Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

GCSE: Macbeth

Browse by

Currently browsing by:

Word count:
fewer than 1000 (2)
1000-1999 (9)
2000-2999 (3)

Meet our team of inspirational teachers

find out about the team

Get help from 80+ teachers and hundreds of thousands of student written documents

  • Marked by Teachers essays 21
  • Peer Reviewed essays 18
  1. Marked by a teacher

    Throughout the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth together demonstrate how ambition can turn a loyal soldier into a bloodthirsty murderer

    5 star(s)

    Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits of darkness and evil to replace her nurturing and feminine qualities with remorseless cruelty. Macbeth is appalled of the thought of killing his king and can think of many reasons for not going ahead with the murder. So Lady Macbeth manipulates him by accusing him of being a coward and unmanly, until he agrees to proceed with the murder. Lady Macbeth presents her plan that when Duncan?s servants are asleep, he will enter Duncan?s chamber and kill him.

    • Word count: 1296
  2. Marked by a teacher

    How does Lady Macbeth change throughout the play, "Macbeth"?

    5 star(s)

    She seems even more ruthless by the fact that automatically she presumes that they will have to use morally wrong methods to fulfil the prophecy by killing Duncan and it does not daunt her. "Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom." Shakespeare has given her this line to express that she does not mind disregarding what is right and wrong in her one track mind for power. He emphasises this further by saying that she "fears" that Macbeth's nature is too kind to perform the deeds they will have to resort to.

    • Word count: 2283
  3. Marked by a teacher

    Explore how the writers present choices in Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the Laboratory by Robert Browning.

    4 star(s)

    I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, had I so sworn as you have done to this." In Macbeths opening soliloquy by interpreting its textual content "Firstly as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself." it is clear the motives that are at work to deter him from committing the murder, fear of the consequences in this world, mingled feelings of kinship, loyalty, and hospitality, admiration for Duncan's

    • Word count: 1020
  4. Marked by a teacher

    How far can the audience sympathise with Lady Macbeth?

    4 star(s)

    will be able to convince him that murdering Duncan is the right course of action to take, and overcome his good, kind nature, "and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee." At that time, the 16th century, it was widely accepted and believed that witches were both real, and held enormous power and influence over people and their lives. People accepted the supernatural as part of their everyday lives and lived in fear of witches who, they believed, could influence the course of their lives for the worse.

    • Word count: 2238
  5. Marked by a teacher

    How might a Jacobean audience see certain events in MACBETH differently to a modern one?

    4 star(s)

    Nowadays, a modern audience would see that as simply just made up, because we don't believe in witches anymore. Adverse weather conditions are caused by natural phenomena not by supernatural evil witches. When Macbeth sees the witches for the first time they say "Hail Macbeth hail to thee Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor" then "King hereafter". The witches are saying he definitely will have those titles, not just might be. A Jacobean audience would see this as the witches predicted the future because people back then believed that they could do that.

    • Word count: 1494
  6. Marked by a teacher

    Commentary on Macbeth soliloquy Act V scene V"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

    4 star(s)

    Imagery, time, dictions and repetition each have its constituency in shaping this important soliloquy. The passage reveals to the reader the despair and desolation of Macbeth just before the deciding battle with Macduff and Malcolm. Just before the soliloquy, Macbeth has been informed that Lady Macbeth is dead. The sudden departure of Lady Macbeth marks the lost of Macbeth's only love and trusty as well as the ties to the world. By now, Macbeth is all alone, as most of the previously mentioned Thanes have taken side with Malcolm. After this soliloquy, Macbeth is informed that the Birnam wood is moving towards Dunsinae.

    • Word count: 1032
  7. Marked by a teacher

    "this dead butcher, and his fiend-like queen". Are these words by Malcolm an appropriate epitaph for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

    4 star(s)

    He tells the murderers to take revenge on Banquo because it is Banquo's fault and not his own fault that they do not have any luxuries. He whispers, "That is was he in the times past which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self." He tries to persuade them that becoming assassins will make them 'real' men. This shows that Macbeth is becoming a butcher because he has planned to kill, firstly the King whom he served, and then an old friend.

    • Word count: 2215
  8. Marked by a teacher

    What is the importance of Banquo in Shakespeare's play Macbeth?

    4 star(s)

    They were both regarded highly and respected by everyone, including Duncan, the King of Scotland. When Banquo and Macbeth first meet the witches after battling with the Norwegians, both characters seem very suspicious of them, but as the witches speak their prophecies. "All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis" "All Hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor" "All hail Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter" Macbeth seems to be memorised by the fortunes. Banquo doesn't realise the danger he is now in by being the only witness of the witches' prophecies, perhaps this is a flaw in his character, to trusting of Macbeth.

    • Word count: 1252
  9. Marked by a teacher

    How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to kill the King?

    4 star(s)

    All Lady Macbeth has to do is come up with the plan and get Macbeth to carry it out. Lady Macbeth talks to Macbeth when he arrives at the castle and tells him of the plan to kill the King. She says "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't. This metaphor creates an image that means welcome Duncan into the castle and be all welcoming on the outside but underneath be evil, think you are going to kill him.

    • Word count: 922
  10. Peer reviewed

    How does Shakespeare create dramatic tension in act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth?

