creative writing task macbeth

Pondering English Pedagogy

A personal blog to share teaching thoughts, ideas, and practises

Re-creative Writing: An Approach to teaching ‘Macbeth’

Carol Ann Duffy coursework Curriculum diversity English English Literature Female author Feminism inclusion LGBT Madeline Miller Margaret Atwood Naomi Alderman Natalie Haynes NEA OCR Pedagogy poetry Prose Whole-School

After 6 years of teaching Shakespeare’s Macbeth , I have worked through various strategies to engage students in the (often troublesome) use of language. These have ranged from supported and scaffolded class annotation of the text to ‘Jeremy Kyle-style’ debates between key characters. All have their pros and cons. However, it was after several years of exploring the Re-creative coursework element of the OCR A-Level specification, that led me to this question: why not try the same concept with GCSE students?

So, what does ‘Re-creative’ mean?

This is a process by which students read and study a text with the aim of producing their own form of creative writing in response. OCR use this as an option for their NEA Task 1, where a student can choose to complete EITHER a close a analysis or a re-creative piece.

As outlined by the specification on the OCR website, re-creative writing allows students to:

• develop aspects of a narrative further in the style or ‘voice’ of the writer
• consider specific moments in a narrative by adding additional text or adding further context
• allows students to consider different audiences, contexts, and purposes through the exploration of different written forms and genres

Essentially, by allowing students to explore a text through recreating or adding elements to the existing narrative, they can begin to further understand the ‘voice’ and intentions of the writer, whilst also engaging with various creative tasks. For example, in a Shakespeare text, students can begin to further understand the features and form of a soliloquy by framing a new addition into the existing play – an example that my Year 10 students explored in their study of Macbeth this term.

What are the benefits of this approach?

Through the teaching of this method, I have seen a range of benefits through the students’ levels of interaction and engagement, but also through their understanding of the text and various written forms.

“It can […] contribute to wider opportunities of peer-assessment, resulting in meaningful feedback and extended tal k”

As a lover of dialogic teaching (check out Towards Dialogic Teaching by Robin Alexander [2004]), I have found that this can greatly encourage students to share their own ideas through various spoken presentations as well as encourage talk between their peers, both in the planning and writing processes. This, in turn, allows for wider opportunities of peer-assessment, resulting in meaningful feedback and extended talk , such as considering conscious decisions around writers’ craft and how this can shape the meaning of their piece within the wider context of the text.

I short though, the main benefits I have noticed in this creative method of teaching are:

• Wider opportunities for creative writing – this allows students to develop SPaG and literary skills, whilst breaking up lessons of close, detailed analysis of a rich (often difficult) text
• Extended understanding of various written form s – which can include elements of writing useful for their Language Papers. For example, article and speech writing as well as poetic forms and play-texts, all of which can help students to extend their knowledge of text layout and rhetorical language features
• Refined understanding of the primary study text – which, ultimately, helps them to feel more confident when it comes to revision of plot, character, and technique. By allowing students the opportunity to write re-creatively in the ‘voice’ of the primary writer, they can better understand the actions and relationships between characters, as well as have a better understanding of stylistic techniques used by the writer
• Fun and engaging – which is, essentially, what we want all of our students to experience when learning English. It can break up the monotony of very focused close analysis which – very easily – can become quiet teacher-led. By handing creative tasks over to our students, it gives them the control to discuss their ideas with their peers as well as share work that they can be proud of!

What were students asked to do in their study of Macbeth ?

In this section, I want to demonstrate a more detailed overview of this case study to provide you with some real examples of how re-creative writing can be used as a strategy to help students engage and learn about a primary text, whilst also expanding their skills in writing and peer-assessing.

All forms of writing were produced at various points throughout the students’ study of Macbeth . Each task was used to assess students’ knowledge of key characters and events in the play , whilst also aiming to extend creative writing skills for their AQA Language pape r: using wider and sophisticated vocabulary and adapting language and structure to suit their audience.

Responding to Act 1.5: A soliloquy in the voice of Lady Macbeth

For this task, we had just been introduced to Lady Macbeth’s character as well as having explored the structural forms of soliloquy and asides . I wanted students to demonstrate their knowledge of key character traits of Lady Macbeth (such as manipulative and ‘supernatural or witch-like’ qualities) whilst also experimenting with the form of a soliloquy, using their understanding of Act 1.5 and earlier examples from the character of Macbeth.

The students responses were fantastic, showing a strong understanding of her use of language after reading the letter. These were based both on their individual understanding and creative flair, but also rooted in questioning and learning talk with one another.

Some examples of the student pieces are below:

Responding to Act 3.3 – A modern retelling of Banquo’s demise

“Students successfully created a range of playscripts, with some even citing references to Naturalist theatre, where they had used significant detail in their stage directions.”

Although not technically “re-creative” (as we were not writing in Shakespeare’s style), I wanted students to further understand the structure of a play-text as well as the use of stagecraft. Normally, I would have asked students to create freeze-frames or short modernised performances of the scene, but due to social distancing , this was not possible (COVID-19 problems…).

Students were instructed to create a modern playscript of Act 3.3 which could be included in EITHER a stage or film production of Shakespeare’s original play. The teaching aims of this task were for students to:

• demonstrate their understanding of stagecraft and potential effects of sound, lighting, and physicality
• show an understanding of mood and atmosphere through the setting of their piece, the use of dialogue, and the manipulation of sound and lighting
• explore and discuss relationships between characters and how this might impact later events in the play

Students successfully created a range of playscripts, with some even citing references to Naturalist theatre, where they had used significant detail in their stage directions. Many students used particular dialogue such as “a light, a light” to help explore different staging opportunities and decisions. Others decided to use storyboards to help in the planning of their final pieces, showing thoughtful decision-making and discussion during their learning.

