macbeth grade 9 model essay

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‘Macbeth’ Grade 9 Example Response

Grade 9 – full mark – ‘Macbeth’ response

Starting with this extract (from act 1 scene 7), how does Shakespeare present the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

In Shakespeare’s eponymous tragedy ‘Macbeth’, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is a complex portrait of love, illustrating layers of utter devotion alongside overwhelming resentment. Though the couple begins the play unnaturally strong within their marriage, this seems to act as an early warning of their imminent and inevitable fall from grace, ending the play in an almost entirely different relationship than the one they began the play with.

In the exposition of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth initially appear immensely strong within their marriage, with Macbeth describing his wife as ‘my dearest partner of greatness’ in act 1 scene 5. The emotive superlative adjective ‘dearest’ is a term of endearment, and acts as a clear depiction of how valued Lady Macbeth is by her husband. Secondly, the noun ‘partner’ creates a sense of sincere equality which, as equality within marriage would have been unusual in the Jacobean era, illustrates to a contemporary audience the positive aspects of their relationship. Furthermore the lexical choice ‘greatness’ may connote ambition, and as they are ‘partner(s)’, Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are equal in their desire for power and control, further confirming their compatibility but potentially hinting that said compatibility will serve as the couple’s hamartia.

However, the strength of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship falls into a rapid downward spiral in the subsequent scenes, as a struggle for power within the marriage ensues. This is evidenced when Macbeth, in act 1 scene 7, uses the declarative statement ‘we will proceed no further in this business’. Here, Macbeth seems to exude masculinity, embracing his gender role and dictating both his and his wife’s decisions. The negation ‘no’ clearly indicates his alleged definitive attitude. However, Lady Macbeth refuses to accept her husband’s rule, stating ‘when you durst do it, then you were a man’. She attempts to emasculate him to see their plan through. The verb ‘durst’ illustrates the risk taking behaviour that Lady Macbeth is encouraging; implying an element of toxicity within their relationship, and her harsh speech makes the cracks in their relationship further visible to the audience. It is also probable that a contemporary audience would be made severely uncomfortable in the presence of Lady Macbeth’s unapologetic display of power, and it is possible that Shakespeare attempts to paint Lady Macbeth as the villain of the play, playing upon the audience’s pre-determined fears of feminine power. Though Lady Macbeth appears to be acting entirely out of self-interest, another reader may argue that she influences her husband so heavily to commit the heinous act of regicide, as she believes that he crown may as a substitute for the child or children that Shakespeare suggests she and Macbeth have lost previously, and in turn better Macbeth’s life and bring him to the same happiness that came with the child, except in another form.

As the play progresses, Shakespeare creates more and more distance between the characters, portraying the breakdown of their relationship as gradual within the play but rapid in the overall sense of time on stage. For example, Lady Macbeth requests a servant ‘say to the king’ Lady Macbeth ‘would attend his leisure/ for a few words’. Here she is reduced to the status of someone far lesser than the king, having to request to speak to her own husband. It could be interpreted that, now as king, Macbeth holds himself above all else, even his wife, perhaps due to the belief of the divine right of kings. The use of the title rather than his name plainly indicated the lack of closeness Lady Macbeth now feels with Macbeth and intensely emotionally separates them. This same idea is referenced as Shakespeare develops the characters to almost juxtapose each other in their experiences after the murder of Duncan. For example, Macbeth seems to be trapped in a permanent day, after ‘Macbeth does murder sleep’ and his guilt and paranoia render him unable to rest. In contrast, Lady Macbeth takes on an oppositional path, suffering sleepwalking and unable to wake from her nightmare; repeating the phrase ‘to bed. To bed’ as if trapped in a never-ending night. This illustrates to the audience the extreme transformation Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship undergoes, and how differently they end up experiencing the aftermath of regicide.

In conclusion, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin the play almost too comfortable within their marriage, which seems to invite the presence of chaos and tragedy into their relationship. Their moral compositions are opposing one another, which leads to the distancing and total breakdown of their once successful marriage and thus serves as a warning to the audience about the effects of murder, and what the deadly sin of greed can do to a person and a marriage.

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gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

9 thoughts on “‘Macbeth’ Grade 9 Example Response”

wheres the context

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It is also probable that a contemporary audience would be made severely uncomfortable in the presence of Lady Macbeth’s unapologetic display of power, and it is possible that Shakespeare attempts to paint Lady Macbeth as the villain of the play, playing upon the audience’s pre-determined fears of feminine power.

