MovieChat Forums > The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971) Discussion > The Middle Ages must have sucked and bee...

The Middle Ages must have sucked and been damn boring.


Outside of the clothing and armor worn, which I think was kind of neat, what a crappy time to live. No TV, no plumbing, no automobiles, no computers or cell phones, telephony or electricity.

Outside of the lack of technology, customs were very strict and the politics were messed up. People would get executed for stupid things and you didn't have much freedom. No healthcare, insurance or any safety nets to rely on during hard financial times.

What a *beep* time to be alive in Europe.

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OTOH you could potentially die in a kickass swordfight. There are worse ways to go.

"[Cinema] is a labyrinth with a treacherous resemblance to reality." - Andrew Sarris

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You didn't have time to be bored because you spent a lot of time surviving and finding means to survive. Most of he stuff we take for granted, was something they had to make themselves. You don't go to shopping malls, you run a farm and make your own food, clothes, medicine etc.

As for the more upperclass society, they spent a lot of time in intellectual and sporting activities. Upperclass, since they didn't work other than running estate, spent a lot of time reading and writing and such. Learning different languages.

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This is quite true; people doubtless had to work every waking moment just to keep themselves fed, clothed, and sheltered. The question is, how interesting was all that? I'd say not much, but I guess they entertained themselves a bit with folk songs and tales and gossip.

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You wouldn't have time to be depressed that's for sure. That's more of a leisurely sickness of the rich.

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Well, that was the idea here. To show the brutality of the world. Remember this, Macbeth itself is a brutal play, so it fit in perfectly here.

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Life was nasty, brutish and short. Most people got some time off from back-breaking physical labour only on Sunday and the approximately 50 church holidays during the year. The upper classes had it a little easier, as usual.

"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."

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I grew up in an urban city and when I took up archaeology for my postgrad, I went on digs for months. I wasn't sure how I would handle the outdoors, away from civilization, living in a tent, sleeping on the ground, eating and bathing in a hut, up to my waist in batshit, etc. But you know what? I never felt more alive as I did then. I'm a night owl and an insomniac but managed to wake every 5am, hike an hour up a mountain to the site and another hour back down. You don't know what you don't know and don't know what is good for you sometimes. Technology, plumbing, etc you realize you don't miss that much when you're out of the city.

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