AQA GCSE English Literature - Macbeth - A Character Analysis of Macbeth - Student Handout

This 5-page student Handout includes likely questions and areas of study as well as advice on how to approach a debate about Macbeth.

This is a summary of the Handout:

• Noble Beginnings: Macbeth starts as a valiant and loyal warrior, highly esteemed by King Duncan and his peers, which sets the stage for his tragic descent.
• Valor and Loyalty: Macbeth’s bravery and loyalty to King Duncan are evident early in the play, highlighting his sense of duty and honour.
• Influence of the Witches: The witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king ignites his latent ambition, leading to his moral and psychological decline.
• Ambition and Power: Macbeth’s ambition becomes a destructive force as he becomes consumed by the desire for power, which Lady Macbeth further fuels.
• Relationship with Lady Macbeth: The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth deteriorates as the weight of their actions leads to mutual estrangement and Lady Macbeth’s eventual madness.