GCSE English Literature Remote Learning Booklet: Macbeth
GCSE English Literature Remote Learning Booklet: Macbeth
In the event of school closure, work through the activities in this booklet for 70
minutes during each timetabled slot for English. If you are unsure how to complete
an activity, email your teacher who will do their best to assist you. If you do not
have access to email, move on to the next activity in the booklet.
Macbeth
MACBETH
The following activities are designed around retrieval practice. This means they focus on content already taught. Do
your best to answer the questions without looking at your notes or the text. Answers for some of the activities can be
found at the back of this booklet so you can mark your answers once you have finished. Be sure to revise anything
you got wrong when reviewing your learning.
What becomes of Lady Who leads the attack Why do Macbeth and How is Duncan’s blood
Macbeth at the end of the against Macbeth’s castle Lady Macbeth continually and skin described by
play? near the end of the play? ask for darkness Macbeth upon ‘discovery’
throughout the play? of the king’s body?
What are the prophecies Who does the Porter Why does Macbeth kill What becomes of
given to Macbeth and imagine is knocking on Macduff’s children and Macbeth at the end of the
Banquo? the castle gates, or hell- what is the correct term play?
gate’? for this?
What are ‘hands’ What does Lady Macbeth How is Macbeth What does the term
symbolic of in the play? have by her side as she described by the Captain ‘hamartia’ mean and
sleepwalks and why is in his report and why is what is Macbeth’s?
this significant? he described in this way?
If you cannot remember a quotation, try and find it in your script before looking at the answers. Haven’t got a script?
Find it on Google!
Quotation Who says it? What does this tell us about their
character?
Fair foul
The witches are used at the
The
Witches beginning of the play to show that
‘___________ is __________
fair things are not as they see. The
and foul is _____________.’
dualism in this statement shows
appearance is not always reality.
The following activities are designed around academic reading. This means you will be given an article to read and
answer questions on. These articles have been selected because they will aid your understanding of Shakespeare’s
play and the big ideas he explores. There are no answers at the back of the booklet for this section so do your best. If
you need any assistance, email your teacher and if you have no access to email, do what you can and then move on
to the next activity.
This section of the booklet will focus on extracts from ‘Conjuring Darkness in Macbeth’, an article that
can be found on the British Library website. Before you read the extracts, complete the following pre-
reading activities to help you understand what the article. Answer in full sentences. If you would like to
access the full article, you can find it here: https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/conjuring-
darkness-in-macbeth
Pre-Reading questions
1) The British Library have filed this article under the following categories. Make notes around each
category which explain how they link to ‘Macbeth’.
TRAGEDIES LANGUAGE
________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
1. What were some of the special effects theatres employed to create thunder and lightning?
2. Why do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth ask for darkness at the beginning of the play?
3. Why do you think Macbeth describes day as ‘pitiful’ when he asks for darkness to come?
4. How does Shakespeare signify night has fallen before Duncan’s murder takes place?
5. The article states that ‘in the wake of Duncan’s killing, darkness appears to have seeped from the night
into the day.’ What do you think this means and what is this symbolic of?
6. The article says, ‘The taper, the smallest kind of candle, is Lady Macbeth’s safeguard against the powers of
darkness.’ Why do you think Lady Macbeth’s light is so small? What could this symbolise?
7. Characters come to ‘fear the dark’. What does this remind you of? What do you think Shakespeare is
saying here?
finished.
Shakespeare did have some special effects to hand: Macbeth begins with ‘thunder and lightning’ and, in the performances
at the Globe, this lightning might have been represented by flashes from fireworks, as was done with other plays of the
period.
1. Why does Shakespeare open the play with thunder and lightning?
2. Why do the witches appear in thunder and lightning?
3. How does Shakespeare use speech in this scene to let the audience know what kind of weather the witches meet in?
We often feel darkness coming, especially because both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to invoke and invite it. They
need darkness to do their worst.
1. Retrieve a short quotation where Macbeth asks for darkness.
2. Retrieve a short quotation where Lady Macbeth asks for darkness.
3. What is darkness symbolic of?
Audiences will be most aware of the gathering of darkness when Duncan comes to stay at Macbeth’s castle. What Lady
Macbeth chillingly calls ‘This night’s great business’ (1.5.68) must happen in the dark.
1. What does Duncan initially think of Macbeth’s castle when he first arrives. Retrieve a short quotation.
2. What does the Porter joke the castle has become in the scene after Duncan’s murder?
A little later, after Banquo has retired, Lady Macbeth enters and catches herself starting at the shriek of an owl, just before
her husband comes to meet her. ‘Who’s there? What ho?’ (2.2.8) asks Macbeth, and at first she hardly seems to recognise
him: ‘My husband!’ (2.2.13). Their dialogue creates a darkness in which sounds and apprehensions are amplified: ‘Didst
thou not hear a noise?’ (2.2.14), ‘Did not you speak?’ (2.2.16). The terrible deed has been done and the darkness that
made it possible concentrates their fears.
