Rappresentare l’invisibile: la scena di Macbeth

The presence of witches, ghosts, and illusions makes Macbeth probably the most interesting of Shakespeare’s plays from the point of view of theatrical adaptation and staging. Unlike most Shakespearian tragedies which were altered to reflect topical and political issues during the Restoration and at the end of the seventeenth century, Macbeth was transformed by William Davenant into an opera and produced with music and dance. The heightened spectacularity of the play stressed visual scenic elements, especially in those parts of the tragedy which focused upon the supernatural and/or the psychic. The next century saw a different approach to the visionary aspects of Macbeth; David Garrick in particular was responsible for a deeper reflection on the question of representing the invisible. The essay deals with his work on the play, at three different levels: 1) his own stage version of Macbeth; 2) his acting style, which can be examined through theatregoers’ or other actors’ writings as well as in his own Essay on Acting; 3) visual representations of scenes from the tragedy, with Garrick as lead actor.