The Macbeths
Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is a story of deception, where trusted comrades are betrayed in the story of a complex assassination. Two of the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, share commonalities and differences that combine to create the tension and ambitious greed needed to form the future sequence of the play.
There are many similarities between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Both are characterized as very ambitious. Even before the witches speak to Macbeth, he already is socially climbing in the King's court having just been promoted to Thane of Cawdor (Act 1). When they heard the witch's prophecy about Macbeth's becoming king, it was easy for them to believe since they wanted this to be true. You can see this in Macbeth's letter, “what greatness is promised thee,” and with Lady Macbeth who also thought the prophecy was an inevitable promise, saying that Macbeth will become “what thou art promised” (Act 1, Scene V). This use of “promised,” rather than predicted or foretold, shows that both characters want to believe this so badly that they have accepted it quickly without pessimism. This foreshadowing is evident. As the Thane of Cawdor had to die before Macbeth could take his place, so must the king die for Macbeth to take his crown.
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Peer Reviews
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Quality of writing
The structure of this essay is good, it has a clear introduction and conclusion, and there is a clear focus to each paragraph: the first discusses the Macbeths' ambition, the second their ruthlessness. Occasionally the style of expression seems unnatural, e.g. a fertile ground to which the witches planted the idea of destiny's inevitable crowning. This reads as if the candidate has tried a bit too hard to sound grandiloquent. It is far better to write in a style which feels natural to you and use vocabulary you are comfortable with than to try to alter your style to sound more impressive to the marker.
Level of analysis
There is some analysis given, but at a very basic level. A major problem with this essay is that the candidate does not generally discuss literary devices used by Shakespeare or their effect, for example, enjambement, the placing and effect of certain adjectives, the connotations of certain words, metre, etc. S/he unfortunately has not commented on the metaphors used which add a sense of richness to the language ('the milk of human kindness'Â etc), and carry connotations and impressions of their own. The candidate often fails to elaborate on points they have made, and does not quote extensively enough from the play. When the candidate has done so, the points are valid and generally well expressed; but without more extensive quotation and a discussion of the effects of literary devices, the analysis seems rather shallow. To obtain high marks at GCSE, it is important to address all these aspects when commenting on a text.
Response to question
No question is given, but this seems to be a character analysis of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The response is very superficial, and only comments briefly on short extracts from Act 1. There is some repetition of ideas and at times the candidate simply retells the story, although s/he does attempt some analysis of the text. Further to this, the candidate simply has not written enough to adequately address the requirements of such an essay.
