Starter quiz
- What is regicide?
- the murder of one's kinsman
- the murder of a king ✓
- rejection from God
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- What did Jacobeans believe about regicide?
- that it was acceptable as it was the only way to secure great power
- that it could win you honour
- that it was the worst sin someone could commit ✓
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- In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', why does Macbeth decide to have Banquo murdered?
- Macbeth is worried that Banquo will usurp his place on the throne.
- Macbeth hates how much his wife loves Banquo.
- Macbeth is worried that Banquo's sons will usurp his place on the throne. ✓
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- What is a moral compass?
- someone's sense of right and wrong ✓
- a devil that sits on one's shoulder and tells a person to commit sins
- a section of the bible that tells you how to get into heaven
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- Which sentence uses the word 'tainted' correctly?
- "Happy memories tainted my chilhood."
- "The book is tainted with pages."
- "Her lies tainted our relationship." ✓
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- How is Banquo used as a device in 'Macbeth'?
- Banquo can be seen as Duncan's foil.
- Banquo can be seen as Macbeth's foil. ✓
- Banquo can be seen as an archetype of a knight in shining armour.
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Exit quiz
- "Stars hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires." This quote from Act 1, Scene 4 of 'Macbeth' could reflect ...
- Macbeth embracing sin and hell.
- Macbeth wanting to shield his sin from God and remain innocent. ✓
- Macbeth's lack of guilt.
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- Across Act 1, Scene 4 and 5 of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth …
- use the motif of light to signal their innocence.
- show remorse for plotting to kill the king.
- use the motif of light to signal their guilt. ✓
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- During the Jacobean era, what did people believe about society?
- that regicide was an acceptable way to gain more power.
- that the microcosm and macrocosm were unrelated.
- that the lives of men would be reflected in the wider universe. ✓
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- What is significant about the Old Man’s description of the world in Act 2, Scene 4 of 'Macbeth'?
- It shows how darkness in Macbeth's psyche is reflected in wider world. ✓
- It shows people turning against Macbeth.
- It shows that the patriarchy has fallen.
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- By Act 3, Scene 2 of 'Macbeth', how has Macbeth’s relationship with darkness and light changed?
- By Act 3, Scene 2, Macbeth seems to fully embrace darkness and sin. ✓
- By Act 3, Scene 2, Macbeth begs God for forgiveness.
- By Act 3, Scene 2, Macbeth has eradicated darkness from his conscience.
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- As Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' progresses, darkness comes to reflect …
- Macbeth's moral deterioration. ✓
- Macbeth's increasing innocence.
- Macbeth's uncertainty.
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In 'Macbeth', Shakespeare repeatedly uses the motif of light alongside the themes of innocence, guilt and sin.
- Macbeth initially wants darkness to conceal his sin from God, demonstrating his guilt.
- Shakespeare uses light imagery to describe the macrocosm, suggesting the wider repercussions of Macbeth's guilt.
- As the play progresses, Macbeth's alignment with darkness may show his moral compass becoming tainted.
- The light imagery associated with the murder of Banquo could represent the murder of innocence.
Common misconception
Light is only referenced and significant in Macbeth's 'Stars, hide your fires' soliloquy taken from Act 1, Scene 4.
If we look closely at what could be considered 'minor' scenes in the play, we can begin to build a clear and nuanced idea of the motif of light throughout.
Keywords
Microcosm - a society or place that has the same characteristics with something larger than it
Macrocosm - the whole of a complex structure, especially the world or the universe
Dunnest - thickest, murkiest
Tainted - contaminate or pollute something
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