Macbeth Act 1.2: Modern English Translation

Shakespeare can be confusing, right? That’s why we’ve given everyone free access to our Modern English Translation of Macbeth. If you’re using this for essays and exams, make sure to quote from the original Shakespearean language (on the left) and only use the modern translation to help you understand what’s going on! Thanks for reading! […]

Macbeth Act 1.1: Modern English Translation

Banquo and Fleance – Character Analysis

Below, we’ll take a look at Banquo’s and Fleance’s importance to Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”. There are a lot of different ways to analyse his character and different ways to bring them into the analysis of other themes, so even if you don’t get a Banquo or Fleance focused question, you can still use them or […]

Character Analysis of Macduff and Lady Macduff in Macbeth

Here’s a detailed breakdown of two characters in Macbeth – Macduff and Lady Macduff. It’s primarily tailored towards students at GCSE or A-Level studying AQA, CIE, Edexcel, WJEC, OCR, CCEA, or Eduqas but it’ll help with anyone studying the Shakespeare play in a wider context too! For a full breakdown of characters (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, […]

Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning). It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good […]

AQA GCSE Practise Paper – Macbeth: The Captain’s Speech

Below is an AQA GCSE Practise Paper for Macbeth. The question is from the June 2019 GCSE exam paper for AQA GCSE English Literature. Use it to practise planning and writing, either as a full mock exam in timed conditions – or working through it in your own time and at your own pace. Thanks […]

Macbeth: The Best Key Quotes

Here’s a list of the best quotes for the character ‘Macbeth’ in Shakespeare’s play of the same name. I’ve been teaching Macbeth for years and these quotations are the ones that I find myself returning to over and over again. They have lots of techniques and imagery in them, and they relate to a huge […]

How to Analyse Form (Drama) in Macbeth

Drama is a living, breathing form of writing. It’s meant to be performed, not read in silence like a book. If you’re aiming for top grades, you must treat drama and plays as if they are supposed to be acted out, in front of an audience – consider the way in which an actor might […]

Macbeth Essay Planning: Fear and Weakness

Macbeth: Essay Question Breakdown Below, you’ll find two Macbeth essay questions – each one is broken down into a clear process that shows you how to identify keywords, select information from the extract, formulate a plan and develop a thesis. This process is a generalised process, so make sure to check your own exam board […]

Notes on Religion in “Macbeth”

Below, you’ll find some thoughts, notes and comments on the idea of religion in “Macbeth”. These are intended as a starting point – you should also read essays on the topic, do your own research and develop your own more personal and detailed beliefs about each theme before attempting to write essays! Every essay or […]