Pre-Reading Act 4.3 – The Suffering of Scotland – Articles and Speeches

“I also wanted them to consider their ability to explore empathy from the perspective of a citizen trapped within a tyranny”

The final example was used as a way to explore some flipped learning. I wanted students to use their understanding of key themes within the text to help them explore a range of transactional written forms. The context of this task was rooted in students’ recognition that Scotland has quickly been taken over by a tyrannical dictator and how this might have affected characters within the play – namely Macduff. However, I also wanted them to consider their ability to explore empathy from the perspective of a citizen trapped within a tyranny.

Students, therefore, had a choice to either compose a persuasive speech, considering Macduff’s desperation to seek help from Malcolm and King Edward, or an article which reported on events within Scotland. Both forms would allow me to measure their understanding of key plot events as well as helping them prepare skills in non-fiction written forms for AQA Language Paper 2.

One of the key elements of this task was the opportunity for peer-assessment . I like to provide students with checklists as a form of guidance, but also encourage students to give written feedback in the form of WWW (What Went Well) and EBI (Even Better If). If you want any more ideas for Assessment for Learning (AFL) you can explore English Inside the Black Box (2006) by Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam.

You can easily adapt existing checklists to fit various tasks and it is a great way to assist students in marking each other’s work – especially if they have limited experience of peer-assessment.

This was ultimately very successful, with students exploring various structural methods and learning the basics of article and speech writing. They proudly presented their work, as well as being able to present spoken forms via FlipGrid (an online recording tool).

I was particularly pleased to see students adapt their language to suit specific audiences , which is a key skill for their Language examination papers.

Examples of student work are below:

In conclusion?

Essentially, students really enjoyed the process of writing in different forms, but also gained a great deal of knowledge and insight into Shakespeare’s craft and use of character.

Although not perfect (some students essentially re-wrote Act 3.3 in modern dialect as opposed to redesigning the scene), it allowed students to explore language and understanding through methods that went beyond just “reading and analysing” the play.

I believe that, through creative tasks such as these, it can truly engage reluctant learners with more challenging topics (such as Shakespeare) and move us towards skills-based learning and teaching, rather than more traditional modular topic teaching. There are strong links here to Anthony Cockerill’s demonstrations of thematic teaching of English topics and I would strongly recommend you to check out his blog here: https://anthonycockerill.com/2019/07/12/thematic-curriculum-scheme-gothic/

Useful tools to aid in the process

I wanted to finish by suggesting some useful tools that can really help to aid in collaborative approaches to these tasks, as well as in peer-assessment. They are particularly relevant for online and distance learning :

• Flipgrid.com is a great tool for allowing students to record and share written forms, such as speeches
• OneNote allows students to write text in a shared online notebook, but the collaboration space is particularly good for students to share their work and enable easy peer-marking. It is worth checking this out in your departments
• Planet eStream is a video database, which include various versions of Shakespeare plays. I used these to help draw students’ attention to the use of staging and other dramatic elements with the aim to elicit comparison between productions.

Thank you for reading.

Share this:, 2 thoughts on “ re-creative writing: an approach to teaching ‘macbeth’ ”.

Fantastic piece. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m about to start teaching Macbeth again with a link to creative writing. This has given me so many ideas. Much appreciated.

Thanks Phillip! You sometimes wonder if anyone actually reads your pieces, so it’s encouraging to know it’s inspired someone in some way! Feel free to share any other ideas you have with teaching Macbeth!

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‘Yours Truly, Lady Macbeth’

The Shakespeare Academy has been running at King’s for the past three years as a Widening Participation project. In 2017-18 we reached over 350 students, continuing to develop close partnerships with teachers and pupils at eight London state-funded secondary schools, from Key Stage 3 to GCSE. We run workshops with the students that investigate Shakespeare’s plays through seminar-style sessions, readings, and creative writing activities. Read more about the Shakespeare Academy here .

Below you can read some examples of creative writing by Years 9 and 10 students from our summer 2018 workshops. We asked them to imagine what Lady Macbeth might have written if she had left a suicide note. As you can see, the pieces are inspired by the imagery and language of the play, but re-imagined for a modern audience.

I was particularly encouraged by the ways in which students engaged with the gender politics of Macbeth . Their writings express the limitations of Lady Macbeth’s agency within early modern patriarchy with a subtlety that I found truly impressive. The entrants showcased below were chosen for their originality, insight and imaginative engagement with Shakespeare’s text.  They express the individual poetic and creative voices of the students, while maintaining close adherence to the characterisation, imagery and tone of the play.

– Dr Gemma Miller , English Department and Globe Education

Hiral Galaiya, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear diary,

So much has happened in the last few months; it is hard to wrap my head around everything. Suddenly, Macbeth has prevailed from the mere Thane of Glamis to King – my husband took my advice, transforming from an innocent flower to serpent, only I never saw the goodness of the petals till it was far too late. I should be glad, I should be happy, but I know I shall not be, for I now understand the power of my ambition, and how it will forever leave me wanting more. Desire stripped me, and now I lay here, naked. Naked in guilt.