1. What kind of character is Banquo in the play?
2. Why are the Macbeths so afraid of noise?
3. Lady Macbeth only calls Macbeth by the name of ‘husband’ once in the play. Why do you think this is?
Darkness may seem to become Macbeth’s element, but his wife, once the prime mover of their plots, comes to dread
it. Watching her sleepwalking, her Gentlewoman tells the Doctor that ‘she has light by her continually, ’tis her
command’ (5.1.22). ‘Enter Lady with a Taper’ is the stage instruction in the First Folio, on which text all later editions
are based. The taper, the smallest kind of candle, is Lady Macbeth’s safeguard against the powers of darkness.
The following activities are designed around exam questions. This means you will complete a series of small activities
to help you answer an essay question like the one you will receive in your GCSE Literature paper. Use the notes from
this booklet and a copy of the text to help you prepare.
DUNCAN
My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; which honour must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.
MACBETH
The rest is labour, which is not used for you:
I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave.
Starting with this extract, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as
an ambitious character.
You could write about:
Highlight and annotate the extract with initial ideas that jump out at you. What could you discuss from the extract in
your answer?
Complete the following analytical verbs to help you explore Shakespeare’s authorial intent with Macbeth’s
character. Authorial intent is when you explain what an author is doing and why they are doing it. The ‘why’ is
extremely important and often missed out by students in their exams so that is what we are going to start with
today. One has been done for you.
- to warn audiences of the tragic consequences that could occur if one is blinded by their desires.
- to teach
- to criticise
- to advocate
Pick three of your sentences from above and rewrite them below. This time, extend your sentences with the
connectives ‘because’, ‘but’ or ‘so’. Look at the example below to help you.
2.
3.
Pick one of the sentences above. Copy it out again. Extend it by using one analytical verb to lead in to a
second analytical verb in order to explore more of Shakespeare’s authorial intent. Look at the example
below to help you.
1.
Write down five quotations you could use in your essay. They do not necessarily have to be spoken by Macbeth
himself. One has been done for you to give you a sixth quotation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use your analytical verbs to quickly explain what Shakespeare is doing with each quotation. You do not need to write
in full sentences as this is just a plan. Look at the example to help you.
Eg. ‘We will proceed no further in this business.’– revealing that even though Macbeth has had these
thoughts, he is still wary of going ahead with the murder.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Activity 10: I Do
Identify the following in this example response which I have pre-prepared.
- Clear points at the beginning of each paragraph which relate to the question
- Embedded quotations
- Single word analysis
- Analytical verbs
- Authorial intent (what the writer is doing and why they are doing it.)
- Social/historical context
Pay close attention to how I am writing. You should aim to replicate this style of writing in your own answer.
Macbeth’s ambitions are inextricably linked with violence; he needs to commit violent acts in order to achieve
what he wants. Perhaps this is why he sees a dagger, which directs him to Duncan’s chambers. His ambition is
making him see it. He even comments that ‘it is the bloody business’ which is causing him to hallucinate,
suggesting Macbeth himself is aware that violence is the key to unlocking his ambition. Shakespeare may have
used ‘bloody’ to warn audiences that if Macbeth does not change his ways, he will be stuck in a cyclical nature of
violence which will never end, blindly leading him to his downfall. Through this warning, perhaps he wants his
audiences to learn of the dangers of ambition and the trouble it can cause, cementing the play’s status as pro-
royalist propaganda in the wake of the gunpowder plot, an attempt to end the persecution of Roman Catholics by
the English government by killing the king. Macbeth’s ambitions are not too dissimilar to those of the failed
plotters and the lesson is they learn is the same: actions have consequences and no-one can disrupt the Great
Chain of Being.
- Clear points at the beginning of each paragraph which relate to the question
- Quotations
- Single word analysis (You could use your analytical verbs here too. Eg. ‘Shakespeare has Macbeth talk about
‘ambition’ to criticise…’)
- Authorial intent (what the writer is doing and why they are doing it.)
- Social/historical context
If you are unsure how to structure your essay, start with what Macbeth is like at the beginning of the play and
explain how he develops. Remember, the question is asking ‘how far’ Shakespeare presents Macbeth as ambitious
which means you need to make a decision and then use the essay to explain your thoughts. Is he very ambitious,
partially ambitious or not ambitious at all? Why? Use the paragraph above to help you start if needed.
Starting with this extract, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as
an ambitious character.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
‘Macbeth’ Answers
Retrieval Grid
Mark your answers to the following questions:
What becomes of Lady Who leads the attack Why do Macbeth and How is Duncan’s blood
Macbeth at the end of the against Macbeth’s castle Lady Macbeth continually and skin described by
play? near the end of the play? ask for darkness Macbeth upon ‘discovery’
throughout the play? of the king’s body?
What are the prophecies Who does the Porter Why does Macbeth kill What becomes of
given to Macbeth and imagine is knocking on Macduff’s children and Macbeth at the end of the
Banquo? the castle gates, or hell- what is the correct term play?
gate’? for this?