Also ref to ‘divine right of kings’

Thank you! This is a brilliant response. Just what I needed. Could you also please include the extract in the question.

We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon.

—> until end of scene

She did (Act 1 Scene 7)

Another great resource for grade 9 Macbeth analysis https://youtu.be/bGzLDRX71bs

In order to get a grade 9 for a piece like this would you need to include a wide range of vocabulary or could you write the same thing ‘dumbed down’ and get a 9.

If the ideas were as strong then yes, but your writing must AT LEAST be ‘clear’ for a grade 6 or above.

This is really great, I’m in Year 10 doing my Mock on Thursday, a great point that i have found (because I also take history) Is the depiction of women throughout the play, during the Elizabethan era, (before the Jacobean era) many people had a changed view of women as Queen Elizabeth was such a powerful woman, glimpses of this have been shown in Jacobean plays, in this case Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is depicted as powerful although she had to be killed of to please King James (as he was a misogynist) women are also depicted as evil in the play, such as the three witches, I also found that the Witches are in three which could be a mockery to the Holy Trinity.

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Macbeth Essays

There are loads of ways you can approach writing an essay, but the two i favour are detailed below., the key thing to remember is that an essay should focus on the three aos:, ao1: plot and character development; ao2: language and technique; ao3: context, strategy 1 : extract / rest of play, the first strategy basically splits the essay into 3 paragraphs., the first paragraph focuses on the extract, the second focuses on the rest of the play, the third focuses on context. essentially, it's one ao per paragraph, for a really neatly organised essay., strategy 2 : a structured essay with an argument, this strategy allows you to get a much higher marks as it's structured to form an argument about the whole text. although you might think that's harder - and it's probably going to score more highly - i'd argue that it's actually easier to master. mainly because you do most of the work before the day of the exam., to see some examples of these, click on the links below:, lady macbeth as a powerful woman, macbeth as a heroic character, the key to this style is remembering this: you're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will definitely relate to the theme., the strategy here is planning out your essays before the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow., below are some structured essays i've put together., macbeth and gender.

Macbeth and Violence — Example A Grade Essay

Here’s an essay on Macbeth’s violent nature that I wrote as a mock exam practice with students. Feel free to read and analyse it, use the quotes and context for your own essays too!

It’s also useful for anyone studying Macbeth in general, especially with the following exam boards: CAIE / Cambridge, Edexcel, OCR, CCEA, WJEC / Eduqas.

Thanks for reading! If you find this resource useful, you can take a look at our full online Macbeth course here . Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

This course includes: 

• A full set of video lessons on each key element of the text: summary, themes, setting, characters, context, attitudes, analysis of key quotes, essay questions, essay examples
• Downloadable documents for each video lesson 
• A range of example B-A* / L7-L9 grade essays, both at GCSE (ages 14-16) and A-Level (age 16+) with teacher comments and mark scheme feedback
• A bonus Macbeth workbook designed to guide you through each scene of the play!

For more help with Macbeth and Tragedy, read our article here .

THE QUESTION

Starting with this speech, explore how far shakespeare presents macbeth as a violent character. (act 1 scene 2).

Debate: How far is Macbeth violent? (AGREE / DISAGREE)

Themes: Violence (break into different types of violence)

Focus: Character of Macbeth (what he says/does, other character’s actions towards him and speech about him)

PLAN — 6–8 mins

Thesis – Shakespeare uses Macbeth to make us question the nature of violence and whether any kind of violent behaviour is ever appropriate

Point 1 : Macbeth has an enjoyment of violence

‘Brandished steel’ ‘smoked with bloody execution’

‘Unseam’d him from the nave to’th’chops’ ‘fixed his head upon the battlements’

Context — Thou shalt not kill / Tragic hero

Point 2 : Macbeth is a violent character from the offset, but this violence is acceptable at first

‘Disdaining Fortune’ ‘valiant cousin/ worthy gentleman’

‘Worthy to be a rebel’

Context: Divine Right of Kings / James I legacy

Point 3:  The witches and Lady Macbeth manipulate that violent power

‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ ‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’

‘Will these hands never be clean?’ ‘incarnadine’

‘Is this a dagger I see before me?’