I am beginning to question as to whether any of this was worth it. I feel as though I am stuck in a downfall. A self-inflicted downward spiral. I must take responsibility, before it is too late, so I admit to having pushed…manipulated even, Macbeth to be King. I realise now that my actions were wrong; Cawdor lost one of its loyalist beings (again a quality I never appreciated). My position as a woman drove me to yearn for power, and consequently, it grew resentment. Honestly, power seemed like the ideal substitute to soothe my corrupted mind – I was so afraid of being kept behind doors, that I caused a war – yet look where I’ve ended up!

Never have I experienced such guilt or pity. I am still struggling to fathom my own insanity; they say it came now, as a form of remorse, yet I suppose all of my crafty schemes have been folly. I would like to end this by saying I regret all, and that I never thought it would come to this. The witches were said to be defectiveness, yet my evilness is far worse than theirs, and so is my fate. I suppose this is my suicide note, but ironically, it is not addressed to anyone. Why? Because I am alone, and I deserve it. What’s done cannot be undone.

Yours truly,

Lady Macbeth.

Jathursha Maniyalagan, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear Macbeth,

My dearest partner of greatness, I can barely write as my wicked tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision and a huge painful lump is stuck in my throat, suffocating me, my body is shaking and burning up and I feel as though my life has collapsed. The guilt has consumed me and I can’t escape this pain any longer. Screams from Duncan paralyse my head and torture me during the day, I am truly sorry that you have to find out what happened through someone other than me, I feel like a coward I went against everything I told you, but I am still a woman. Knowing about the supernatural has caused me to go downhill and I could only solve this by forgetting everything, so I ended my life, fast and painlessly, I had to get away from life immediately. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t handle the guilt, my sins will never be forgiven and all of Neptune’s ocean could never wash this blood clean from my hands. I truly wanted everything to go back to normal but miracles aren’t for everyone.

I felt like Eve to you, Adam. I deceived you. I made you feel like a woman, I made you become a disloyal man and I did this by being the serpent under the flower by manipulating you. I made the crown become your fruit, I persuaded you to becoming king in the wrong way and the moment I received the letter from you, I tried to lead us to power but I should never have taken fate into my own hands. The spirits disappointed you the same way I did to you, I deserve to be tortured, burned at the stake, maimed, but I am too much of a woman, I commanded the spirits to turn me into a man but they knew I couldn’t handle it. The guilt was eating me alive, so ending my misery was the best decision for the both of us, as I could exclude my horrid self from you, to make you feel happy once again. I really hope you can truly forgive me and I’m unaware of your current position in life but I want you to know that you will always be my king, deep down in my twisted little heart.

Lady Macbeth

Jesal Vadgama, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear my dearest love Macbeth,

Full of serpents is my mind, the three witches have bestowed a curse upon us. Death to those treacherous witches, for they have played with our minds. There is nothing but unholy wine running through my veins; no power on Earth can cure what has been done. We should stop murdering and confess to the lord for we have sinned. I was mistaken; no water can clear us of this deed. I am as weak as a petal on a wilted flower; I cannot bear all this shame so I am going to take my life putting an end to all of this. The witches are to blame for our downfall, kill the witches and you will have a happy life again.

Fair well my love I will miss you, nothing can cure me of this disease. I have decided upon my fate which is suicide and nothing is going to stop me from my death, I am very sorry Macbeth but this is the only way I can get rid of this shame as I have truly become weak. Someone is going to come for me. Do me the greatest favour by not forgetting to kill those three witches. With so much sorrow I must part you for the greater good, I must go this instant. To bed to bed! There is knocking at the gate come, come, come, come, give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone – To bed, to bed, to bed!

Long live my heroic Macbeth,

From your love Lady Macbeth

Radhey Patel, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Spirits. Spirits I called, that tend mortal thoughts, manifest with sheer hunger within me. Their reach thickens my blood, to where my system art clogged and obscured my hope. I has plagued th’ inventor, I has plagued myself, and there seem’th to be no control. The burden of Macbeth’s poisoned chalice has overcometh me and now I desire to wash it off.

Oh, Macbeth. You made me the snake and thou the God above. The God that wreaked thine destruction onto my mind. The same being that encompassed my mind, my fear, my ambition into one concoction of hatred. Hatred colours my soul. It spreads throughout my entire system, shutting down all other feelings, and becoming central to mine breath and the intent. He has turns his attention to other matters, and I have been driven alternate, but then the wave of his ill thoughts return with a vengeance. My soul is now coloured completely, and all the negative energy that one can muster is thrown into my imagined ill will racing wildly around the mind of mine. Hatred becomes a sickness of the mind, and of the heart. For where hatred has claimed possession, there is no room for love. Left unchecked, Macbeth’s hate has completely poisoned me.

What now? I challenge those thoughts, those intentions before. These spirits have withheld, and now they return to forces beyond with my soul. They left me with the malevolence, with hatred for my own husband. He was the cause. The reason. The drive. I did all this for his progression, his dark hunger! Stars have hidden their fire, and revealed his black desires beneath. Gall has burnt my breasts, and frothed my child. The sex has strengthened me and weakened me. The flower above has left me smelling sweet and seductive, but all this for what? For Macbeth’s desire, greed, avarice, want, determination, hunger that I mistook for love.

There is no more. No more too live for, no more to love. Why should I cage my mortal conscience within my weak body, while Macbeth is glorified at Birnam Wood. His greed is like a net, sweeping up all his pupils, but not me. Not his prithee, no. I inherently deserve nothing. Nothing. Now, it is the vengeance that drives me. The vengeance that poisoned my chalice tenfold ago. The vengeance that has been the death of me. There is no more time for Macbeth, and I bid him my final farewell with hatred, horror and despair.

