macbeth grade 6 essay

Shakespeare: Model Answers ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Senior Content Creator

Model Answers

Below, you will find a full-mark, Level 6 model answer for a Shakespeare essay. The commentary below each section of the essay illustrates how and why it would be awarded Level 6. Despite the fact it is an answer to a Macbeth question, the commentary below is relevant to any Shakespeare question.

As the commentary is arranged by assessment objective, a student-friendly mark scheme has been included here:

Model Answer Breakdown

The commentary for the below model answer as arranged by assessment objective: each paragraph has a commentary for a different assessment objective, as follows:

The introduction includes commentary on all the AOs

Paragraph 1 includes commentary on AO1 (answering the question and selecting references)

Paragraph 2 includes commentary on AO2 (analysing the writer’s methods)

Paragraph 3 includes commentary on AO3 (exploring context)

The conclusion includes commentary on all the AOs

The model answer answers the following question:

Level 6, Full-Mark Answer

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play: she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is sidelined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that unchecked ambition and hubris, particularly for women, have fatal consequences.

Commentary:

The introduction is in the form of a thesis statement

It includes a central argument based on my own opinions

It includes keywords from the question:

"Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play"

It takes a whole-text approach, referencing changes across the whole play:

"she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is sidelined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt."

It acknowledges Shakespeare as an author making deliberate choices and conveying a message:

  "Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that ..."

It includes modal language to show a conceptualised approach

Lady Macbeth’s strength – and ability to command and manipulate those around her – dramatically diminishes from the first time the audience sees her, in Act I, Scene V, to the last time, here in Act V, Scene I. The first time she is presented to the audience, Lady Macbeth is presented as a very untypical woman: far from being a dutiful and subservient wife, she is shown to be plotting on Macbeth’s behalf, speaks of him disparagingly (she worries he is too kind to carry out her plan), and is presented as having power over both Macbeth and her surroundings. This dominance can be seen in her use of imperatives, both when she is directing Macbeth to disguise his true intentions to Duncan (and be a “serpent underneath”), and later, more forcefully, when she orders Macbeth to “give” her the daggers. This shows that Lady Macbeth has almost assumed the dominant position in their relationship, and taken on the typically ‘male’ characteristics of authority and strength (whereas Macbeth’s “kindness” can here be seen as a sign of weakness). However, there is an irony in Shakespeare’s use of imperatives later in the play: in Act V, Scene I, Lady Macbeth is shown to have lost her power to command those things around her and her use of imperatives (“Out, damned spot! Out, I say”) speaks more of abject desperation than her authority. She has lost the power to command her husband, her surroundings and even her own mind. Shakespeare could be suggesting that the unusual power dynamic presented at the beginning of the play is unnatural, and that, as a woman, Lady Macbeth would never be able to maintain this type of authority without succumbing to madness.

The paragraph begins with a topic sentence

Topic sentence directly addresses the question (the “change” the character undergoes)

Topic sentence has a narrower focus than the thesis statement

The whole paragraph is related to the topic sentence

The paragraph includes at least one reference to the extract

The paragraph includes multiple references to the rest of the play

All references are linked to the question and support the argument of my topic sentence

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a character whose self-control and authority over her own mind evaporates by Act V. We see this in the repetitious and fragmented language Shakespeare has her use in this scene. The repetition of several words and phrases (“to bed”; “come”; “O”) shows a character who is not in control of her own thought processes and has lost agency over her own mind. Shakespeare emphasises this by using contrasting verse forms for Lady Macbeth as the play progresses. Initially, she uses the order and authority of blank verse, which reflects her own power and control. However, in this scene, Lady Macbeth does not use the regular or ordered language of blank verse, but rather the disordered form of prose. This reflects both her loss of status and power (prose is often used by commoners in Shakespeare’s plays), but also her own mental illness. Indeed, the description of her having a “disease” in this scene is ironic, since earlier in the play she describes Macbeth as “brainsickly” and “infirm”: it is now she who is the weaker of the two. Perhaps Shakespeare uses this role reversal once again to suggest that women assuming positions of dominance is unnatural and may lead to mental decline.

