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Macbeth: AS & A2 York Notes A Level Revision Guide

A Level Study Notes and Revision Guides

Macbeth: AS & A2 York Notes

William Shakespeare

Study contents
Revision contents

Study Tools

How to study Macbeth

How can these Notes help you?, Reading the play, Interpreting or critiquing the play, References and sources, Revising for and responding to an assessed task or exam question

Macbeth in context

Shakespeare's life and times, Shakespeare's theatre, Early staging, Setting, Key issues, Gothic elements, Macbeth in performance, Line of succession, Characters in Macbeth

Timeline

Further reading

The text and its source, Criticism, General reading, Film versions of Macbeth

Literary terms

Plot & Action

Synopsis

Rebellion, The Witches, The murder, Discovering the murder, Further murders, Macbeth's moral descent, A final battle

Act I Scene 1

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 2

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 3

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 4

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 5

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 6

Summary, Analysis

Act I Scene 7

Summary, Analysis

Act II Scene 1

Summary, Analysis, Extended commentary

Act II Scene 2

Summary, Analysis

Act II Scene 3

Summary, Analysis

Act II Scene 4

Summary, Analysis

Act III Scene 1

Summary, Analysis

Act III Scene 2

Summary, Analysis

Act III Scene 3

Summary, Analysis

Act III Scene 4

Summary, Analysis, Extended commentary

Act III Scene 5

Summary, Analysis

Act III Scene 6

Summary, Analysis

Act IV Scene 1

Summary, Analysis

Act IV Scene 2

Summary, Analysis

Act IV Scene 3

Summary, Analysis, Extended commentary

Act V Scene 1

Summary, Analysis

Act V Scene 2

Summary, Analysis

Act V Scene 3

Summary, Analysis

Act V Scenes 4 and 5

Summary, Analysis

Act V Scene 6

Summary, Analysis

Characters & Themes

Characters

Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, The Witches, Macduff, Duncan, Malcolm, Ross

Themes

Ambition, Guilt, Kingship, The supernatural

Structure, Form & Language

Structure

The sum of its parts, A short, fast-paced play, Cinematic viewpoints

Form

Fulfilling AO2, The history genre, The tragedy genre, The Gothic

Language

Imagery, Verse and style, Study focus: Shakespeare's use of prose

Contexts & Critical Debates

Historical context

Shakespeare's age, Shakespeare's theatre

Literary background

Comparing Macbeth with other texts, Plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Victorian novels, Modern texts

Critical debates

Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Nineteenth century, Twentieth century and beyond

Grade Booster

Assessment focus

What are you being asked to focus on?, What do these AOs actually mean?, What does this mean for your revision?

Targeting a high grade

Improving your grade, Typical C grade features, Typical features of an A or A* response

How to write high-quality responses

How you write, Five key areas

Questions with statements, quotations or viewpoints

Example questions, Key skills required, Answering a 'viewpoint' question

Comparing Macbeth with other texts

Example question, The task, Writing your response

Responding to a general question about the whole text

Example question, Structuring your response

Writing about contexts

Assessment Objective 4, The context for Macbeth, Targeting a high grade

Using critical interpretations and perspectives

The 'meaning' of a text, Writing about critical perspectives, Targeting a high grade

Working through a task

What you should do, Task title, Decode the question: key words, Plan and expand, Conclusion, Develop further

Further questions

Mark scheme

Macbeth - York Notes