Context: Psychological power — Machiavelli / Demonology

(Point 4) Ultimately, Macbeth is undone by violence in the end

Hubris — ‘Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d’

‘Traitor’ ‘Tyrant’

‘Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’

Context: Violence for evil means is unsustainable, political unrest equally is negative and unsustainable — support James

Macbeth is certainly portrayed as a violent character from the offset, but initially this seems a positive trait: the Captain, Ross and others herald him as a great warrior, both an ally and valuable asset to Duncan and his kingdom. Furthermore, Duncan himself is overjoyed at Macbeth’s skill in battle. Yet, as the play progresses and Macbeth embarks upon his tragic fall, Shakespeare encourages us to question the nature of violence itself, and whether any kind of violence is truly good. Ultimately, Shakespeare demonstrates that Macbeth’s enjoyment of violence works against him, as it is manipulated by the evil forces at work in the play, and it ends in destroying not only himself but his entire life’s work, reputation and legacy.

Firstly, Macbeth is established as a character who embraces violence, though he uses it as a force for good in the sense that he defends Duncan and his Kingdom against traitors and the King of Norway’s attack. In the play, it is interesting to note that Macbeth’s reputation precedes him — despite being the central focus of the tragedy, we do not meet him until Act 1 Scene 3, and so this extract occurs before we have seen the man himself. The Captain’s speech begins with the dramatic utterance ‘Doubtful it stood’, creating a sense of tension and uncertainty as he recounts the events of the battle to Duncan and the others. Yet, the tone of the speech becomes increasingly full of praise and confidence as he explains how Macbeth and Banquo overcame ‘Fortune’, the luck that went against them, and their strong willpower enabled them to defeat ‘the merciless Macdonwald’, the alliteration serving to underscore the Captain’s dislike of the man, while the adjective ‘merciless’ implies that the traitor himself was also cruel and violent. The sense that Macbeth enjoys the violence he enacts upon the traitor is conveyed through visual imagery, which is graphic and quite repellent: ‘his brandish’d steel… smoked with bloody execution’ and ‘he unseam’d [Macdonwald] from the nave to th’chops’. The dynamic verb ‘smoked’ suggests the intense action of the scene and the amount of fresh blood that had stained Macbeth’s sword. Furthermore, the verb ‘unseam’d’ suggests the skill with which Macbeth is able to kill — he does not simply stab the traitor, he delicately and expertly destroys him, almost as if he’s a butcher who takes pleasure in his profession, and indeed at the end of the play Macduff does call him by this same term: ‘the dead butcher and his fiend-like queen’. Interestingly, much of the violence that occurs in the play happens offstage, Duncan is murdered in between Acts 2.1 and 2.2., as are Banquo and Macduff’s family. Even in this early scene, the audience hear about the violence rather than experiencing it directly. This suggests perhaps that for a Jacobean audience at a time of political instability, Shakespeare wanted to discourage the idea or enjoyment of violence whilst still exploring the idea of it in human nature and psychology. Furthermore, a contemporary audience would be aware of the Biblical commandment ‘thou shall not kill’, which expressed that violence and murder of any kind was a sinful act against God. Therefore, we can see that Macbeth is established as a tragic hero from the offset, though he is a successful character and increasing his power within the feudal world, this power is built upon his capacity for and enjoyment of violence, which will ultimately cause him to fail and in turn warn the Jacobean audience against any kind of violence in their own lives.