The analysis provides evidence for the points in the topic sentence (all evidence relates to Lady Macbeth’s mental state)

Whole-text analysis of Shakespeare’s methods, not just focused on the extract

Not just analysis of Shakespeare’s language, but also of form

The analysis includes other wider choices made by Shakespeare: 

Characterisation

All analysis is explained fully in terms of the question and my own argument

The analysis explained in terms of Shakespeare’s overall message

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a character who loses her resolve over the mortal sin of regicide as the play progresses. Initially, Lady Macbeth is presented as a character who believes that both she and her husband will be able to evade the typical consequences of committing a crime – the murder of a king – that would have been seen as truly heinous. Not only is it a crime punishable by death, but the religious consequences would be dire: eternal punishment in Hell. Shakespeare presents her as acknowledging the seriousness of the crime in Act I, Scene V where she references Heaven and Hell prior to the murder of Duncan, but she believes, arrogantly, that she is strong enough to evade capture, as well as cloak herself from feelings of guilt and remorse. Her hubris is also shown later in the play, after the regicide has been committed, when she tells Macbeth that “a little water clears us of this deed”, implying that it will be straightforward to escape the psychological impact of committing a mortal sin. However, by Act V, Scene I Lady Macbeth is shown to have completely lost her resolve, and is haunted by those psychological impacts: she sees blood, which symbolically represents guilt, on her hands, which she cannot wash off. Indeed, later she states that Duncan had “so much blood in him”, an admission that a little water could never have cleansed the guilt from her conscience (“what’s done cannot be undone”). This irony is highlighted again by Shakespeare when Lady Macbeth states that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”, the hyperbole emphasising the enormity of her crime. Shakespeare could be suggesting that no one can escape the psychological and theological consequences of regicide. Indeed, the Doctor states that he has never seen anyone in Lady Macbeth’s state die “holily”, echoing Lady Macbeth’s own earlier reference to Hell.

Does not include any irrelevant historical or biographical facts

All context is linked to the topic sentence (“loses resolve over the mortal sin of regicide”) and the argument as a whole

All context is integrated into analysis of Shakespeare’s methods

Understanding contextual ideas and perspectives provides additional insight into my main argument

Context is sometimes implied, rather than explicit. This still shows sophisticated awareness of ideas (here about religion and Hell)

In conclusion, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes from a character who assumes dominance over her husband and her surroundings, to a woman who loses all agency. Moreover, initially, Shakespeare presents her as a character who seemingly has the mental fortitude to deal with the mortal sin of regicide with a clear conscience, but this mental strength also evaporates. Shakespeare could be issuing a warning to those people who believe they can escape the psychological and theological consequences of sin, especially if they are women who assume an atypical and unnatural position of power.

The conclusion uses keywords from the question

The conclusion links to the thesis

The conclusion sums up more detailed arguments outlined in the topic sentences of all paragraphs

It also gives a fuller understanding of Shakespeare’s intentions, based on ideas explored in the essay

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Author: Nick Redgrove

Expertise: English Senior Content Creator

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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William Shakespeare

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Macbeth: Introduction

Macbeth: plot summary, macbeth: detailed summary & analysis, macbeth: themes, macbeth: quotes, macbeth: characters, macbeth: symbols, macbeth: literary devices, macbeth: quizzes, macbeth: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Macbeth

Other books related to macbeth.

• Full Title: The Tragedy of Macbeth
• When Written: 1606
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1623
• Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)
• Genre: Tragic drama
• Setting: Scotland and, briefly, England during the eleventh century
• Climax: Some argue that the murder of Banquo is the play's climax, based on the logic that it is at this point that Macbeth reaches the height of his power and things begin to fall apart from there. However, it is probably more accurate to say that the climax of the play is Macbeth's fight with Macduff, as it is at this moment that the threads of the play come together, the secret behind the prophecy becomes evident, and Macbeth's doom is sealed.

