Starter quiz
- How does 'Macbeth' begin?
- With the witches' prophecies.
- Lady Macbeth reading a letter about the prophecies.
- Macbeth searching for the witches.
- During a battle.
- With the witches, on a heath. ✓
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- In 'Macbeth', why might the witches be considered outsiders?
- They don't conform to the status quo. ✓
- They reinforce the status quo.
- The don't adhere to common expectations of Jacobean women. ✓
- They conform to supernatural stereotypes. ✓
- They want to meet Macbeth, an important Thane.
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- In his letter to Lady Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 5 of 'Macbeth', Macbeth calls her his 'dearest ______ of greatness'.
- 'partner' ✓
- The ______ is the term for the accepted standards and rules by which a community lives.
- 'status quo' ✓
- Arguably, in Act 1, Scene 5 of 'Macbeth', the Macbeths are presented as having a strong relationship. Which statements best support this argument?
- Macbeth is ambitious.
- Lady Macbeth emasculates Macbeth.
- Lady Macbeth has detailed knowledge of Macbeth's strengths and weaknesses. ✓
- Macbeth sends Lady Macbeth a letter as soon as he hears about the prophecies. ✓
- Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discuss the child they once had.
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- In 'Macbeth', which quotation best shows Lady Macbeth's support for her husband's ambition to be King of Scotland?
- 'Art not without ambition'
- 'my dearest partner of greatness'
- 'Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor! Greater than both' ✓
- 'look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't.'
- 'When you durst do it, then you were a man'
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following were common expectations of Jacobean women?
- To be chaste. ✓
- To be educated.
- To be dutiful. ✓
- To be silent. ✓
- To be articulate.
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- In Act 1 of 'Macbeth', in what ways does Lady Macbeth reinforce the status quo?
- She pretends to be a dutiful wife to Macbeth.
- She pretends to be a dutiful subject to King Duncan.
- She seeks power for her husband, not herself. ✓
- She dominates the dialogue in 1.7.
- She accepts the witches' prophecies.
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- In Act 1 of 'Macbeth', which quotations show Lady Macbeth's detailed knowledge of her husband?
- 'Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor! Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter'
- 'I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me'
- 'yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness' ✓
- 'Leave all the rest to me.'
- 'Art not without ambition, But without the illness that attends it' ✓
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- We could interpret the female characters in 'Macbeth' as powerful or powerless. For each plot point in the play, decide whether this presents the female character as powerful or powerless.
- powerful - first on stage⇔The witches start the play. ✓
- powerful - takes the lead⇔Lady Macbeth dominates the dialogue in 1.7. ✓
- powerful - control fate⇔The witches seem to predict, perhaps control, the future. ✓
- powerless - shunned⇔The witches have no place in society: they are outsiders. ✓
- powerless - role of wife⇔Lady Macbeth seeks power for her husband, not for herself. ✓
- powerless - hierarchy⇔Lady Macbeth has to be a dutiful subject to King Duncan. ✓
- In Act 1, Scene 5 of 'Macbeth', Lady Macbeth asks 'spirits' to 'unsex me here'. Which of the following could be accurate inferences about this quotation?
- Lady Macbeth wants to be King.
- After hearing about the witches, Lady Macbeth wants to be one.
- Lady Macbeth feels that she is powerless unless she rejects her femininity. ✓
- She wants to be unnaturally powerful so she can commit an unnatural act. ✓
- Lady Macbeth doesn't want any children.
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- In Act 1, Scene 7 of 'Macbeth', why does Lady Macbeth say she would have 'dash'd' her child's brains to the floor whilst breast-feeding?
- She promised Macbeth she would do this to prove her love.
- She wants to do this, worried that her child will become King.
- She is using the image to describe her devotion to Macbeth. ✓
- She is explaining how and why she killed their child.
- She is describing how she will kill their future child.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In Jacobean England, women had very little power
- The female characters in Act 1 of 'Macbeth' can seem unconventional in their behaviour
- Arguably, this unconventional behaviour doesn't prevent them from reinforcing the status quo
- Lady Macbeth could be interpreted as a dutiful wife
Common misconception
The only argument about Lady Macbeth involves her being subversive.
Characters can be interpreted in different ways. Your role is to construct a strong argument, not the 'right' argument.
Keywords
Dutiful - If you are dutiful, you fulfil your duty. You do this with obedience and devotion.
Conventional - If you are conventional, you follow accepted norms or standards.
Unconventional - If you are unconventional, you do not follow accepted norms or standards.
Outsider - Being an outsider is an important idea, particularly to Shakespeare. An outsider is a character who is not accepted by society.
Status quo - The status quo is the term for accepted standards and rules by which a community lives.
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