Ryan Radia, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Be the serpent underneath the flower. No! The flower is no longer visible; it was never visible. I was always the devilish snake, still am. Merely crawling, scratching, slithering through the tragedy we have dubbed Life. Life will walk onwards. Life does not care. Life shall never cease to the living. Always one step ahead; like I thought. Lies I tell again; deep down the flower inside told me to stop but for me, the sly snake within forgot the consequences of deeds so unimaginable; the Lord almighty would not forgive.

Forgiveness is all I crave, that word that would cleanse my soul. A word so precious, my tainted tongue would dare to speak. Power was all I have wanted, accepting the darkness within, only to be powerless at the end of the line. Line which has been drawn short, like the level of power I had gained. Desire turned into greed; lust turned into addiction; so so into the final stretch, I still crave, lust, desire my power. Power which deep down I know will never present itself.

Imagine never achieving something of worth, despite turning into a snake, ruining relationships, tearing trust and killing kindness. That’s me. The black spot has grown too much; the end is here. Sorry…

Shaan Vadher, Avanti House, Year 10

Dear my sweet Macbeth,

I cannot take it anymore. The guilt is eating at my innards. I have not got the power within me to keep continuously lying and keep this dark sin from the knowledge of our closest companions. It seems I am too full of the milk of human kindness to carry all of this guilt upon me.

In these dark times, I have realised what it really means to have power. My dear, it is not attained by killing everyone who threatens to take the throne, it is about creating a sense of respect when people hear your name. The more people you slaughter, the more respect you lose.

The blood on my feeble hands remain. It has stained my pale, white skin for all eternity. Anyways, I have written this letter to you to tell you to stop. Your ambition has gotten the better of you; you are a different man now. Your ambition has also been affecting me, the burden is crushing my soul and feeding it to the devil; you will be his next meal.

It is time for me to leave this wretched place, although I feel I won’t be able to feel happiness again, wherever I am. My beloved Macbeth, just always remember that yo______

This is just the beginning.

Meet me at Birnham Wood to finally meet your fate…

Tolu Oluwafisayo, Ark All Saints, year 9

The thought of you who kill man

Water is not enough to cleanse this hand

I can’t live with guilt

Even for kingdom we have built

This is all I hear in my dream

All I hear is the screams

This where my body lies

This is the reason for my suicide

I will forever love Macbeth

Sorry you will have to live on after death

This is the end of the letter

This is where we part

I shall live in your heart

You may also enjoy:

Lucy Monro reflects on investigating early modern verbatim theatre

Hailey Bachrach discusses ‘gender blind’ casting at Shakespeare’s Globe

Rachael Nicholas on the Shakespeare MOOC run by the department in 2016

Blog posts on King’s English represent the views of the individual authors and neither those of the English Department, nor of King’s College London.

Featured image: Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth in 1888.

From the Department of English at King's College London

Shakespeare's Globe

Macbeth: Themes KS4/5

In these lessons, students will engage with the themes and ideas at the heart of the text, including deception, ambition, and guilt. Tasks include: tracking these themes throughout the play, drawing out key quotations; creative writing on Lady Macbeth's sleep walking, in the character of her doctor; and a list of practice exam questions with an emphasis on themes and motifs.

In order to benefit fully from these lesson plans, we recommend you use them in the following order:

• Text in Performance

If you would like to teach the play in greater detail, use these advanced KS4/5 Lesson Plans. If students are new to the play, we suggest you start with the introductory  KS3 Lesson Plans . 

These lesson plans are available in the Downloads section at the bottom of this page.   To download resources, you must be logged in.  Sign up   for free  to access this and other exclusive features .  Activities mentioned in these resources are available in a separate downloadable 'Student Booklet', also at the bottom of this page. The 'Teachers' Guide' download explains how best to use Teach Shakespeare and also contains a bibliography and appendices referencing the resources used throughout.

Key Questions for Students:

Can I identify why the themes of appearance and reality are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Can I explain the importance of these examples by placing them in the context of the play as a whole and the overall development of these themes?

Key words: appearance, deception, plot, reality, theme, thought-tracking

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Introduce the theme of appearance and reality and display a quiz-show style board numbered 1-25. Students should pick one square and if it reveals a quotation, they should place that quotation in context and talk about how it connects with the theme of appearance and reality. As a class, students should try to make a full line of five quotations across or down the board. But beware, as some squares will have something much more dangerous behind them (pictures of daggers, witches, blood, etc.) Give students a fixed amount of time or a fixed number of attempts to increase the excitement! Some suggested quotations you could use are included in the Asides.

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

1) Tracking the theme

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the theme of ‘appearance and reality’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through drama and creative writing

The following drama activities can support students’ further explorations of this theme:

• Yes/No game: One student is chosen or volunteers to answer questions. They must answer any questions asked of them by the rest of the class without saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and they should aim to be as inventive as possible. The discussion that follows this game could encourage students to think about how language can be used to get around giving a direct and simple truthful answer. Jessica Swale suggests this activity can work ‘as an effective prelude to playwriting exercises’.
• the mouth card means that they should say or paraphrase a line they say in the scene (not an aside)
• the head card means that they should talk about what they are really thinking
• the heart card means that they should talk about how they are feeling at this moment

3) Interpreting and staging key scenes

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 1 Scene 3, Act 1 Scene 4 or Act 2 Scene 2. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of appearance and reality and how this was achieved.

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

Why are appearance and reality important themes in the play?

How would I describe the development of these themes throughout the play?

How do these themes link to the other major themes in Macbeth that I have studied?

Suggested plenary activity…

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly crucial when thinking about the themes of appearance and reality. Compare findings.

