Lady Macbeth, The Ill-Fated Queen: Exploring Shakespearean Themes of Ambition, Sexuality, Witchcraft, Patrilineage, and Matricide in Vocal Settings of Verdi, Shostakovich, and Pasatieri

Abstract

This exploration of three vocal portrayals of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth investigates the transference of themes associated with the character is intended as a study guide for the singer preparing these roles. The earliest version of the character occurs in the setting of Verdi's Macbeth, the second is the archetypical setting of Lady Macbeth found in the character Katerina Ismailova from Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District, based on the Nicolai Leskov novella of the same title, and the third is Thomas Pasatieri's monodrama Lady Macbeth, which uses significant excerpts from Shakespeare in a solo vocal pastiche of the arc of her character. The archetypical qualities of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth are established, and incorporate analyses from different historical and cultural contexts, including medical discourse from the time of Shakespeare, the English witchcraft trials of the 17th century, and shifting patriarchal conditions, as well as feminist and psychological perceptions of her character. The ways in which significant stage interpretations of Lady Macbeth from her inception through the Victorian Age have influenced, and in some cases, been influenced by, these vocal works. Archetypical discourse, performance practice, and societal perceptions of Lady Macbeth establish a baseline by which elements specific to the operatic genre and vocal idiom are addressed, including placement and conception of the work in the composer's oeuvre, circumstances affecting the compositional process, including revisions both voluntary (Verdi), and unexpected (Shostakovich), and how societal norms and varying levels of patriarchal dominance affect the representation of Lady Macbeth's motivations in performance interpretations. Adaptations in the vocal libretti of critical moments of character development are discussed in terms of omissions of certain lines and their implications with regard to character motivation and development. Though many variables exist within these vocal settings, a baseline of archetypical qualities of Lady Macbeth relative to Shakespeare is highly applicable to proper preparation and characterization.