MacbethLiterary Heritage

What will pupils be asked to do?Pupils will write an essay up to 2000 words

comparing a Shakespeare play with another text.

It is worth 25% of GCSE English Literature.

AO1 Respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations

 AO2 Explain how language, structure and form contribute

to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings  AO3 Make comparisons and explain links between texts,

evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

 AO4 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical

contexts; explain how texts have been influential and significant to self and other readers in different contexts at different times

Here are the Assessment Objectives (specified by AQA)

AO1: Write well with PEE+

AO2: explore how layers of meaning impact upon reader and relevance

AO3: Compare how it’s similar or different to your other text

AO4: Comment on the time it was written and how it links to other books,

plays etc.

Put more simply, this means:

Or the pupils may see it in class as this...

Success CriteriaSkilled Writing will

1. Identify, comment and compare the writers’ use of language, structure and form contribute to effect.

2. Identify and comment on the historical context.

3. Commentary embeds appropriate quotations to support main idea

Excellent Writingwill

1. Have an increasingly detailed explanation, with appropriate terminology, of how language, structure and form create layers of meaning

2. Comments develop increasingly precise, perceptive comparison between texts

3. Commentary incorporates detailed reference to the historical context

How does this look?

Pupils are familiar with PEE+ PointEvidenceExplanation+ Further Explanation (context in this

case).This is a structure we use in English to ensure that

writing remains analytical.The most common error it storytelling. Pupils should

not tell the story; writing should analyse the quotations selected.

Here is an example of PEE+ taken from a lesson. It tells pupils what to include and models how it should look.It is not relevant to all the tasks pupils cover, but gives detailed information on how to use PEE+.

P PointIntroduce your line of argument that is relevant to the question.

A skilled point will…

1. Put forward a simple answer to the question that deals generally with how the character comes across to the reader

An excellent point will…

1. Pick out a specific aspect of the way the character is presented

2. Identify the language used to create this presentation

How does Shakespeare present the character of Macbeth?

e.g. Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful.

e.g. Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful by portraying his desire to be King as damaging from the start.

E EvidenceSelect a short quotation from the text that supports your argument.

Skilled evidence will…

1. Pick out a quotation from the text that acts as an example of the point you have made

Excellent evidence will…

1. Introduce the quotation to show the link to the point

How does Shakespeare present the character of Macbeth?

e.g. ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood//Clean from my hand?’

e.g. As soon as Macbeth has murdered Duncan, his language is regretful: ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood //Clean from my hand?’

E ExplanationDirectly analyse your quotation to demonstrate how it supports your argument.

A skilled explanation will…

1. Give an overview of why your quotation proves your point

An excellent explanation will…

1. Put forward more than one idea – and those ideas will be increasingly original (not the obvious ones)

2. Refer to specific words within the quotation and explain their impact on the reader (connotations)

How does Shakespeare present the character of Macbeth?

e.g. Lots of bad things then go on to happen to Macbeth, proving that he was wrong to kill the King as he was going against the Divine Right of Kings , which James the I (the King at the time), believed in.

e.g. Macbeth’s reference to ‘Neptune’ makes conveys a sense of prayer to the language and the question mark suggests doubt at his actions. Neptune is the God of the sea, this would have been known to the Jacobean audience. However, as this is not the Christian god, the audience would have also viewed this with suspicion; Macbeth has also gone against the Christian god by going against the Divine Right of Kings.

+ Furtherexplanation

Link your analysis to other ideas and quotations from the rest of the book or its social/ historical context to conclude your argument.

Skilled further explanation will…

1. Link the explanation very briefly to another part of the text, but without reference to the text

2. Comment very briefly on what was going on in the world when the book was written

Excellent further explanation will…

1. Bring in short quotations from elsewhere in the book to show how the same idea is explored in different places

2. Put forward original alternative interpretations of the context3. Explain in detail why the writer wrote in this way

How does Shakespeare present the character of Macbeth?

e.g. The immediacy of Macbeth’s guilt and regret is made apparent with a direct link to the metaphor of having blood on your hands. The metaphor is used throughout the play as Lady Macbeth sees an immovable ‘spot’ on her hand and, at the end of the play when Macbeth’s downfall is imminent, it is said that ‘His secret murders [are]sticking on his hands’. The tragic outcome is inevitable because Macbeth will not be able to wash his hands clean and the audience know that this will end in his own death.

e.g. This also shows that he is feels regretful because it suggests that this is something that will not go away easily; all the water in the ocean will not make his hands clean.

An Skilled PEE+ paragraphShakespeare presents Macbeth as

regretful: ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?’ Lots of bad things then go on to happen to Macbeth, proving that he was wrong to kill the King as he was going against the Divine Right of Kings, which James the I (the King at the time), believed in. This also shows that he is feels regretful because it suggests that this is something that will not go away easily; all the water in the ocean will not make his hands clean so his actions will have bad consequences.

This shows skill and is a quality paragraph.

An excellent PEE+ paragraph Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful by portraying his desire to be King as damaging from the start. As soon as Macbeth has murdered Duncan, his language is regretful: ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?’ Macbeth’s reference to ‘Neptune’ makes conveys a sense of prayer to the language and the question mark suggests doubt at his actions. Neptune is the God of the sea, this would have been known to the Jacobean audience. However, as this is not the Christian god the audience would have also viewed this with suspicion; Macbeth has also gone against the Christian god by going against the Divine Right of Kings. The immediacy of Macbeth’s guilt and regret is made apparent with a link to the metaphor of having blood on your hands. The metaphor is used throughout the play as Lady Macbeth sees an immovable ‘spot’ on her hand and, at the end of the play when Macbeth’s downfall is imminent, it is said that ‘His secret murders [are]sticking on his hands’. The tragic outcome is inevitable because Macbeth will not be able to wash his hands clean and the audience know that this will end in his own death creating drama and tension.

The essentialsInclude quotes.Do not tell the story.Make links and compare with other

text.Comment on the historical context.