Asides: Further Resources

Quotations you could use in the Prologue activity:

• “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
• “Are ye fantastical, or that indeed/Which outwardly ye show?”
• “…why do you dress me /In borrow’d robes?”
• “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face.”
• “Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
• “…look like th’innocent flower,? But be the serpent under it.”
• “This castle hath a pleasant seat.”
• “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
• “…art thou a dagger of the mind/A false creation”
• “If he do bleed,/I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal,/For it must seem their guilt.”
• “…sleek o’er your rugged looks;/ Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night.”
• “This is the very painting of your fear.”
• “A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the benefits of watching.’’
• “…now does he feel his title/ Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe/Upon a dwarfish thief.”
• “As I did stand my watch upon  the hill,/I look’d toward Birnam, and anon, methought,/The wood began to move.”

Epilogue: Teacher's Note

Additional materials about studying the witches can be found in the Text in Performance , Language  and Context  sections.

Can I identify why the themes of power and ambition are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Can I explain the importance of these examples by placing them in the context of the play as a whole and the overall development of this theme?

Key words: allegiance, ambition, divine right of kings, heir, hierarchy, legitimacy, power, sovereign, status, succession, theme, tyrant

Ask students to complete a vocabulary exercise matching the following words with definitions:

power – the ability to do something or direct what others do

sovereign – a supreme ruler

heir – a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another person when that person dies

tyrant – a cruel and oppressive ruler

ambition – desire and determination to be successful

succession – the process of inheriting a title, office or property

legitimacy - lawfulness

the divine right of kings – the idea that the monarch’s right to rule comes directly from will of God

allegiance – the loyalty of a subject to his or her ruler

dynasty – a sequence of rulers from the same family

Then ask students to choose a word and write one or two sentences about Macbeth using that word. Students should share their sentences with their partners. The partner awards:

• 1 point for correct use of the word in a sentence
• another 1 point for using the word in reference to Macbeth , and 
• up to another 2 points for including a short and relevant quotation

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the theme of ‘power’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through drama

The following drama activities can support students’ explorations of this theme. Students could reflect on their experiences of these exercises in the Student Booklet.

• The King says… This is basically a version of Simon Says that will help students to listen carefully and to respond physically to some but not all of the instructions. The actions could be appropriate for a king’s armies/subjects/servants, e.g. stand to attention, bow deeply, beg for forgiveness. You could even differentiate between the kinds of things ‘King Duncan says’ and the things that ‘King Macbeth says’, obeying only one and not the other and then switching.
• Pauper to prince: Students build a cumulative freeze frame indicating relative status from pauper to prince. Encourage attention to body language, eye contact, etc. and ask each new student to think about how their pose builds on the one before it. Finally, ask students to think about how the status of the highest status actors could be undermined, e.g. pulling a face behind their backs, pretending to direct them in a play, putting a gun to their head.

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 1 Scene 4 or Act 5 Scene 9. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of power and ambition and how this was achieved.

Why is power an important theme in the play?

How would I describe the development of this theme throughout the play?

How does this theme link to the other major themes in Macbeth that I have studied?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of power. Compare findings.

• Students can read more about the theme of ambition on the Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank   Macbeth  microsite here: 2011.playingshakespeare.org/themes-and-issues/ambition
• Students could research the ideas of the Renaissance diplomat and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, and compare them with some of the ideas about power and politics in Macbeth .

Additional ideas about exploring the concepts of power and status - including some rehearsal room approaches to try out - can be found within the Key Stage 3 materials .

Can I identify why the themes of family and succession are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Key words: descendants, divine right of kings, dynasty, family, heir, succession, theme

Display the five quotations/images connected with the themes of family and succession. (The quotations are featured in the Student Booklet.) What’s the connection?

• “how tender ‘tis to love the babe that sucks me” quotation (Lady Macbeth)
• “all my little chickens” quotation (Macduff)
• picture of apparition of a child carrying a tree
• “from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d” quotation
• an image of Banquo and Fleance

Draw out from students’ feedback some of the ideas and issues to help them connect the clues, such as family, children, mothers and fathers, birth, descendants, succession, the divine right of kings, blood, dynasties, the future. Students could record them in a mindmap. A key idea with this theme is for students to think about families in a political as well as personal way. You could draw parallels with the current Royal Family to illustrate this point. 

1) Tracking the theme

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the themes of ‘family and succession’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

• Wolf and sheep: one student is the wolf, one the sheep and the rest of the class hold hands and create a protective ‘fold’, who must move as one to protect the sheep in their care
• how the portraits would look before/during/at the end of the play
• the number of father/son images and the relative absence of women/mothers
• the issue of whether the Macbeths have lost a child in infancy

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 4 Scene 1 or Scene 2. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of family and succession and how this was achieved.

Why are family and succession important themes in the play?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of family and heredity. Compare findings.

• Succession was an important issue for Shakespeare’s audiences as Queen Elizabeth (a Tudor) had had no children. When she died in 1603, James VI of Scotland (a Stuart) also became James I of England. James chose Shakespeare and his fellow actors as his royal company and three years later, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth about the Scottish succession.
• The play centres on the fortunes of Macbeth and those characters whose fortunes are directly implicated in Macbeth’s quest for power: Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Malcolm, Banquo and Macduff. Whose stories are left open-ended at the end of the play? Are there any questions that Shakespeare leaves unanswered?

For more on this theme, look for activities in the sections about Character  and Themes .