Extra Credit for Macbeth

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Macbeth as a Strong Man

The essay below uses this simple structure:, an introductory paragraph to summarise an answer to the question, one paragraph about the extract, one about the rest of the play, one about context., doubtful it stood;, as two spent swimmers, that do cling together, and choke their art. the merciless macdonwald–, worthy to be a rebel, for to that, the multiplying villanies of nature, do swarm upon him–from the western isles, of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;, and fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,, show’d like a rebel’s whore: but all’s too weak:, for brave macbeth–well he deserves that name–, disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel,, which smoked with bloody execution,, like valour’s minion carved out his passage, till he faced the slave;, which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,, till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps,, and fix’d his head upon our battlements., o valiant cousin worthy gentleman, question: how far does shakespeare present macbeth as a strong man, write about:, how shakespeare presents macbeth in this speech, how shakespeare presents macbeth in the play as a whole., the essay below is written using a simple structure:, an introductory paragraph to summarise an answer to the question., a section about the extract., a section the rest of the play., a paragraph about context., before you read the answer below, why not have a think about how you'd answer this question. which quotes would you use from the speech above also, which sections from the rest of the play would you focus on and what contextual factors influenced lady macbeth's presentation, most importantly, though, have a think about how you'd write that opening paragraph - answer the question in two or three simple sentences., an example answer, during the opening of the play macbeth is presented as a perfect jacobean hero: strong, brave and heroic. however, he is incapable of standing up to his wife or of resisting the witches' magic spell and this leads to his downfall., in this extract, a wounded sergeant explains macbeth’s achievements while fighting a battle against norwegian traitors. he is called “brave macbeth – well he deserves that name.” the fact that he deserves that “name” suggests that the adjective “brave” is almost a title for him, and bravery would have been central the jacobean understanding of what made a strong man. macbeth goes on to “disdain fortune” – suggesting that he doesn’t care what fortune has in store for him, and he “carves his own passage.” the idea that he has enough inner strength to ignore fate or fortune and make a name for himself confirms that macbeth has a lot of what a strong jacobean male would need., but he is also brutal, and physically strong – two more traits that would be valued in any strong jacobean male. he approaches the “merciless macdonwald” whose “multiplying villainies” the sergeant has already explained, and “unseemed him from the nave to the chaps” before fixing his head upon “our battlements.” this level of brutality would spread fear in his enemies and show that macbeth was strong enough not to be messed with. also, the captain is careful to describe the enemy as “merciless” an adjective that makes sure that the audience is clear that macbeth is killing evil men., the sergeant continues to emphasise how macbeth’s brutality should earn him respect by saying that his sword “smoked with bloody execution.” the verb “execution” is interesting, as an execution is the killing of a criminal or someone else who deserves to die. in this respect, macbeth is not just a bloody murderer, but a noble and respectable servant of the king. his relationship to the king, who provides a source of social strength, is finally confirmed when king duncan calls him “valiant cousin” and “worthy gentleman” this statement shows that macbeth is related to the king – a really important source of strength – and is a “gentleman” – a noun which suggests that he is civilised as well., his reputation for strength, however, was not to last because he is largely bullied by the women in the play. in fact, his opening line in the play – “so fair and foul a day i have not seen” – suggests that he is under the witches influence right from the off. also, later, lady macbeth easi ly talks him into murdering duncan, saying that he is "too full of the milk of human kindness." even saying that macbeth is too full of milk was an insult as milk is feminine and this would have upset any ideas that he was a strong man., also, killing duncan sets macbeth off on a spree of murder. during the play, he kills his best friend, banquo, which would have been seen as shocking to a jacobean male audience, as loyalty to friends was very important. he also kills macduff's wife and child, both of which would have been seen as incredibly dishonourable and weak. in doing so, however, he turns everyone against him and he is eventually killed in battle., ultimately, macbeth is not presented as a strong man to the jacobean audience as, although he is brave in battle, he lacks the strength to stand up to his wife and is bullied – by a woman – into doing something he didn’t want to do. ironically, she does this by challenging his masculinity . the audience would have been very clear that lady macbeth was taunting him, but macbeth doesn't see this and ends up getting drawn into betraying his friends and the codes of jacobean masculinity..

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Macbeth — Macbeth: A Tragic Hero Analysis

Macbeth: a Tragic Hero Analysis

• Categories: Macbeth Tragic Hero

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Words: 619 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 619 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The definition of a tragic hero, macbeth’s tragic flaw: ambition, the influence of the supernatural, moral decline and guilt, the tragic end.

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