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Year 10 - English

'Macbeth': exploring evidence and including context in an essay on Lady 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 explain what happens in Act 1, Scenes 5 to 7 of 'Macbeth' and begin to evaluate the character of Lady Macbeth.

Key Notes

  • Topic sentences need to be clear and linked to the question
  • Judicious quotations from the text are used to create compelling arguments
  • Writer's methods should be explored without always relying on single word analysis
  • Context can be used to develop arguments

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Machiavellian: Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.
  • Compelling: If an argument is compelling, it is convincing and persuasive.
  • 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.
  • Feedback: Feedback is information given to someone to help them improve something.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Contextual information in an essay should comprise of one final sentence in each paragraph.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Topic sentences need to be clear and linked to the question. Judicious quotations from the text are used to create compelling arguments.

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: Contextual information in an essay should comprise of one final sentence in each paragraph. Correction: Context should be weaved throughout an essay to help explore a writer's intentions.

More Lessons In This Unit

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