Year 10 EnglishTerm 2, 2012

Preparing for the English Assessment Task

Macbethby

William Shakespeare

Step 1 – What work do you need to know and understand for the assessment task?

Look at the assessment notice. You will be asked to write an essay (extended response) under timed examination conditions.

You will be asked to respond to a statement about the characters or issues in the play and develop an argument to support your point of view.

To answer the question you need to study the main characters in the play - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. You must develop your knowledge and understanding about the key themes (ideas) in the play as well as your understanding of the nature of dramatic tragedy.

You must comment in your answer on the ways that a particular stage or film production of the play that you have seen explores the themes and characters of Macbeth.

Your argument in your essay must be supported with quotations from Macbeth and references to language techniques and imagery. You must also discuss the use of dramatic techniques

So to prepare for the task you must know and understand the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and the themes that are explored in the play. Your points will be supported with quotations and references to dramatic and language techniques and imagery.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

In your essay you must demonstrate how language and dramatic techniques communicate aspects of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s characters and the themes of the play. You must discuss how the characters and the themes have been portrayed and developed in a stage or film production of Macbeth that you have seen.

Step 2 – Getting started If you are confident that you know the main characters and the events of the play in order, then go to Step 3.

You must know the names of the major characters and the events of the play – the plot. Complete the two graphic organisers below to help you organise your knowledge about characters and plot. Copy the charts onto an A3 size piece of paper and use colour and images to help you remember the information.

Character Chart

Place the other main characters around Macbeth and use arrows and lines to indicate their relationships to Macbeth and to each other e.g. Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife and his partner in murder; Duncan is Macbeth’s king and is killed by him.

MACBETH

In this chart you should include Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo and Fleance, the witches, Macduff and family, Malcolm and Donaldbain.

PLOT SUMMARY

You need to know the MAIN EVENTS of the plot so that you can refer to incidents, relationships and actions in your essay. You should also be able to refer to relevant scenes in the play when you are writing about characters and themes so it is important that you know the sequence of events in the play. You could draw up a table like the example below or use a bubble chart. REMEMBER:Keep it simple - main events onlyUse colour and images to help you remember the events and characters. Use A3 paperYour brain will remember the information more readily if you draw and hand write these charts.

Act EventsI Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and hear their prophecies.

Macbeth is shaken by the prophecy that he will be king and he thinks about murdering Duncan Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plot to kill Duncan when he is staying with them at their castle. Macbeth decides to “proceed no further in this business” – the murder- but Lady Macbeth urges him

on.II

III

IV

V

Act IMacbeth and Banquo meet

the witches and hear their

prophecies.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

plot to kill Duncan when he is staying with them.

Macbeth decides to

“proceed no further” in the

murder but Lady Macbeth urges him on.

Macbeth is shaken by the prophecy that he will be king.

He thinks about murdering

Duncan

Step 3 – The Characters – Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Prepare a chart about Macbeth’s character. For each character trait include an example and/or a quotation from the play. You could use a table format like the one below or a mind map or any other graphic organiser that appeals to you.

Make sure that you list as many character traits as you can. Next to each trait in a different colour write down other words of a similar meaning (synonyms) that you could use in your essay.

Example:

MACBETHCharacter trait Example / quotation

Ambitiousself-serving, motivated, determined

When Macbeth is struggling with his conscience about whether he should kill Duncan he concludes that even though there are strong arguments against the murder his “vaulting ambition” will overcome his moral scruples.

Lady Macbeth acknowledges Macbeth’s ambition –“Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition’ but she fears that he lacks the evil necessary to act without pity.

Bravecourageous, undaunted, valiant, heroic

When the Captain recounts Macbeth’s deeds in the war against the traitor Macdonald he calls him “brave Macbeth” and “Valour’s minion”. We know that he is fearless in battle for his sword “smoked with bloody execution’ and he “unseamed” Macdonald from “the nave to the chaps” and fixed the traitor’s head on the battlements.

Even at the end of the play when Macbeth is confronted by Macduff who “was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”, he bravely refuses to submit and declares that he will “try to the last.”

DeceitfulCrafty, sly, duplicitous, false, treacherous

Before the banquet Macbeth warns Lady Macbeth that they must falsely flatter their guests and make their faces “vizards to our hearts” to conceal their evil deeds and thoughts from the world.

