Starter quiz
- When is 'Macbeth' set?
- the Jacobean period
- Shakespearean times
- 11th century Scotland ✓
- Jacobean Scotland
- 16th century Scotland
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- Which words describe Jacobean society?
- a meritocracy
- patriarchal ✓
- matriarchal
- hierarchical ✓
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- A ______ villain describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.
- 'Machiavellian' ✓
- What happens in Act 5, Scene 1 of 'Macbeth'?
- Lady Macbeth is murdered.
- Lady Macbeth meets the witches.
- Lady Macbeth is consumed by guilt. ✓
- Lady Macbeth chooses to take her own life.
- Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth 'What's to be done?' about Banquo.
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- In Act 3, Scene 4 of 'Macbeth', Macbeth seeks the witches. Why would this have been a shocking moment for the play's first Jacobean audiences?
- Macbeth is a King. The witches should come to him.
- He relies on evil supernatural creatures, not the power of God. ✓
- Before they appeared before him by chance, now he actively seeks them. ✓
- Witches were believed to be evil and unreliable. ✓
- The witches have threatened to kill him if they see him again.
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- In what ways does Shakespeare use Act 3, Scene 4 of 'Macbeth' to signal Lady Macbeth's diminishing power?
- She doesn't have a plan about what to do about Banquo. Instead, Macbeth does. ✓
- She doesn't enjoy being monarch, calling it 'nought'. ✓
- Macbeth relies on the witches to support him, not her. ✓
- She sees Banquo's Ghost, thus her mind is beginning to deteriorate.
- She emasculates Macbeth to no effect. ✓
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Exit quiz
- What is the term we use to describe 'Macbeth's' first audiences?
- medieval Scots
- Elizabethan
- Thanes
- Shakespearean
- Jacobean ✓
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- Which of the following can make for compelling evidence in an English literature essay?
- when every quotation is analysed a word at a time
- judicious choice of evidence ✓
- evidence which supports your topic sentence ✓
- analysis of writer's methods exemplified through evidence ✓
- multiple thesis
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- Which of the following could allow for meaningful use of context in an English literature essay?
- including the catch all phrase 'at the time'
- making sure context is encapsulated in one sentence at the end of each paragraph
- weaving it throughout your response ✓
- placing all your contextual knowledge in one paragraph at the end of your essay
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- How does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth alter over the course of 'Macbeth'?
- Lady Macbeth becomes increasingly dominant.
- They don't speak after Lady Macbeth 'dashes' their child's brains out.
- Lady Macbeth can't endure Macbeth after he kills Duncan.
- They both become increasingly isolated. ✓
- Macbeth comes to rely on his wife less and less. ✓
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- A student wrote this topic sentence in response to the question, 'Is Lady Macbeth presented as a dutiful wife?'. 'Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as very dominant.' What feedback would you give?
- You should use a quotation in your topic sentence.
- You must analyse methods in your topic sentence.
- You must use context in your topic sentence.
- Your topic sentence should be a thesis.
- Your topic sentence should link to the question more obviously. ✓
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- A student decided to explore the quotation, "Here's the smell of blood still" from Lady Macbeth in 5.1 in order to examine the idea of guilt. What would help make this a compelling piece of analysis?
- To use the sentence starter, 'This quotation means...' so they can be clear.
- To explore the symbolism of blood from across the play. ✓
- To analyse each word's connotations in turn.
- To contrast this moment with moments from 2.2 when she rejects ideas of guilt. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Topic sentences need to be clear and linked to the question
- Judicious quotations from the text are used to create compelling arguments
- Writer’s methods should be explored without always relying on single word analysis
- Context can be used to develop arguments
Common misconception
Contextual information in an essay should comprise of one final sentence in each paragraph.
Context should be weaved throughout an essay to help explore a writer's intentions.
Keywords
Machiavellian - Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.
Compelling - If an argument is compelling, it is convincing and persuasive.
Methods - Methods are techniques a writer uses. These encompass everything: language, form, structure and characterisation.
Context - Context concerns the circumstances in which a text was written; context helps us to understand the writer’s intentions further.
Feedback - Feedback is information given to someone to help them improve something.
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