AQA GCSE English Literature - Macbeth - A Beginner's Guide to Studying Macbeth - Student Handout

This beginner’s guide to studying “Macbeth” provides an overview of the play, its characters, themes, and important quotes, along with study tips and additional resources. It is 6-pages long and would take around 45 minutes to go through with a class.

The Handout is structured as follows:

• Introduction to Macbeth: “Macbeth” is one of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedies, exploring themes of ambition, power, guilt, and the supernatural. Written in the early 17th century, it remains a timeless play.
• Main Characters: The guide highlights main characters including Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, Banquo, King Duncan, Macduff, and Malcolm, explaining their roles and significance in the play.
• Key Themes: The guide explores major themes such as ambition, guilt, fate vs. free will, the supernatural, and power and corruption, illustrating how they are developed through the characters’ actions and events.
• Important Quotes: Several key quotes are provided to illustrate the play’s themes and character motivations, including famous lines like “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” and “Out, damned spot!”.
• Study Tips: The guide offers study tips such as reading the text aloud, using annotations, watching performances, discussing with others, analyzing characters, exploring themes, and writing essays.
• Additional Resources: Additional resources include books like “Shakespeare for Students” and “No Fear Shakespeare,” websites like Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and SparkNotes, and video resources like BBC’s “Shakespeare Unlocked” and National Theatre’s "Macbeth.