How to answer a Macbeth question
The firsst question you’ll answer on English Literature Paper 1 will be on Macbeth by William Shakespeare. You have 1 hour 45 minutes for his paper so you should spend around 55 minutes on this question. Like the A Christmas Carol question, you will be given an extract to analyse in your essay - you should use this to help you include detailed analysis of methods for AO2.
Contents of this guide
Some ways to structure this essay
Like the A Christmas Carol question, this one has an extract first and then asks you to write about the rest of the text. Although the question says “starting with this extract” you don’t literally have to start with the extract. You can structure the argument however you want, as long as you include the extract somewhere. With that in mind, here are three possible structures for this essay:
Chunk structure: treat the extract as a chunk and other parts of the play as another chunk.
Introduction: outline your thesis (e.g. overall argument) in a few sentences
Analysis paragraph 1: paragraph on the extract
Analysis paragraph 2: paragraph on the rest of the play, generally with one of the following approaches:
a) Discussion of a similar/contrasting presentation of the theme
b) Discussion of a character before/after the extract, either how they started out, or how they changed, depending on when in the play the extract is from
You could add a third analysis paragraph here if you wanted and had time.
Conclusion: a summary of your thesis, with extra details from your paragraphs and more about the ideas
Extract-based structure: use the extract as your spine and link it to different parts of the play
Introduction: outline your thesis (e.g. overall argument) in a few sentences
Analysis paragraph 1: PEA on the extract + EA(EA) on another part of the play which has a similar or contrasting ideas
Analysis paragraph 2: PEA on a different bit of the extract + EA(EA) on a different part of the play from the previous paragraph, and a different part of the play from the extract, but which has a similar or contrasting ideas
You could add a third analysis paragraph here if you wanted and had time.
Conclusion: a summary of your thesis, with extra details from your paragraphs and more about the ideas
Chronological structure: work through the play chronologically and discuss the extract wherever it fits into the play (beginning, middle or end)
Introduction: outline your thesis (e.g. overall argument) in a few sentences
Analysis paragraph 1: Analysis of the start of the play - how something or someone is introduced - if the extract is from the start of the play discuss it here
Analysis paragraph 2 - optional: Analysis of the middle of the play - how something or someone is developed as the plot progresses - if the extract is from the middle of the play discuss it here. You can skip this paragraph and just do beginning and end if you don’t have time.
Analysis paragraph 3: Analysis of the end of the play - how something or someone ends up when the play finishes (or when they last appear) - if the extract is from the end of the play discuss it here
Conclusion: a summary of your thesis, with extra details from your paragraphs and more about the ideas
Example plans
Below are a couple of example essay plans using two of the structures above. One is a theme-centric question, using the chunk structure; the other is a character-centric question using the chronological structure.
How does Shakespeare present Ideas about power and corruption in Macbeth? Extract: Act 3 Scene 1 (chunk structure)
Thesis: In Macbeth, Shakespeare suggests that power and corruption are very closely aligned. Those who desire power can be easily corrupted to seek it out, but, when they get the power they once desired, rather than enjoying it, they are often further corrupted by the desire to cling on to it at all costs.
Extract paragraph: In the extract, Shakespeare suggests that the desire to cling on to power can itself cause a powerful individual to become more corrupted.
Rest of the play paragraph: At the start of the play, Shakespeare suggested that even fundamentally noble individuals can be corrupted by the desire for power.
How far does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth as a strong woman? Extract: Act 5 Scene 1 (chronological structure)
Thesis: At the start of Macbeth, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a strong and powerful woman, with her strength coming largely from her masculinity. By the end of the play, however, she has become far more traditionally feminine, and with this she has lost the strength she once had.
Start of the play paragraph: Shakespeare shows Lady Macbeth’s initial strength through her control over her husband
Middle of the play paragraph: After Macbeth becomes king, however, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as noticeably weaker; she is marginalised from power and her husband’s love.
End of the play paragraph: By the end of the play, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a shadow of her former self who has lost all of the strength that she once had. [The extract would be discussed here]
The importance of having a core idea - a thesis
It’s hard to over-state the importance of having a big, central idea for your essay. Before you start annotating the extract, you need to think about the play as a whole and decide what you want to argue. For example:
Big idea about power and corruption: The desire for power corrupts people; power itself corrupts people further.
Big idea about Lady Macbeth and strength: Her strength is tied to her masculinity; as she becomes more feminine, she becomes less strong.
In other words, you need to have something to say – this will form the thesis for your essay.
Once you’ve got this clear in your head, everything else should fall into place and the whole essay will suddenly seem simpler.