RuthlessRemorseful

Make another chart for Lady Macbeth and list her character traits with examples and quotations. Write synonyms for each trait as you did for Macbeth.

Step 4 – Themes

ThemesThe themes of a text are the big ideas that are explored in the text. They are often ideas about life, society or human nature. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated.

Here is a list of some of the themes that are explored in Macbeth.

AmbitionOrder and chaos

The contrast between appearance and realityTyranny and violence

BetrayalGuilt

Add to the list other themes that you have discussed in class.Now using A3 paper and coloured textas, create a mind map of the themes and add examples or quotations from the play that illustrate the theme. Use images on your mind map to help you remember the themes.

Example:Theme: The contrast between appearance and realityQuotation: “look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” – Lady Macbeth advises her husband to conceal his innermost thoughts and intentions under a disguise of innocence and friendliness.

Make notes about how the theme has been explored or foregrounded in a production that you have seen.

Step 5 – Language and dramatic techniques

In your essay you must explain how the language that is spoken by the Macbeth and Lady Macbeth reveals aspects of their character and the themes of the play.

Here is a list of some of the language/ dramatic techniques and features that are used in Macbeth. Make sure that you understand each term in the list. Check with your teacher if you are unsure about the meaning of any of the terms.

metaphor similepersonification imagery

alliteration listsrepetition antithesis - contrasthyperbole rhyme

irony soliloquyprose blank verse

stagecraft costuming

set design performance

Warning! Warning! Warning!In your essay it is not enough to identify the language and

dramatic techniques. You must explain the effect of the technique i.e. HOW it shows us elements of Macbeth’s character or how it reveals the themes of

the play

Step 6 – Structuring your essay (extended response)

Applying past knowledge to new situations

Think about the work that you did in Years 8 and 9 on paragraphs and extended responses. Use the knowledge you have learnt in the past to help you write an essay.

You will be asked to respond to a question or a statement, to take a point of view and to argue persuasively for that viewpoint. Remember: In a discussion you do not have to take a “yes” or ‘no” stance. You can discuss points for and against a question or statement i.e. take the middle ground. Rather than taking one side in an argument, you may be required to discuss the importance of an idea in the play.

Introduction –State the title and composer of the text and state your position on the question i.e. your thesis. Briefly outline your approach to the question i.e. your argument.

Body – at least six paragraphs. Each paragraph should make one clear point in answer to the question / statement (the topic sentence) and you support each point with references to events, characters or themes in the play. In each paragraph you should support your argument with quotations and language techniques and use these to explain how they show us aspects of the characters or the themes. The last sentence in each paragraph should link back to the question/ statement.

Conclusion – draw your ideas together and make a final statement in response to the question.

Before you begin to write …

There are a number of tasks to do before you begin to write. You might think that the following suggestions are a waste of time but they will help you structure your essay.

Give yourself about five minutes to read the question and plan your response. Think about the question / statement. Is there just one point of view on this – yes or no - or can

you take the middle ground and discuss aspects from both sides? Brainstorm all your ideas about the characters and the themes that support your position on the

inside cover of your answer booklet. Jot down any quotation or references to the play that will support your ideas. Then prioritise your points. Start with your strongest ideas and then move to the less important

ones. You may have to combine two minor ideas together. Start writing. Remember to link each paragraph back to the question or statement.

Confused? Worried? Uncertain?If you are unsure about what to learn or how to learn it ask your teacher.

Practise!You can use the following question to practise planning and writing under timed conditions.

Make sure that you time yourself accurately.Macbeth is basically a good man who is led astray. Discuss.

Striving for Accuracy and Precision

Correct spelling and punctuation are important elements of an extended response. They are not an optional extra!

Correct spelling and punctuation show the marker that you are literate and aware of the conventions of writing in

English. While some consideration will be given to the fact that you are writing under timed conditions and do not have

access to a dictionary, you will be expected to spell and punctuate the following accurately:

the names of the characters;

the title of the text;

the name of the composer of the text;

common words e.g. where, beginning,

words related to the topic e.g. ambition, loyalty, supernatural, deceive, tyranny.

Titles of plays are underlined – Macbeth.

Direct quotations are put in quotation marks – “vaulting ambition”

Remember: Titles and the names of composers, characters and places have capital letters e.g. Macbeth; Shakespeare;

Banquo; Dunsinane.

You do not have to include page or line numbers but remember to quote accurately.