Something is rotten in the state of the State: Kaushik Sen’s Macbeth and contemporary Bengal

Abstract

The paper examines Koushik Sen's theatrical adaptation of Macbeth as a politically charged reinterpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy within the socio-historical context of contemporary West Bengal. Drawing on Linda Hutcheon's theory of adaptation and the conceptual frameworks of power articulated by Louis Althusser and Michel Foucault, the study analyses how Sen recontextualizes Shakespeare's narrative of ambition and tyranny to critique modern structures of state authority. Through visual symbols, gendered performance, and the use of militarized state imagery, Sen's production foregrounds the operation of repressive and ideological state apparatuses, surveillance, and political violence. The play is further read against specific political events such as the Singur land acquisition movement and broader debates on governance, repression, and public dissent in Bengal. The paper argues that Sen's Macbeth transforms Shakespeare's tragedy into a cultural document that exposes the cyclical nature of power and the persistence of authoritarian impulses across historical contexts.