Death of puppets and puppets of death in Macbeth (directed by Rémusz Szikszai, 2018, Jászai Mari Theatre Tatabánya and Szkéné Theatre Budapest, Hungary)

Márta Hargitai

doi:10.5817/TY2026-1-3

Death of puppets and puppets of death in Macbeth (directed by Rémusz Szikszai, 2018, Jászai Mari Theatre Tatabánya and Szkéné Theatre Budapest, Hungary)

Roč.29,č.1(2026)
Puppetry with(out) Classics

Márta Hargitai

https://doi.org/10.5817/TY2026-1-3

Trvalý odkaz (handle):
http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/digilib.84147

PDF (angličtina)

Abstrakt

In this article, I examine how the meaningful co-presence and interplay between puppets and the visible puppeteer add further layers to the interpretations of a Hungarian theatrical performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth, directed by Rémusz Szikszai in 2018. The focus of the paper is on the re/presentation of the death of puppets, as Lady Macduff's two children and Lady Macbeth's baby are the only characters embodied by puppets in the performance and they either die on stage or are dead from the start. The paper will justify the various possible reasons for the production's use of puppets, such as – among others – to raise questions about the integrity of the personality and the body, to offer a way of coping with trauma, to make a political statement, or to emphasise the existential nature of the play. The paper will demonstrate that the production's employment of puppets is not merely decorative or popularity-seeking but adds multiple layers to its interpretation.

Klíčová slova:
Macbeth; child-puppets; visible puppeteer; death of puppets; material of puppets; bunraku; kokeshi; Weird Sisters; rigidification

Stránky:
33–51

Reference

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