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Year 10 - English

Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in 'Macbeth'

Macbeth: Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils read and analyse 'Macbeth' by focusing on the role of Lady Macbeth in the tragedy. They start by reading the full play, before moving on to a close analysis of key characters and themes. They then zoom in on Lady Macbeth and develop an essay on her as a Machiaevellian villain.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to write a well-structured and convincing analytical essay about how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain.

Key Notes

  • An introduction can start with a general statement about the text
  • This can be followed by a more specific statement about the focus of the question, and finally your thesis
  • A conclusion can move from a specific statement about the text to a more general statement at its continued relevance
  • Analysis of writer's methods and/or context helps develop a paragraph

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Machiavellian: Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.
  • Thesis: A thesis is an argument, a powerful idea that you state at the beginning of an essay and prove throughout your essay.
  • Embedded quotation: An embedded quotation puts a quotation inside your own sentence. For example: Lady Macbeth wants to be filled with 'direst cruelty'.
  • Methods: Methods are techniques a writer uses. These encompass everything: language, form, structure and characterisation.
  • Context: Context concerns the circumstances in which a text was written; context helps us to understand the writer's intentions further.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Analysis can only include a language focus, especially single word analysis.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

An introduction can start with a general statement about the text. This can be followed by a more specific statement about the focus of the question, and finally your thesis.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Machiavellian'

Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Analysis can only include a language focus, especially single word analysis. Correction: You should analyse a range of writer's methods; this analysis should support your thesis or topic sentence.

More Lessons In This Unit

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