Macbeth
You enter Macbeth to a question:
When shall we three meet again?
In the thunder, lightning, or in
rain?
Then the blood runs under cloak of
night; a ghost shakes his hoary
locks at a usurping king.
Sever murders, apparitions, and a
suicide later, you exit darkness,
invitation to a coronation in hand.
1. Improv
2. Tossing Lines
Lesson 1: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (T3)

Has there ever been a time in your life when someone
told you that something improbable would happen,
and it did? Did the fact that the event was
“predicted” cause you to behave differently than you
would have otherwise and make it more likely for the
event to occur? Or did the event simply seem to
occur without any assistance from you? Recall what
happened and include your feelings when you heard
the event predicted and when it occurred.
Actor’s Circle--Act 1 Scenes 1 - 2
Read aloud:
1.Line by line
2.To a hard stop (. ; ? !)
3
T
Choose 2 of the characters that
you met to this point and
draw or cut from a magazine
a picture of them. Under
each picture, list 3 words that
capture the character’s
personality.
Macbeth Lesson 4
Terms:
Denotation
Connotation
Stress
Inflection
Pauses
Nonverbal Communication
Macbeth Lesson 4
thin
woman
man
Create a list of synonyms for each.
Macbeth Lesson 4
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”
Compile a list of synonyms for “foul” and fair.”
Rewrite the sentence 4 times with your synonyms.
Share with a partner.
Macbeth Lesson 4
How do the denotations and the
connotations of these replacement
synonyms affect our understanding of the
sentence?
Why is this a paradox?
What are other paradoxes in the scene?
Macbeth Lesson 4
The witches seem to be women, but they
have beards. (lines ? )
“lesser than Macbeth and greater” (line ? )
“Not so happy, yet much happier” (line ? )
Macbeth Lesson 4
How many ways can you change the
meanings of these sentences different
inflections? Non-verbal communication?
“Is execution done on Cawdor?”
“He was a gentleman on whom I built
an absolute trust.”
3
Lesson 4 T
Write three sentences often said to you by
someone close to you: a parent, a sibling, a
friend. Indicate the typical inflection and
meaning for each; then vary the inflection and
tell how this changes the meaning of the
sentence.
Macbeth Lesson 5
“Blood Will Have Blood”
Word Journals
Focus on: how the word’s meaning is affected by
the character who uses it and by the events
occurring at that time in the play.
Blood Act 1
“What bloody man is that?” (1.2.1)
“Make thick my blood.” (1.5.50)
Blood
“Will it not be received, / When we have marked with
blood those sleepy two / Of his own chamber and used
their very daggers , That they have done ‘t?” (1.7.85-88)
Macbeth Lesson 5
Read 1.5-1.6
Macbeth Lesson 6
Text and Subtext
Review Terms:
Denotation
Connotation
Stress
Inflection
Pauses
Nonverbal Communication
Macbeth Lesson 6
“You’ve made me very happy, dear.”
Read this aloud.
Macbeth Lesson 6
Now, read it with this thought in mind:
1.
“You just promoted me to a better job.”
2.
“You just told me I won the lottery.”
3.
“You just wrecked my new car.”
4.
“It’s not [Abby/Judson] I care about; you
are my hero.”
Macbeth Lesson 6
Read it—stress the word in blue:
He never had a single chance.
He never had a single chance.
He never had a single chance.
Subtext:
Young Siward: “What is thy name?”
Macbeth: “Thou’lt be afraid to hear it.”
What he really said:
Young Siward: “This is scary. I wish I were
back in Kansas with Dorothy.”
Macbeth: “I’m going to scare the wits out of
this little nerd.”
What he really said:
Young Siward: “I’m scared spitless of this
monster.”
Macbeth: “I’m going to rip this guy apart.”
What he really said:
Young Siward: “I hate this killer.”
Macbeth: “What’s the use of fighting any
longer.”
Subtext in 1.5
Read 1.5 – plot questions?
Choose 5 sentences and write a subtext for
each. Share.
Lesson 6 T
3
Have you ever faced a situation in which you
wanted something from someone but
realized it would be best to pursue it
indirectly rather than asking for it outright?
If not, can you imagine such a situation?
Describe your indirect approach for getting
what you wanted, or write a brief dialogue
between two characters in which one person
attempts this with another.
Homework:
Read: 1.7 – Don’t worry if you don’t get it –
just read it and get familiar with it.
Macbeth Lesson 7
Soliloquies for all…
1. Watch 1.7 and listen. No books.
2. Read 1.7 line by line to hard punctuation (; . ? !)
3. Repeat with class divided into two choruses.
4. What conflicting feelings does Macbeth have as he
contemplates the murder of Duncan?
Macbeth Lesson 7
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Divide into 6 groups.
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Break the soliloquy up so that it reads like an
argument conducted by the 6 voices in
Macbeth’s mind debating the wisdom of going
through with the murder.
Indicate on the script the reason for or against
committing the murder by enclosing those lines
in a box.
Pick a volunteer for the next reading.
Macbeth Lesson 7
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Stand up, and form a circle.
Volunteers form an inner circle—each
representing one of the six voices.
Read in “voices.”
Macbeth Lesson 7

