ESSAY 1
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes
Check the AS
Check the explanatory notes
Check the exam specification
Analyse how…
• Analyse how Macbeth changed from
good to bad.
– Don’t describe the change. (Level 1)
– What caused the change?
– What were the consequences?
• For Macbeth?
• For other characters?
• For Scotland?
The nature of his change.
Read the notes entitled “Macbeth the man” on
pp xxiii – xxvi. Take notes to help you A the Q.
• “Brave Macbeth”
• “Valiant cousin, worthy
gentleman”
• “A peerless kinsman”
• “Worthy Thane”
• “O full of scorpions in
my mind.”
• Murderer – D, B, LM
• “Usurper”
• “Tyrant”
• “Hell-hound”
• “Acurs’d hand”
• “The devil himself could
not pronounce a title
more hateful to mine
ear.”
What causes Macbeth to change?
• Ambition.
• Lady Macbeth’s influence.
• Reliance on the weird sisters’ prophecies.
– A reliance on superstition in general.
• Visions – the dagger, Banquo’s ghost
• Unwillingness to face the truth.
– Linked with his reliance on the weird sisters’
prophecies.
• Fear and paranoia.
• Hubris.
An essay plan
Content
Paragraph
introduction
Ambition
influence of Lady Macbeth
reliance on the supernatural
hubris
fear and paranoia
conclusion
Writing the introduction
(1)
States title and author
Uses the language of the
question
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the
main character, Macbeth, changed
to in the
Outlines the change
become less admirable. He wentcharacter
from
being a loyal, brave Thane to a
murderous, bloodthirsty tyrant. He
changed because of the witches, his
wife and his ambition. I think his wife
was the most important factor in
making him change to become less
admirable.
YUK!
Shows a personal response
Clearly attacks the question
What are THREE things you can do
to improve this banal introduction?
How can you make this more engaging?
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the
main character, Macbeth, changed to
become less admirable. He went from
being a loyal, brave Thane to a
murderous, bloodthirsty tyrant. He
changed because of the witches, his
wife and his ambition. I think his wife
was the most important factor in
making him change to become less
admirable.
Writing the introduction (2)
• Don’t do the obvious.
– Use a quotation.
– “Unpack” it.
– Attack the question and foreshadow your
approach.
• No shopping lists.
– Create a bridge to your first paragraph.
• Don’t use the first person or second person.
– Refer to the audience
• Mention the historical context if it is relevant.
Now write ONE paragraph
• Either the introduction or one body
paragraph.
• Maybe focus on the influence of Lady
Macbeth.
• Go beyond simple SEXY structure.
– SEXYXYY for example.
– Embed quotations into your own
sentences.
Just scraping through…
Lady Macbeth is important in causing
Macbeth to change from being loyal to
disloyal. She is the one who encourages
Macbeth to take action to make the
weird sisters’ prophecy come true. She
says to him, “But screw your courage to
the sticking place and we’ll not fail.”
This shows that she is determined while
he has doubts about killing Duncan.
Did you notice the SEXY structure?
Remember the AS descriptors
“convincing” and “insight”
• Lady Macbeth is evil. She refers to hell and
sounds a bit like one of the witches.
• Because Lady Macbeth calls on “the
dunnest smokes of hell” to conceal her
deeds, she alienates herself from the
Globe’s audience, which would have been
very superstitious as well as religious in
Shakespeare’s time. Her dialogue may
remind the audience of a call for devilish
inspiration that seems like the incantations
of the weird sisters: “Come thick night…”
To conclude…
• Don’t write the same introduction that
1000s of other students will write.
– “In the drama script Macbeth written by
William Shakespeare…” YUK! YUK! YUK!
• Go beyond simple SEXY paragraphs.
– Integrate quotations
– Give two examples
– Draw more than one conclusion (Y)