'Lady Macbeth' Turns Sound And Fury Into Victorian Noir

The dark, feminist tale, Lady Macbeth doesn't deal with royalty or take place in medieval Scotland. It has no witches, nor much rinsing of blood from hands. It's not even based on Shakespeare. But its leading lady, a teen bride when we meet her, still lives up to that title. We first spy Katherine at the marriage ceremony, glancing around during a hymn and realizing the only female voice she hears is her own. It's rural England, 1865, and as she's sent away from the reception to prepare for her wedding night, it becomes clear she doesn't know the wedding guests, or even her new husband. Still, she's forthright, so when he comes to her bedroom, she makes a stab at getting acquainted. "I like the fresh air, I like being outsii..." she begins, mistaking him for someone who might have an interest in how she feels. "Take it off," he says coldly. "Your nightdress, take it off." He's settled into a chair on the other side of the room and unbuttoned his breeches, and when she begins to