    5 star(s)

    which demonstrates that she is concerned someone has been alerted to the couple's plans and will discover their wretched methods; this sudden feeling of concern contrasts with her prior confident attitude and thus adds an element of drama to the situation. After Macbeth has murdered Duncan he feels nervous we see this when he asks "Didst thou not hear a noise?" which indicates panic in his mind. Lady Macbeth clearly shares the same emotional state as she replies "I heard the owl scream...Did you not speak".

    • Word count: 1397
  11. Peer reviewed

    The Supernatural in "Macbeth"

    4 star(s)

    Back in the day, witches were blamed for the death of animals. Also, the witches repeated phrases three times. "I'll do, I'll do, I'll do" and instead of any other number of witches, there were three of them. The number three was regarded as a magic number. The characters referred to themselves as "weird sisters" which was significant because the Weird Sisters were the goddess of destiny, who could see everyone's future. The characters prophesied Macbeth's and Banquo's future. They gave Macbeth three prophecies: "All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis" which was Macbeth's past title; "All hail to Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor" which was Macbeth's present title which he has known about at that time; and finally, "all hail Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter!"

    • Word count: 1575
  12. Peer reviewed

    How far are the witches responsible for Macbeth's downfall?

    4 star(s)

    At first, he does not believe them, but when he receives the news that he has been given the title of Thane of Cawdor, he starts to believe in the prophecies. Macbeth believed in these prophecies so much that he ended up sending Lady Macbeth a letter explaining everything that had gone on that day, 'Enter Lady Macbeth, reading a letter.' (Act One Scene Five) This then leads to Lady Macbeth being seen as a reason why Macbeth had a downfall.

    • Word count: 1392
  13. Peer reviewed

    A letter from Lady Macbeth to her husband.

    4 star(s)

    How long ago this all seems now. I wish we could return tothat happiness, but it is all too late. I have ruined everything you worked so hard for. You were a role model to everyone who knew you. Well respected, brave and loyal, you served your country and gained the trust of our king. He rewarded you well and would have rewarded you further, but now I' ve destroyed everything. I am filled with pain and anguish and hopeless despair and all I can offer you is that when I am gone it may relieve some of the guilt I have put upon your soul.

    • Word count: 801
  14. Peer reviewed

    Discuss the presentation of the supernatural in 'Macbeth'. What part does it play in the drama?

    4 star(s)

    They would have also been curious of Shakespeare's exploration of the supernatural, especially the aspect of Witchcraft. The play opens with three Witches, this sets the entire theme for the play as being dark and evil due to the language used and also the setting. This scene also mentions the aspect of good and evil, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." This quote is reflected in Macbeth's first words, "So fair and foul a day I have not seen." This shows how things have been confused and their words have been well disguised, partly by the use of ambiguity.

    • Word count: 1542
14 essays
  1. 1
  2. 2

Conclusion analysis

Good conclusions usually refer back to the question or title and address it directly - for example by using key words from the title.
How well do you think these conclusions address the title or question? Answering these questions should help you find out.

  1. Do they use key words from the title or question?
  2. Do they answer the question directly?
  3. Can you work out the question or title just by reading the conclusion?

  • To what extent does Shakespeare portray the character of Macbeth as a war hero(TM) turned evil murderer(TM)?

    "In conclusion I think that the witches' equivocations acted as the initial stimulus to Macbeth. They were the ones who first planted those dark thoughts into Macbeth's head, but the witches didn't tell him to murder, they only told him that he would become king. Lady Macbeth then acted as a catalyst as she manipulated Macbeth into actually killing King Duncan, and used his ego against him. There are many factors that led to Macbeth's downfall, but Macbeth's fatal flaw was his ambition, and he would not have preformed any murder if he didn't have the drive and ambition to become king."

  • Macbeth: Analyse and compare two scenes in William Shakespeare's Macbeth that show the audience the change in the balance of power, in their relationship, between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

    "In conclusion despite there being many other themes in this play in my chosen scenes the one of power stands out a great deal. They show well how Lady Macbeth has the majority of power during the beginning of the play but as it continues she loses it quickly to Macbeth. He seems to gain the power of the country around the same time that he gains it over the relationship, however because the switch in power of the relationship is not as obvious as the switch in power of the country we are unable to determine which followed which. Laura Mann 10E"

  • To what extent do you agree with Malcolm's description of Lady Macbeth as a "fiend like queen"?

    "In conclusion I believe that Malcolm's description of her as a "fiend-like queen", is not a n entirely accurate representation of Lady Macbeth, contrary to my initial impression of her. This remark may have some truth to it as Lady Macbeth did manipulate Macbeth into doing the things he did, but she does realise finally the enormity what she has done. She regrets her actions and I don't think that regret is something that a 'fiend' would feel. The witches can be seen as more responsible for Macbeth's actions as they gave him the thought of murder even though it was Lady Macbeth that spurred him on. She died what she did out of love for her husband, so I don't think she is truly evil just someone overcome by ambition for her husband, who acted without thing of the consequences. Her final remorse reveals her human side rather than her 'fiend-like' qualities."

Marked by a teacher

This document has been marked by one of our great teachers. You can read the full teachers notes when you download the document.

Peer reviewed

This document has been reviewed by one of our specialist student essay reviewing squad. Read the full review on the document page.

Peer reviewed

This document has been reviewed by one of our specialist student document reviewing squad. Read the full review under the document preview on this page.