We could also interpret Macbeth as inherently violent, but under control of his own power at the beginning of the play, an aspect of himself which degenerates under the influence of evil. Though he is physically great, he is easily manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth, all of whom are arguably psychologically stronger. The use of chiasmus in the opening scene — ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ is echoed by Macbeth’s first line in Act One Scene 3: ‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’. Delving deeper into the meaning of these lines also reveals more about Shakespeare’s opinions on the inherent nature of violence; though the language is equivocal and can be interpreted in many ways, we can assume that the witches are implying that the world has become inverted, that ugliness and evil are now ‘fair’, what is seen as right or normal in Macbeth’s violent world. Macbeth uses similar lines, but with a different meaning, he is stating that he has never seen a day so ‘foul’, so full of gore and death, that was at the same time so ‘fair’, so good in terms of outcome, and positive for the future. Shakespeare is perhaps exposing an inherent paradox in violence here, that war and murder is thought by many to be noble if it leads to a positive political outcome. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth encourages and appeals to Macbeth’s sense for violence by directly associating it with masculinity and male traits that were considered noble or desirable in the Jacobean era. She questions him just prior to Duncan’s death, stating ‘I fear thy nature is too full o’th’milk of human kindness / to catch the nearest way’, using ‘milk’ as a symbol of femininity to imply his womanly and cowardly nature, while in turn asking evil spirits to ‘unsex’ her and fill her with ‘direst cruelty’. In this sense, it could be argued that Shakespeare is commenting on the connections between nature and violence, perhaps a Jacobean audience would have understood that Macbeth fighting for the king was an acceptable outlet for his violence, whereas Macbeth using violence for personal gain and Lady Macbeth’s wish to become more masculine, and therefore more violent, are all against the perceived view of natural gender and social roles of the time. Overall, we could say that the culture itself, which encourages Machievellian disruption and political vying for power through both women and men stepping out of the social norms of their society, encourages more violence and evil to enter the world.

Alternatively, it could be argued that Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s success through violence to criticise the nature of the Early Modern world, and so it is not Macbeth’s violence itself which is at fault, but the world which embraces and encourages this in him. Duncan responds to the Captain’s speech by exclaiming ‘valiant cousin’ ‘worthy gentleman!’, demonstrating his extreme faith in Macbeth’s powers. The Captain additionally terms him ‘Brave Macbeth’, stating ‘well he deserves that name’, suggesting that the general structure of the world supports violent and potentially unstable characters such as Macbeth, enabling them to rise to power beyond their means. Interestingly the downfall of Macbeth is foreshadowed early on in this extract, as the term ‘worthy’ is also applied to the traitor in the Captain’s speech, when he states Macdonwald is ‘worthy to be a rebel’, the repetition of this adjective perhaps subtly compares Macdonwald’s position to Macbeth’s own, as Macbeth’s own death also is similar to the initial traitors, with his own head being ‘fixed…upon the battlements’ of Inverness castle. Through this repetition of staging and terminology, we realise that the world is perhaps at fault more than Macbeth himself, as it encourages a cycle of violence and political instability. Though there is a sense of positivity in extract as Duncan has succeeded in securing the throne and defeating the traitor, the violent context in which this action occurs, being set in 11th century feudal Scotland, suggests the underlying political unrest that mirrors the political instability of Shakespeare’s own time. The play was first performed in 1606, three years after James I had been made King of England (though he was already King of Scotland at this time), and in 1605 there had been a violent attempt on his life with the Gunpowder Plot from a group of secret Catholics who felt they were being underrepresented. Shakespeare’s own family were known associates of some of the perpetrators, so it is likely that he intended to clear suspicion of his own name by creating a play that strongly supported James I’s Divine Right to rule. In this sense, we can see that the concept of a cycle of violence that is created through political instability is integral to Shakespeare’s overall purpose, he is strongly conveying to the audience that not only is Macbeth’s personal violence sinful, but the way in which society encourages people to become violent is terrible and must be stopped, for the good of everyone.

In summary, Macbeth is established from the offset as a violent character, who takes pride and pleasure in fighting and killing. However, Shakespeare is careful not to make this violent action central to the enjoyment of the play (until the very end, when Macbeth himself is defeated), to force us to engage with the psychology of violence more than the physical nature of it. Though the women in the play are passive, Lady Macbeth and the witches prove to incite violence in Macbeth’s nature and lead ultimately to more evil entering the world. Finally, we can interpret the violence of the play as a criticism of the political and social instability of Jacobean times, rather than it being purely Macbeth’s fault, Shakespeare is exploring how the society itself encourages instability through the encouragement of Machiavellian ideas such as power grabbing, nepotism, greed and ambition.

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Grade 9 Kingship in Macbeth Essay (Act 4 Scene 3, and whole play)

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

16 January 2024

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A top band, Grade 9 essay on the question of: “Starting with this speech (Act 4 Scene 3), explore how Shakespeare presents the theme of Kingship in Macbeth”.

Full mark model to be used for revision, notes, or lesson examples.

AQA and Edexcel suited, and written specifically for the AQA GCSE English Literature mark scheme. Key quotes, thesis statement, top tier context, and multiple supporting quotes are included.

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Mr Salles Teaches English

My AQA Macbeth Prediction 2024!