Can I identify why the themes of guilt and conscience are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Key words: anxiety, depression, doubt, hallucination, mental illness, mind, obsession, suicide, theme

Begin a ‘mind’map with a picture of a brain in the middle on to which the class can contribute ideas about how Shakespeare explores the way the mind works in Macbeth . Possible ideas include:

• characters experiencing hallucinations/visions (the mind playing tricks or genuine supernatural occurrences?)
• anxieties/doubts about turning plans into actions
• becoming obsessive about something/craving something, etc.
• how what we say and what we think can be very different
• sleepwalking/insomnia
• mental illness/depression/suicide (what does happen to Lady Macbeth?)

Students are going to track the themes of guilt and conscience throughout the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through creative writing

Read Act 5 Scene 1 in small groups or as a class or watch the scene in performance. Discuss what the scene reveals about Lady Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings about killing Duncan. Compare this against her thoughts and feelings earlier in the play, e.g. in Act 1 Scene 5, Act 1 Scene 7 and Act 2 Scene 2. Students should make notes in the Student Booklet, using cross-referencing to draw parallels and contrasts between this and other scenes.

Next, ask students to imagine they are either the Doctor or the Waiting Gentlewoman from Act 5 Scene 1. They have witnessed Lady Macbeth’s mental state and have heard her talk in an incriminating way about the king’s murder. Imagine what they might write in their private diaries. Think about how each character would react to her as a person and as a political figure now that they know what they do. What should they do next? Students could continue the diary to include an account of subsequent events too.

3) Interpreting and staging key scenes

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 2 Scene 1, Act 2 Scene 2, Act 3 Scene 2 or Act 4 Scene 3. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of guilt and conscience and how this was achieved.

Why are guilt and conscience important themes in the play?

How would I describe the development of these themes throughout the play?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of the human mind and its frailties. Compare findings.

• Draw together the evidence about Lady Macbeth’s mental condition and eventually her death from Act 5 Scenes 1, 3 and 5. What can we infer from these scenes about attitudes to and understandings of the human mind in Shakespeare’s time?

The creative writing task could be dual assessed for reading and writing.

Can I write about the themes of the play in a connected and coherent way?

Can I demonstrate confidence in my handling of abstract ideas, but continue to show that my analysis is firmly grounded in the text?

Key words: abstract, analysis, coherent, issues, mood, symbolism, themes

Students could be given an item and have a minute in pairs to prepare an explanation of how it relates to the play Macbeth . The items can be chosen at random (e.g. a ball, pencil, a coat), as the idea of this activity is that it is a fun, thinking-skills warm up to the activity that follows. 

1) Museum cabinet

Ask the class to imagine they have been asked to create a display about Macbeth for a new Shakespeare museum. They can only have five items for their display. Students should choose five items that they think convey the essence of the play, i.e. not just the plot but the play’s overall mood and the ideas and issues the play makes audiences think about. Students could be given a list to choose from, e.g. candle, crown, cauldron, sword, dagger, book about witchcraft, (fake) blood, throne, an empty cradle, tree branch, poster showing kings and queens of Scotland, a mirror. They are also welcome to add their own. Their items do not even need to be mentioned in the play; students simply need to be able to justify their reasons convincingly. As an extension task, students could write their captions for the museum with a word limit of 100 words per item.

2) Analysing themes in a passage

Choose any passage from the play (a very short scene or passage of under a hundred lines from a scene) and model:

• rereading and refamiliarising
• identifying the key ideas and themes that arise from close analysis of the passage
• making connections between these ideas and themes, e.g. between the apparitions and ideas about power, the family, succession and linking to the killing of Banquo and escape of Fleance

What are the play’s key ideas, symbols and themes? Why?

How are these ideas connected in the text?

As a revision exercise, students could open their play text at random and after a few moments’ preparation they should:

• comment on what the scene is about
• place it in context
• draw out some of the themes and ideas that arise from it.

Hear a few examples.

Aside: Further Resource

• Students could use the 'Pick a card...' game as mentioned in Key Stage 3 Themes , which generates different aspects of the text in a random way. Students can challenge themselves to make connections between them! 

The following learning sequence also supports students in making connections across a substantial text - the skill of cross-referencing.

Can I make cross-references, moving backwards and forwards within the text in order to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the whole play?

Can I put this reading skill into practice in my own essay planning and drafting?

Key words: cross-references, essay, plan, success criteria, theme

Encourage students to play a simple game that involves moving speedily around the text. Ask students (in pairs) to find, e.g.

• the first word of Act 1 Scene 3, or
• Macbeth’s first line in Act 5 Scene 2 , or
• a reference to the king in Act 2 Scene 4, or
• an adjective in Act 5 Scene 9.

​Give students a fixed amount of time (e.g. 3 minutes) to come up with as many search terms and to carry out as many successful searches as they can!

1) Making connections.

You should now develop the activity from the starter into an activity about making connections across the text. Show students on screen and also in the Student Booklet a brief extract from Act 1 Scene 7 (lines 59-83). Then:

• model for students finding within this text a short quotation where Lady Macbeth exhorts Macbeth to take action
• model somewhere else in the text where Lady Macbeth exhorts Macbeth to take action
• model a clear way to demonstrate the link between the two references

Now give students more references to find from different places in the text, e.g.

• two or more places in the text where Macbeth is indecisive
• two or more places where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth try to appear innocent of Duncan’s death, e.g. appear shocked, blame someone else
• two places where we learn that Scotland is a dangerous and fearful place under Macbeth’s regime

2) Task bank: themes and ideas

The following tasks can be used in the modelling of planning and drafting of written tasks, as well as for students’ more independently produced work for assessment:

• To what extent do you think Macbeth is a play about the bonds that exist between family members?
• What do you think Shakespeare is saying in Macbeth about the use and abuse of power?
• ‘ Macbeth is a play about the battle between good and evil’. How far would you agree with this statement about the play?