What is Macbeth’s state of mind?
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What are his doubts?
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What is his only reason for murdering
Duncan?
Macbeth Lesson 7

Ladies: Read Lady Macbeth parts

Gentlemen: Read Macbeth parts

What are the arguments LM uses to get
her way?
Lesson 7 T
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3
Summarize what you are supposed to do
for the Tracing a Word assignment—show
it to me.
Macbeth Lesson 8
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
Work in groups—trace your word—focus
on how the word’s meaning is affected by
the character who uses it and by the
events occurring at that time in the play.
Word Web on board
3
Lesson 8 T


Capture a person or setting in a poem or
paragraph that includes several of the
words that your group collected. Your
piece of writing could also use a line or
phrase fro the play that contains one of
your words.
Read 2.1-2.2
Macbeth
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
Act 1 Exam—
Read 2.1-2 – review/refresh before class
time after fall break 
Macbeth Lesson 9
Tossing
Lines:
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, /
The handle toward my hand?” (2.1.44-45)
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“I have done the deed.” (2.1.44-45)
Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! / Macbeth
doth murder sleep.” (2..2.47-48)
“A little water clears us of the deed.” (2.2.86)
“There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in blood, / The
nearer bloody.” (2.3.165-166)
Macbeth Lesson 9

Summarize 2.1-2

What is happening here?
Macbeth Lesson 9 T
3

Write a letter from the POV of someone
who overheard what is going on—
summarize the events in 2.1-2.
Macbeth Lesson 9
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
Homework: Read 2.3-4
Do not forget your word journals.
Remember to focus on how the word’s
meaning is affected by the character who
uses it and by the events occurring at that
time in the play.
Macbeth Lesson 11

Word Journal Discussion
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Divide into groups—half word trackers Act 2
and half word trackers Act 3.
Act 2 Trackers lead the discussion and focus
on part C) of the assignment: how the word’s
meaning is affected by the character who
uses it and by the events occurring at that
time in the play.
Now, write a Word Journal Report.
Word Journal Reports:


Choose a character from the play, select 3
words from your word association list, and
write a sentence explaining the connection
between the character, those words, and
the word journal word.
Here is an example for “sleep”--
Word Journal Reports:
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
Banquo: rest—peace—nightmare—sleep:
Banquo is very tired and would like to rest,
but he is afraid that going to sleep will lead
him to dream about the witches’ predictions.
Macbeth: darkness—silence—death—sleep:
By murdering Duncan, Macbeth makes the
temporary darkness and silence of Duncan’s
sleep eternal darkness and silence.
Macbeth Lesson 11

Word Webs on the board:
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A member of the group—come to the board
and add your 3 words to the web—connect
them with lines then connect them to the
main word in the center.
Read your sentence to the class. Allow
question to clarify.
Repeat with the next word group, and so on…
Macbeth Lesson 11 T
3

