Macbeth Act 5 scenes 4 & 5

This PowerPoint lesson guides the class through two rapid-switch scenes that increase the tension building towards the final battle of the play. In Act 5 scene 4 the rebels’ language of moral right, arbitration and necessity is explored, as is the clever plot twist of the use of trees for camouflage. Staging is considered too with reminders about the lack of scenery and the need for language and character cues to bring the scene to life. Act 5 scene 5 switches back to Macbeth and his reflections on life and the failure of his ambitions to provide him with a meaningful life. Tragic features are revised in the realisation on the part of Macbeth of his error in trusting the witches. Students are invited to consider the rest of the apparations and how they might come true, along with exploring the arrogance of Macbeth in demanding the apparitions in the first place - he sought to know what he should not. They are also invited to think about Macbeth as a tragic hero. The lesson closes with three exam–style questions suitable for students taking GCSE courses with AQA, OCR or Edexcel. 14 slides.