How do I annotate my text to show cross-references between different parts of the text?

Why is this an important skill when writing about a substantial text? 

Students could prepare a plan in timed conditions for one of the tasks in ‘Task bank: themes and ideas’.  

• The tasks in the question banks can be used as the basis for devising further tasks to suit the needs of your own class, curriculum and syllabus.

As homework/revision, students could attempt one or more of the writing tasks from the task bank. 

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How to Get Students Excited About William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

• Reading Instruction

Macbeth  was the first Shakespeare play I ever taught, and it helped me appreciate how much fun your students can have while acting out a drama in the classroom! Here are some of my favorite activities and lessons to use with William Shakespeare’s Macbeth .

This post this post may contain affiliate links .  Please read the  Terms of Use .

Getting Started with Macbeth

As with any unit, getting students excited is essential! Sometimes students have previous experiences with Shakespeare or expectations about how boring Shakespeare can be. For this reason, I always try to engage my students with enthusiasm. Here are some of my favorite ways to engage students in Macbeth :

Firstly, we begin by making a cast “family tree.” This helps students begin to see the connections between characters . As we build our cast anchor chart , I give students a little preview of how the character acts and behaves. Plus, this generates excitement!

Secondly, I bring in the witches . The Weird Sisters are some of the most memorable characters in Macbeth , so they are a great opportunity for engaging students. We begin by close reading the first scene and then watching several film adaptations . Students can analyze how different directors’ choices affect the mood, and they can begin making predictions about the play. Here are some excellent versions of the play:

• Macbeth (2015) directed by Justin Kurzel and starring Michael Fassbender.
• Macbeth (2011) directed by Rupert Goold and starring Patrick Stewart.
• The Royal Shakespeare Company does Macbeth (2018) directed by Polly Findlay and Robin Lough.
• Macbeth (1979) directed by Philip Casson and starring Ian McKellan and Judi Dench.

Thirdly, I use this free anticipation guide . This activity helps students begin making connections to the text, activate prior knowledge, and engage in conversation. Depending on the group of students I have, this resource can be part of station rotation or part of a classroom discussion .

While Reading Macbeth

During our reading and acting of Macbeth , I use this modified and abridged version of the text. While Macbeth is a short play, I often find myself wanting to abbreviate or eliminate some scenes and adjust some vocabulary (the Porter, anyone?). For this reason, I designed this modified and abridged resource with the text on one side and guided reading questions on the other.

Throughout our reading, I encourage students to make connections with the text through the use of journals . By writing about the play, students have an opportunity to see how the text remains relevant. This also allows me to check for understanding, preview themes, and keep students writing regularly even in a reading-heavy unit.

Task cards are another great way to check for understanding throughout the play. While journals are usually bell ringers during this unit, task cards can be exit tickets or parts of station rotations . I choose the task cards based on the skills my students most need to work on. Here are some of my favorite task card sets:

• Characterization Task Cards
• Plot and Conflict Task Cards
• Figurative Language Task Cards
• All of these task cards (and more) are included in my ELA Task Cards Bundle !

Additionally, it’s important for students to discuss the text throughout our reading. During discussion, students can evaluate Macbeth’s character development, Lady Macbeth’s influence, and the dangers of ambition and revenge. Similarly, discussions can also re-visit the ideas featured in the anticipation guide, giving us time to re-evaluate how or if our opinions have changed. Depending on my group of students or the time of the year, silent discussions can be a good way to go!

My favorite!

Finally, my favorite part of reading Macbeth is the banquet. I start talking about the banquet in the first act. As we get closer to the banquet scene, my students plan their own banquet. We push our desks into a long banquet table, in non-pandemic years everyone brings in food, and we feast while Banquo haunts Macbeth! It’s a fun way to emphasize the climax of the play! (Plus, my students love food days!)

Macbeth Essential Questions

During our reading, students and I stay focused on essential questions. While we’re reading, these essential questions can become journal prompts, questions for discussion, or the basis for a larger writing or project.

• Firstly, is ambition dangerous?
• Secondly, is fear a good motivator?
• Is weakness an innate part of humanity?
• What does it mean to be a strong leader?
• Are leaders born or made? How do you know?
• Does free will exist, or does each person have a destiny?
• Finally, what are the elements of a successful relationship?

Synthesizing Macbeth

Throughout our reading of Macbeth , we emphasize synthesizing . Students can synthesize the intersection of Macbeth with its historical contexts . Did Shakespeare include witches because King James I was interested in witchcraft? Was he honoring the king by including his potential ancestor Banquo?

In addition, I often encourage students to synthesize across media . To do so, we might return to film versions of the play. However, I often prefer to use artwork for this pursuit. To make this activity successful, I have put together 23 images of different scenes from the play, including multiple portrayals of the Weird Sisters and of Lady Macbeth. As with the film clips of the opening scene, analyzing different pieces of art provides students with a chance to evaluate how artists use shade, lighting, and composition to create mood.