Act 3 Trackers—your turn. Begin with 3.1
tonight.
Macbeth Lesson 11 Homework:

Read:
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3.1.52-59 (middle)
(middle) 3.1.59-65
3.1.66-70
3.1.71-77
Paraphrase the lines then write what you think
Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings are
Volunteers to practice and read each section aloud?
On Edmodo:

PPT over the Tragic Hero cycle. View it
and take notes. You will need these notes
when we finish the play.
Lesson 11 Homework and
today’s reading:
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3.1.52-59 (middle)
(middle) 3.1.59-65
3.1.66-70
3.1.71-77
Paraphrase the lines then write what you
think Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings are
Read 3.5-4.1
Essay Topics:
Macbeth Lesson 15


Summarize 3.5-6. In 3.6, lords use irony
to reveal their suspicions of Macbeth—
Macduff is in England trying to rally
support to overthrow Macbeth.
Choral Reading: 4.1.1-38 LISTEN to each other
during reading!!
Macbeth Lesson 15
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4.1.39-177
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Witches: 1, 2, & 3
Hecate, Macbeth, Apparitions: 1, 2, & 3
Readers for each apparition to read as a
chorus
LISTEN to each other during readings!!
Macbeth Lesson 15
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What does Macbeth want?
What is in his way?
How does he try to surmount the
obstacles?
Do his objectives change in the course of
the scene?
What about the witches—what do they
want?
What do they do to get it?
Macbeth Lesson 15
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Act 3 trackers—bring your word journals
to class.
Act 2 trackers –bring your word journals
to class.
Everyone: have word association list from
lesson 8
Macbeth Lesson 15 T
3

Copy the following:
Macbeth: “I am in blood / Stepped in so far
that, should I wade no more, / Returning
were as tedious as go o’er.

What is Macbeth saying here?
On Edmodo:

PPT over the Tragic Hero cycle. View it
and take notes. You will need these notes
when we finish the play.
Macbeth Lesson 16

Word Journal Discussion:

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Divide into groups—half word trackers Act 2
and half word trackers Act 3.
Act 3 Trackers lead the discussion and focus
on part C) of the assignment: how the word’s
meaning is affected by the character who
uses it and by the events occurring at that
time in the play.
Now, write a Word Journal Report.
Macbeth Lesson 16
Word Journal Reports:

Choose a character from the play, select 3
words from your word association list, and
write a sentence explaining the connection
between the character, those words, and
the word journal word.
Macbeth Lesson 16
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Read 4.2-3 for tomorrow
3
T Journal Response: Summarize an
incident that caused you to feel different
emotions in rapid succession. Write a
dialogue that reveals those changing
emotions in stages.
Read 5.1 for tomorrow.
On Edmodo:

PPT over the Tragic Hero cycle. View it
and take notes. You will need these notes
when we finish the play.
Macbeth Lesson 18

Choral reading: Read the lines aloud.
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Look for unfamiliar words.
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Consider possible content.
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“Out, damned spot, out, I say!” (5.1.37)
“I have lived long enough. My way of life /
Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf…”
(5.3.26-27).
“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day…”
(5.5.22-23).
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“Ring the alarum bell!—Blow wind, come
wrack, / At least we’ll die with harness on
our back” (5.5.58-59).
They have tied me to a stake. I cannot
fly, / But, bear-like, I must fight the
course” (5.7.1-2).
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“Macduff was from his mother’s womb /
Untimely ripped” (5.8.19-20).
“To kiss the ground before young
Malcolm’s feet…” (5.8.32-33).
“Lay on, Macduff, / And damned be him
that first cries ‘Hold! Enough!’” (5.8.38-39)
Macbeth Lesson 18

Assign parts—read 5.1 aloud.
Macbeth Lesson 18
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Divide into 9 groups of no more than 2-3.
Your group will be assigned 1 pair of lines
on the handout.
You have 10 minutes to do the work.
Macbeth Lesson 18
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For tomorrow: Finish reading Act 5
Macbeth Lesson 20
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Culminating Word Web
The Macbeth Web
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Macbeth Essay – due 11/9 in class