The Representation of Female Subaltern Characters in Macbeth (directed by Rémusz Szikszai, 2018, Jászai Mari Theatre Tatabánya and Szkéné Theatre Budapest, Hungary)

The present article discusses the representation of female subaltern characters in a highly influential Hungarian theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from 2018, directed by Rémusz Szikszai at Jászai Mari Theatre, Tatabánya, and Szkéné Theatre, Budapest, Hungary. The article focuses on the representation of women, taking a closer look at the portrayal of Lady Macbeth and two of the Weird Sisters (the third Sister is a male role in the production). Within the theoretical context of subalternity and social justice, the study will examine whether the production challenges or confirms traditional representations of female characters. The production will be used as a case study to investigate the mechanisms through which the subaltern female can attain agency and representation. It will be demonstrated how the re/presentation of women in the adaptation cuts across almost all boundaries imaginable, including the animal/human, male/female, living/dead, and natural/supernatural divide. The performance indicates, perhaps unintentionally, that women can only be empowered if they are willing to cross these boundaries. On closer inspection, however, the female characters of the adaptation are relegated to established patriarchal tropes, as they are clearly categorised as nuns, whores, mothers/anti-mothers, wives, witches, or madwomen. Although many layers of subalternity (including racial, political, and cultural) are well represented in the production, the gendered dimension remains underexplored.