Includes model answers.

Predicted Question 2024

The question will be on the role of the witches or the supernatural in Macbeth.

The extract is likely to be on the prophecies:

APPARITION. Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.

[ Descends. ]

MACBETH. Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder.

[ Thunder. An Apparition of a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand, rises. ]

What is this, That rises like the issue of a king, And wears upon his baby brow the round And top of sovereignty?

ALL. Listen, but speak not to’t.

APPARITION. Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him.

MACBETH. That will never be: Who can impress the forest; bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements, good! Rebellious head, rise never till the wood Of Birnam rise, and our high-plac’d Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath To time and mortal custom.—Yet my heart Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art Can tell so much, shall Banquo’s issue ever Reign in this kingdom?

ALL. Seek to know no more.

How likely is my prediction to come true?

Historically, about 50%., essay on the supernatural from 2018 (22/30 level 5).

(This is from my guide . The extract in 2018 was when Macbeth first meets the witches).

In this extract Macbeth is sceptical of the witches’ prophecies. He knows he should be cautious, as they are “ instruments of darkness ”. However, the witches used “ supernatural soliciting ” and planted his ambition and his desire to know further prophecies.

In CONTRAST , Shakespeare presents Banquo as not tempted by the witches. He recognises that they are both deceitful and wicked, and should therefore be resisted. He describes them as “ instruments of darkness ”. This acts SYMBOLICALLY . “ Darkness ” represents the horrors of evil. Banquo implies the witches are tools of Satan , used to manipulate people towards evil by deceiving them. This is why he cautions Macbeth that the supernatural try to “ win us with honest trifles to betrays in deepest consequences ”. Perhaps * Banquo is certain the prophecies are a supernatural trap for Macbeth. He might* believe that the witches will manipulate Macbeth so that he too becomes deceitful, and he might * foresee Macbeth’s tragedy.

We can see that Macbeth can’t resist them, and is curious: “ this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given earnest of success ”. Here he questions whether the prophecies are good or evil. He knows the witches are untrustworthy, just as the audience of 1606 would not trust them. They would be viewed as Satanic and witch hunters would burn them to death . Despite this, he focuses on the prophecies he likes. Alternatively, we might* argue that he remains a sceptic. He welcomes his good fortune, but he still knows they are untrustworthy.

Earlier, Banquo described the witches as inhuman, “ so withered and wild in their attire that look not like the inhabitants of the earth ”. Shakespeare may* do this to create an aura of fear for his audience who would already fear the supernatural in 1606 . Also earlier, Macbeth pleads with the weird sisters to “ stay, you imperfect speakers ”. This reveals how he is being controlled by his ambition, as he is desperate to discover when and how he will become king. This went against Jacobean custom, where to try to rise above your station in life was to defy God. The Great Chain of Being meant that God chose your status for a reason. This ambition shows how Macbeth is stained with sin.

In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth so that the audience can see his true character and ambition in this extract. In CONTRAST , Banquo is portrayed as noble, suspicious of the supernatural, and concerned at Macbeth’s curiosity about the witches .

Original 561 words

Thesis Statement No

Explanations 12

Named Methods 3

Society/era/patriarchal/Jacobean/contemporary/ historical reference 5

Shakespeare 3

Exploratory Could, Might, May, Perhaps, Probably 4

Conclusion Yes

Paragraphs 5

Words per paragraph 112

My Comments

There it is again .The first 3 paragraphs are all about the extract. (In my guide I keep seeing students fail to get grades 7, 8 and 9 because they start with the extract). This one is better than most - you can get grades 7, 8 and 9 starting with the extract, it is just much harder.

The student does this very well, and in the third paragraph they also weave in relevant context to explore Shakespeare’s viewpoint.

The student deals with the later prophecies – ‘the prophecies he likes’ – very, very briefly. Imagine if they had dealt with a few more incidents of the supernatural in the play. This is a student who could have smashed this question.

Once again, it is an answer anchored by the extract. The ‘supernatural’ has meant only the witches because of this. But it could have involved:

The dagger of the mind

Lady Macbeth and her murdering ministers.

Banquo’s ghost!

All 3 of these could be linked to Shakespeare’s ideas about divine punishment, the psychology of guilt, the desire to flatter King James, the misogynistic, patriarchal view of women.

Easy marks!

