Macbeth Act 2, Scene 1 Soliloquy Lesson

This fully-resourced, one-hour lesson guides students through independent analysis of Macbeth’s soliloquy (“Is this a dagger…”) in Act 2 Scene 1 of Macbeth. Perfect for fostering critical thinking, this lesson allows students to paraphrase Macbeth’s speech and collaborate in groups to examine Shakespeare’s use of lexical fields, rhetorical questions, and repetition.

This resource includes:

A ready-to-teach PowerPoint with full teacher instructions.
A printable extract of the soliloquy with a detailed glossary for student reference.
Printable group task instructions, also embedded in the PowerPoint.

Learning Objective: Analyse Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 1.

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will read and understand act 2 scene 1 and independently paraphrase it and answer questions on it.
• Students will work in groups to closely analyse the language in Macbeth’s soliloquy.
• Students will compare two different portrayals of this soliloquy.

Lesson Breakdown:
Do it now: ’There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out’ – students explore this quote.
Starter: Read act 2 scene 1 and discuss questions.
Activity 1: Paraphrase the soliloquy in groups whilst watching a performance.
Activity 2: Scaffolded independent analysis task
Plenary: Students watch another performance of the soliloquy. How does this other portrayal of Macbeth compare to the earlier one?

Why Choose This Resource?
Designed for Confidence-Building: Helps students feel secure in their analysis of complex texts.
Ready to Use: Download and start teaching immediately with no prep required.

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