Starter quiz
- When 'Macbeth' was first performed, who was the monarch of England?
- Elizabeth I
- Banquo
- Macbeth
- James I ✓
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- Which of the following help to illustrate the witches' power in Act 1 of 'Macbeth'?
- They first appear in a storm. ✓
- They have the support of familiars (demons). ✓
- They call each other sister.
- They meet Macbeth and Banquo at the same time.
- They appear genderless. ✓
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- Match the words to their definitions.
- outsider⇔A character who is not accepted by society. ✓
- subversive⇔Someone who does not accept rules or standards. ✓
- conform⇔Someone who accepts rules or standards. ✓
- femininity⇔Qualities seen as characteristic to women and girls. ✓
- In 'Macbeth', which of the following are examples of disorder in the natural world?
- Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost. ✓
- Lady Macbeth asks 'spirits' to 'unsex' her. ✓
- Macbeth and Banquo's friendship breaks down.
- Macbeth is promoted to the Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan.
- Malcolm flees to England.
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- In James I's book 'Daemonology', he outlines why it is more likely that women will be witches. What reason does he give for this?
- The devil prefers working with women.
- Women are naturally more evil than men.
- Women are weaker than men so they are easier prey for the devil. ✓
- Men are incapable of practising magic.
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- In 'Macbeth', do the Macbeths have any children?
- Yes, but they don't appear in the play.
- Yes, and Macbeth kills them.
- No, but there are suggestions that they had in the past. ✓
- No, no references are ever made to the Macbeths having children.
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Exit quiz
- In 'Macbeth', which of the following threatens the natural order?
- The witches ignoring the commands of an important Thane. ✓
- The witches delivering a prophecy about a future monarch. ✓
- The witches adhering to common beliefs about the supernatural. ✓
- The witches adhering to common expectations of femininity.
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- The ______ is the term for accepted standards and rules by which a community lives.
- 'status quo' ✓
- 'Macbeth' is set in 11th century Scotland but what is the most precise term for the play's first audiences?
- Jacobean ✓
- Elizabethan
- Shakespearean
- Victorian
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- In 'Macbeth', who does Macbeth see as an immediate threat following the witches' prophecies?
- King James
- King Duncan
- Banquo ✓
- the witches
- Lady Macbeth
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- What is the purpose of supporting detail in a single paragraph outline?
- Allows you to make notes about one quotation in a lot of detail.
- Allows you to come up with multiple ideas to support your topic sentence. ✓
- Allows you to write down all the quotations you know about a particular text.
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- In 'Macbeth', Banquo twice describes Macbeth as being ______ by the witches' prophecies.
- ''rap't'' ✓
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Jacobean men believed that women had a duty or obligation to them
- Jacobean society was intensely hierarchical
- The witches' masculine appearance could suggest that they can manipulate the natural order of the world
- A single paragraph outline could contain a topic sentence, a concluding sentence and bullet pointed supporting detail
Common misconception
The witches are presented in one way; any new interpretation supersedes the one before.
The witches are presented as supernatural, women, masculine and genderless. Paragraphs can explore all these; rely on LC2 to draw this out.
Keywords
Jacobean - When James I was King of England (1603-1624), the people he ruled over were called Jacobeans.
Status quo - The status quo is the term for accepted standards and rules by which a community lives.
Hierarchical - A system of ranking whereby things are ordered (with some being above, and some below) is described as hierarchical.
Natural order - The natural order is the idea each person has an assigned and unchangeable place in the hierarchy.
Masculine - Qualities or appearances conventionally attributed to boys or men can be described as masculine.