adaption. Instead the
battle scene that finally causing Cadys reign to end will be found in the school cafeteria. A food
fight will begin as Cady flips the lunch tray of Ms. Norbury, the Macduff counterpart. The flip-
ping of the plate causes food to fly everywhere sparking students in the cafeteria to throw their
own food. Ms. Norbury joins in the fight and throws a large piece of steamed broccoli at Cady.
Being distracted by the mass amounts of food everywhere, the broccoli will be able to lodge in
Cadys mouth causing her to choke. This death will be overly dramatic, reflecting on the superfi-
cial and ridiculous motives behind Cady and Janiss attempts to rule the school.
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