They wrote fewer than 600 words, at least 200 fewer than they could have written in the time limit.

Lazy? Or, are they just having to spend too much time thinking about the extract, rather than simply picking on knowledge they already have, which is quick and easy.

Examiner Comments

This answer is Level 5 because of the overall approach to the essay, writing about the witches in the whole play, and linking this to relevant context about how Jacobeans perceived witches.

To improve, the student should focus more on Shakespeare’s ideas, and how he presents them.

You can read this guide, and 24 more , entirely for FREE here: click .

I wrote a full grade 9, 30/30 answer to my 2024 prediction, and asked Gemini to shorten it for you. Here it is:

Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth serve a dual purpose: flattering King James' fascination with demonology and exploring the interplay between free will and fate in Macbeth's tragic downfall.

The Witches' Duality

Shakespeare introduces the witches in Macbeth to cater to King James' interest in witchcraft. Their unsettling presence and cryptic pronouncements resonate with James' writings on demonology, like "Daemonologie." However, Shakespeare also uses them to explore a deeper theme: the conflict between free will and fate. They tempt Macbeth with prophecies, but it's his ambition that drives him to regicide (e.g., "why do I yield to that suggestion").

Banquo as a Foil

Banquo's contrasting perspective on the witches reinforces the ambiguity surrounding their role. Unlike Macbeth, who sees them as instruments of fate, Banquo views them with suspicion, calling them "instruments of darkness" (foreshadowing the internal darkness that consumes Macbeth). This contrast highlights the witches' ability to manipulate individuals based on their vulnerabilities.

Shifting Blame

Macbeth's soliloquies reveal a struggle between his ambition and his conscience. Initially, he contemplates leaving things to "chance," suggesting a belief in free will. However, the witches' prophecies awaken his ambition, leading him to see them as a justification for his actions. The dagger vision further blurs the lines, leaving him unsure if it's an external force or a manifestation of his own guilt ("a dagger of the mind").

The Witches' Power

While the witches offer prophecies, they don't control Macbeth's actions. Their pronouncements are riddled with ambiguity, like the prophecy of "none of woman born" that ultimately misleads Macbeth. Shakespeare emphasizes this through the witches' childlike pronouncements delivered in trochaic tetrameter ("By the pricking of my thumbs"). Unlike Mephistopheles in Marlowe's Faustus, they lack the power to directly influence events.

Macbeth's Downfall

As Macbeth descends into tyranny, he becomes increasingly isolated. His nihilistic final speech reflects his acceptance of his fate, but there's no blame directed at the witches. He sees himself as a "poor player" trapped in a meaningless existence ("a tale told by an idiot"). This underscores that his downfall is a consequence of his own choices, not external manipulation.

In conclusion, the witches in Macbeth are a multifaceted element. They appease King James' fascination with the supernatural while serving as a catalyst for exploring the complexities of free will and fate. Ultimately, the play emphasizes personal responsibility for one's actions, with Macbeth's tragic downfall serving as a cautionary tale.

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My Grade 9 Answer (30/30)

Shakespeare includes the witches in Macbeth to flatter King James, and his belief in witchcraft. He uses them to warn of the terrible consequences of evil and regicide. However, he ultimately shows that men, not supernatural evil, are responsible for their own hamartia and downfall.

Shakespeare gives us alternative interpretations about the Weird Sisters’ power. To King James, they have the power to control the weather, so they decide whether to meet “ in thunder, lightning or in rain ”. But another possibility is that they have no control, only foresight of the future.

They plan “ to meet with Macbeth ” and appear to have picked him specifically. Shakespeare alludes to Greek Tragedy here, where the Weird Sisters represent the three Fates. In tragedy, the Fates pick on a hero and destroy him because of the major flaw in his character, his hamartia.

They don’t give Macbeth any instructions when they meet him. They simply prophesise that Macbeth will become “ Thane of Cawdor ” and then “ king hereafter ”, while Banquo “ shall get kings ” through Fleance.

Macbeth immediately begins thinking of regicide, a powerful sin because it attacks God, who has chosen the king to head The Great Chain of Being. Macbeth has been delighted to slaughter in battle, unseaming Macdonwald “ from the nave to the chops , but murdering his king horrifies him. He asks, “ why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair? ” He also cannot understand what his hamartia is or “why” he has these thoughts so suddenly.

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