But without a big idea you’ll struggle to create what the exam board call a conceptualised response, which is what you need for the top band of the mark scheme.
For more information on this, see our guide to writing a conceptualised response.
How to decide on which structure to use and come up with your analysis paragraphs
In order to do this you need to ask yourself some questions:
How much are you able to write in the available time?
If you know you don’t tend to write that much for English essays (i.e. fewer than 4 sides in the exam answer booklet), you should use a structure that contains 4 paragraphs.
Is it a theme-centric or a character-centric question?
For theme questions, the chunk structure is probably easiest: how is the theme presented in the extract? How is the theme presented in the rest of the play? For your rest-of-the-play paragraph, choose either a similar way in a different scene, or a different way in a different scene.
A more sophisticated theme-based essay would use the extract-based structure: what is one idea about the theme in the extract and how is that featured elsewhere in the play? What is another idea about the them in the extract and how is that featured elsewhere in the play? The exam board seem to quite like this structure - they like the way it makes students weave together different parts of the play into a single argument.
For character questions, the chronological structure is easiest. It can be used to show a straightforward change over 4 paragraphs (e.g., Macbeth starts noble and valiant, but becomes an evil, miserable tyrant); the 5-paragraph version can be used to chart the development of a character (e.g., Macbeth starts noble and valiant, becomes an evil tyrant, before sinking into pitiful despair). The latter is probably preferable, but only if you’re able to write enough to see it through to the end.
Writing about Shakespeare’s intentions and message
Unlike An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol, Macbeth is not a very didactic text. Shakespeare explores ideas like masculinity, corruption, guilt and deception, but the audience doesn’t come away having learnt a big lesson, except perhaps not to kill the king. It’s not a play designed to provide a big moral message, and you shouldn’t write about it as if it is. However, you can still write about Shakespeare’s purpose in two different ways:
Shakespeare is communicating ideas about how people can behave, how society can work and what can motivate people to do certain things. This is the easiest way to write about his purpose: he doesn’t say what people should be like, but rather what they can be like. Use the word ‘can’.
Shakespeare is also writing a tragedy, so certain things need to happen. This is another way to write about his purpose: he does things in order to make his play work as a play, and, especially, as a tragedy.
Writing a conclusion
Your conclusion need not contain new ideas. It just needs to summarise the best ideas from the rest of your essay, ideally even better expressed than the first time you wrote about them. The goal is to push for Level 6 in AO1 Task by putting your most perceptive ideas forward all at once, leaving your marker with the best possible impression when they finish reading your essay.
If you’re writing about a theme, link everything back to big ideas about what it means to be human, with a link to context and Shakespeare’s purpose if you can.
If you’re writing about a character, link the presentation of the character back to big ideas about what it means to be human, with a link to context and Shakespeare’s purpose if you can.
Some other important things to remember in a Macbeth essay
Using quotations: with quotations from the extract, remember to look at the whole sentence and not just the line – this will help you to understand the words properly and to embed them grammatically; for your rest-of-the-play quotations, only quote the words you want to analyse – paraphrase the rest.
Analysing methods: remember to plan for your big AO2 - your quotation explosion, whether it’s in the extract or the rest of the play; you should know before you start writing your essay which method you are going to analyse the crap out of in order to get you into the higher bands for AO2.
Meeting AO3: AO3 is not history. AQA have been very clear and particular about this in the most recent examiners report. They don’t want you to add clunky chunks of historical context for the sake of it. More than anything, you need to be exploring the idea at the heart of the question - this will meet AO3. You may well want to write about this in reference to the historical context (e.g. ideas about chivalry, the role of aristocratic women in Jacobean England, primogeniture, etc) but you don’t need to crowbar in a reference to James I or the Gunpowder Plot into every essay, just in an effort to meet this assessment objective.
Frequently asked questions
How long should my essay be?
Approximately 3 sides of A4 (average sized handwriting) – 4 sides in the answer booklet
Can I achieve a Level 6 in just 3 sides of A4, or do I have to write more?
Examiners find that very long essays coast at the same level and lack the necessary depth expected in top level responses. So the answer is no, you don’t have to write a really long essay to get top marks. In fact, examiners prefer a 3 page essay where you explore ideas in greater depth, but this requires you to be able to express yourself concisely and precisely, without lots of waffle.
The question says ‘Starting with this extract’, so does this mean I have to start my essay with a focus on the extract?
No, you do not have to start with the extract. The examiners have said that ‘Starting with this extract’ means that you should use the extract to start you off with ideas. It is a thinking prompt. Basically, it’s provided to get ideas rolling. It’s also handy to use for evidence and close analysis. The examiner doesn’t expect your essay to begin with the extract, but you can if you want to.