What are ‘hands’ What does Lady Macbeth How is Macbeth What does the term
symbolic of in the play? have by her side as she described by the Captain ‘hamartia’ mean and
sleepwalks and why is in his report and why is what is Macbeth’s?
this significant? he described in this way?
Macbeth is told he will be The Porter images a Macbeth kills Macduff’s Macbeth is killed by
Thane of Glamis (which farmer who has hoarded children after being told Macduff.
he is already), Thane of his produce, an to beware Macduff.
Cawdor and King. Banquo equivocator and a tailor Macbeth slaughters
is told he will not be king are knocking on the gates Macbeth’s wife and
but that his children will of the castle. children to ensure they
be. are not a threat. The
killing of children is called
infanticide.
Hands represent Lady Macbeth has a Macbeth is described as ‘Hamartia’ is a fatal flaw
honourable and loyal candle by her side. This is ‘brave’. Shakespeare is in one’s character.
actions at the beginning significant because she setting up the audiences’ Macbeth’s hamartia is his
of the play yet as time has spent the rest of the expectations so that it is ambition.
progresses, they come to play asking for darkness all the more horrific when
represent dishonesty and to conceal her actions and this loyal character
betrayal. now she is afraid of it. betrays his king.
Macbeth is tempted with the idea of kingship. The crown offers him power
and, in Macbeth’s view, invincible. Of course, this is incorrect. The crown could
also link to the idea of the Divine Right of Kings, the idea that monarchs were
chosen by God to be their spokesperson on earth. To commit regicide would
have been the ultimate sin. An attack on the monarch was an attack on God.
Light and darkness is a common theme in the play. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
ask for darkness at the beginning of the play (‘stars hide your fires’/ ‘come
thick night’) in order to hide their scheming actions. Darkness is symbolic of
secrecy. By the end of the play, however, light is desired instead. Lady
Macbeth holds a candle near here. She is afraid of darkness and its associations
with guilt.
Violence becomes a cycle which is impossible to escape. The Captain confirms
that Macbeth is capable of violent actions at the very beginning of the play. As
soon as kills Duncan, however, Macbeth feels violence, which is celebrated at the
beginning of the play, is the only way to consolidate and keep his power.
Macbeth’s fate is linked to the supernatural. The witches look to the future
to see what will become of Macbeth and Banquo. Macbeth is very much taken
which his prophecy and desires to see more. What could be seen as a positive
thing, soon leads Macbeth to his downfall. Banquo’s ghost appears to hold
Macbeth to account for his actions. Guilt takes on a supernatural form.
Duplicity (being two-faced) is a major theme in the play. Lady Macbeth often
instructs Macbeth to look innocent whilst they plan the murder of Duncan.
Shakespeare concerns himself with the idea of appearance vs reality. What
things appear to be are not always reality.
Quotation Retrieval
Mark your answers for this exercise.
Quotation Who says it? What does this tell us about their
character?
‘I do fear thy nature, It is too full o’th’ milk of have faith in her husband. She does
not believe he will be able to go
human kindness.’
through any action that will make
them king and queen quickly. Her
doubts place her in a position of
control.
‘The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the die in their castle. This quotation
shows she is ambitious and will do
fatal entrance of Duncan under my
anything to get what she wants.
battlements.’ The use of ‘my’ shows she believes
she is in control of the situation
and Macbeth will follow her lead.
‘Is this a dagger which I see before me.’ will soon be committing. We begin
to wonder if Macbeth is of sound
mind but the fact the dagger
disappears before he kills Duncan
shows he is not mad and is in
complete control of himself.
1. Why does Shakespeare open the play with thunder and lightning? To create an atmosphere of fear and
terror. The weather could foreshadow the turbulent times Scotland will face throughout the play.
2. Why do the witches appear in thunder and lightning? Shakespeare has the witches appear in this weather
to show they are characters to be feared; they are associated with supernatural imagery.
3. How does Shakespeare use speech in this scene to let the audience know what kind of weather the
witches meet in? The witches ask when they will meet again, ‘in thunder, lightning or in rain.’
4. Retrieve a short quotation where Macbeth asks for darkness. ‘Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black
5. Retrieve a short quotation where Lady Macbeth asks for darkness. ‘Come thick night and pall thee in the
6. What is darkness symbolic of? Guilt, scheming, murderous thoughts, plots and machinations
7. What does Duncan initially think of Macbeth’s castle when he first arrives. Retrieve a short quotation. He likes
8. What does the Porter joke the castle has become in the scene after Duncan’s murder? He jokes that he is the
9. What kind of character is Banquo in the play? Noble, loyal, a trusted friend.
10. Why are the Macbeths so afraid of noise? The Macbeths worry that noise will lead to discovery of their secrets
and plans.
11. Lady Macbeth only calls Macbeth by the name of ‘husband’ once in the play. Why do you think this is?
Perhaps because she believes herself to be superior or to play on the fact that he has somewhat disappointed
13. What kind of character is Lady Macbeth at the end of the play? Weak, vulnerable, scared, like a child.