Similarly, as we near the end of the text, I also incorporate paired passages. This allows students to synthesize across texts, evaluating how different authors comment on similar subjects. Here are some paired passages that work with Macbeth :

• Firstly, “I, being born a woman and distressed” by Edna St. Vincent Millay provides an interesting view on womanhood. Since Macbeth comments on gender roles, this poem is a great opportunity. Read it here .
• Secondly, “Miniver Cheevy” by Edwin Arlington Robinson features a protagonist obsessed with what he can never have. Unlike Macbeth, Miniver does not resort to violence to achieve his goals. However, like Miniver, Macbeth is obsessive. Read it here .
• Thirdly, Shakespeare’s sonnets are a good complement to any of his plays. This post describes an inquiry-based approach to teaching Shakespeare’s sonnets . In particular, I often show the Crash Course about Shakespeare’s sonnets and give students an opportunity to write their own .

Extending and Assessing

One of the great things about teaching Macbeth is the opportunity to continue the learning beyond the play. While I don’t give a traditional test about the play, I do usually show the Crash Course episode about Macbeth as a review at the end of the play and as a lead-in to summative discussion.

Finally, Macbeth lends itself so well to applying literary criticism ! In particular, Lady Macbeth makes a great opportunity for feminist criticism. Similarly, Macbeth suits archetypal criticism well because he is such a clear tragic hero. The imbalances in the play and the violence also make it a candidate for psychoanalytical criticism.

What other strategies do you use to get students excited for reading Macbeth ?

Photo by Bogdan Kupriets , Valentin Salja , and Yevhen Ptashnyk on Unsplash

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Macbeth's letter - Act 3 Scene 2

Students use their knowledge of Act 3 Scene 2 to write Macbeth's letter to his wife. Detailed prompts are provided such as:

• What happened in the conversation you had with Banquo in Act 3 Scene 1?  Why are you worried?
• Spend some time explaining how you feel about the murder of Duncan.  (You may like to use some language from the play here).

A perfect creative task for exploring Macbeth's state of mind.

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Macbeth Act 2 Creative Writing Prompts

• Easel Activity

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Description

Enhance your Macbeth Act 2 lesson plans with these highly engaging and thought-provoking creative writing prompts. Perfect for a range of class activities, including bell ringers, extension tasks, homework assignments, writing assessments, and sub lessons, these prompts will help your students deepen their understanding and analysis of the play. With a focus on characters, themes, and concepts such as guilt and power, these writing prompts encourage critical thinking and imaginative writing.

The download includes the following:

★ A list of all 10 prompts

★ Individual handouts for each prompt on which students can write their creative pieces.

Some examples of the prompts are:

➤ Write a scene in which the guards wake up next to the bloody daggers and are unable to remember what happened the night before.

➤ Write a monologue from the perspective of Duncan's son, Malcolm, as he reacts to his father's murder and plans his revenge.

Due to the range of prompts, students can pick their own challenge or you can select it for them so you can differentiate for students of different levels. Don't miss out on this valuable resource for teaching Shakespeare's Macbeth in your English language arts or literature classroom. These writing prompts are sure to be a hit with your students and help them get the most out of their reading of Act 2!

If you are looking for more Macbeth resources, then check these out:

★ Macbeth Creative Writing Bundle

★ Macbeth Word Search ★ Macbeth Roll the Dice Discussion Board ★ Macbeth Quotation Crossword ★ Macbeth Post-Reading Creative Tasks ★ Macbeth Act 1 Self-Grading Quiz ★ Macbeth Bingo ★ Macbeth Picture Prompts If you are looking for more resources for the texts you teach, then check out: ★ Of Mice and Men Creative Writing Bundle ★ Lord of the Flies Activities Bundle ★ Macbeth Creative Writing Bundle ★ Twelfth Night Creative Writing and Review Activities Bundle ★ Animal Farm Growing Activities Bundle ★ A Midsummer Night's Dream Activities Bundle Thank you so much for checking out this product! If you want to show your support and stay up to date with my latest resources, you should: ♡ Follow my TPT store ♡ Follow me on Pinterest ♡ Leave a review if you loved your new resources!

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English resources for teaching Macbeth

Australia and new zealand, international schools, tes resources team.

"Double, double, toil and trouble..."

Macbeth is one of the most frequently taught Shakespeare plays, and for good reason - with witches, kings, madness and murder, it has great potential to engage young people once they get over any fears about its difficulty. We have selected a range of our favourite Macbeth resources below, focusing on Lady Macbeth, the witches and tools to aid understanding and revision. 

Looking for more secondary English resources? Visit our secondary English collection .

If you're about to start teaching Macbeth, the full scheme of work below could be perfect for giving you ideas on how to approach teaching the themes and action of the play - it includes ideas to fill 17 lessons. If you're teaching the context of Macbeth or looking for worksheets on every scene we have these engaging resources to get you started.

Macbeth Scheme of Work

Macbeth Worksheets

Macbeth - Context

The witches.

The three witches are a great way into Macbeth as they can so easily capture the imagination of young people. Explore the Weird Sisters' role in the play with resources analysing key scenes, the witches' influence on Macbeth and their characterisation and Shakespeare's use of language to present them.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare: The Role of the Witches

Macbeth: The Witches

Macbeth Witches PowerPoint

Macbeth The Witches

Lady macbeth.

Use these resources to help your students analyse this infamous villain of literature - including an analysis of how she changes throughout the play. To help students explore Lady Macbeth, we have also selected an activity putting the character on trial as well as learning mats with key knowledge.

Lady Macbeth on trial

Lady Macbeth Learning Mat

Macbeth revision.

These resources have been selected to help KS4 students revise the key themes, characters and action of the play - including a detailed knowledge organiser, colour-coded key quotations, practice essay questions and a comprehensive revision guide.

Macbeth Revision

Shakespeare's Macbeth: key quotations for GCSE

Macbeth Knowledge Organiser/ Revision Mat!

Macbeth Exam Questions