T he big M
Y ear level: 10
Unit of work contributed by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
Act 4, scene 1, the witches in their cavern, gathered around the boiling cauldron. Copyright Photolibrary.
About the unit
Unit description
This unit is designed for students who find the subject of English difficult, and who have little
experience with Shakespeare. It introduces students to a basic appreciation of Shakespeare,
his life and times, and the story, characters and themes of Macbeth.
Knowledge, understandings, skills, values
Students will:
•
understand the play Macbeth in the context in which it was written
•
work cooperatively in groups to create shared work for performance
•
experiment with different ways of imaginatively and interpretively transforming the text
•
explore characters, roles, situations and actions through drama activities.
Focus questions
•
Who was Macbeth and was he doomed from the very beginning?
•
What are the main themes of the play and are they still relevant to today’s audience?
•
Did Shakespeare write Macbeth for King James I or to teach society a lesson about
witches?
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
1
Resources
Internet sites
•
Shakespeare insult kit: http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html
•
Bell Shakespeare Just Macbeth! podcast: http://archive.bellshakespeare.com.au/education
(select ‘Resources’, then ‘Podcast’ and then scroll down)
•
Wordle ‘word cloud’ generator: http://www.wordle.net
•
Tag Galaxy image exploration tool: http://taggalaxy.com
•
Macbeth rap video (‘Sound and fury’): http://www.flocabulary.com (select ‘Free teacher
resources’, then ‘Free songs & videos’, then scroll down)
Print
•
Macbeth, William Shakespeare (your preferred edition)
•
Shakespeare stories, Leon Garfield, Penguin, 1997
•
Just Macbeth!, Andy Griffiths, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2009
DVDs
•
Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski, 1971
•
Shakespeare in love, directed by John Madden, 1998
Other resources
•
Computer with speakers, data projector and wall or screen
•
DVD player and television
•
Whiteboard and whiteboard markers
Attached printable resources
The following learning resources are available for you to modify, print and use in your own
classroom.
•
Plot summary exercise
•
Moved synopsis
•
Hot seat
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
2
Teaching the unit
Setting the scene
Resources
•
Macbeth, William Shakespeare (your preferred edition)
•
Shakespeare in love, directed by John Madden, 1998
•
Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski, 1971
•
Shakespeare stories, Leon Garfield, Penguin, 1997
•
Shakespeare insult kit: http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html
•
Computer with speakers, data projector and wall or screen
•
DVD player and television
•
Whiteboard and whiteboard markers
•
Plot summary exercise (page 10)
•
Moved synopsis (pages 11–14)
Teaching and learning activities
Shakespeare? You’ve got to be kidding!
Graffiti activity
Provide one whiteboard marker for each student. Divide the whiteboard into two sections, one
labelled ‘Shakespeare’s life’ and the other ‘Shakespeare’s times’. Allow students five minutes to
graffiti the whiteboard with words, phrases, images or diagrams that represent their prior
knowledge of Shakespeare. After five minutes, students return to their seats and discuss their
work.
As a follow up, you might like to show the opening scenes of the film Shakespeare in love.
Group research
Place students into groups of three or four to generate research questions about Shakespeare’s
life and times. Point students to their graffiti board for inspiration for forming questions.
When they have completed their question brainstorming, record questions on the board, then
group these so that you have the same number of question groups as you have groups of
students. Ensure that you cover all the basic areas of Shakespeare’s life and times.
Provide students with adequate research time in your library or resource centre.
Ask each group to present its findings to the class. You might like to give students the
opportunity to present this information in a variety of ways, using PowerPoint, drama, song, rap
etc.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
3
Starting out
Read the story of Macbeth from Shakespeare stories by Leon Garfield.
Ask for student responses to the following questions.
What is the story is about?
Ask them to write a response in 50 words. When students have completed this task, ask them
to share what they have written with the whole class or a small group. When this has been
done, ask them to write their answer in ten words or less, then repeat the sharing process.
What aspect of the story captured your interest most?
Discuss responses and ask students to keep a record of this for future use.
Hand out ‘Plot summary exercise’ (page 10) and ask students to complete this.
Moved synopsis
Use key lines to tell the basic story and let students act out certain key parts. Quotes to
incorporate in the retelling are found on pages 13–14 of the ‘Moved synopsis’ guidelines.
These can be selected or added to according to your focus.
Insults Elizabethan style!
•
Use a data projector to show students the Shakespeare insult kit:
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html
•
Students form pairs or trios to take up positions around the room. Groups prepare an insult
by taking one word from each of the three columns. They then come up with a gesture for
each word, and a way to perform it (all at once, one person per word, etc). Students then
fire an insult at the group to their right, one by one. Repeat activity with audience becoming
involved (oohs, aahs and boos as appropriate).
Popcorn time
Show the film Macbeth directed by Roman Polanski.
After viewing, ask students to note in dot-point form:
What was in the film that you expected based on your preliminary understanding of the story?
What did you find unexpected and surprising in the film?
What did you find interesting? What aspects of the film require discussion?
Assessment
Ask students to retell the plot of Macbeth as though they were explaining it to a friend. They can
acknowledge the bits that they are unclear about – they don’t need to know it perfectly. This can
be an oral or written task.
Assessment could include observational notes about students’ level of participation,
understanding and confidence when sharing work.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
4
Investigating
Resources
•
Computer with speakers for whole-class listening
•
Data projector and wall or screen
•
Bell Shakespeare Just Macbeth! podcast: http://archive.bellshakespeare.com.au/education
(select ‘Resources’, then ‘Podcast’ and then scroll down)
•
Just Macbeth!, Andy Griffiths, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2009
•
Macbeth, William Shakespeare (your preferred edition)
•
DVD player and television
•
Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski, 1971
•
Word cloud tool such as Wordle: http://www.wordle.net
•
Image exploration tool such as Tag Galaxy: http://taggalaxy.com
Teaching and learning activities
Podding about
Listen to the Bell Shakespeare podcast about Just Macbeth!. (Go to:
http://archive.bellshakespeare.com.au/education and select ‘Resources’ and then ‘Podcast’.
Then scroll down.)
Understanding by comparing
Choose two scenes from the first two acts of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Locate their equivalents
in Just Macbeth! Divide the class into two groups. Assign Shakespeare’s scenes to one group
and Griffiths’s scenes to the other. Ask students to read their scenes aloud in their groups, and
then discuss what they think are the main ideas in each scene.
Bring the class together and ask the different groups to read their scenes for each other.
Discuss:
To what extent did you find Just Macbeth! helpful in establishing meaning in the scenes?
Does the play make more sense when it is read aloud?
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy. Do you think Just Macbeth! is a valid interpretation?
Polanski’s perspective
Read Act 1, scene 1 of the play and then show the same scene from Polanski’s film version.
Ask students to comment on whether they consider Polanski’s rendering to be effective and why
or why not.
Divide students into groups of three to prepare their own version of this scene. They must use a
contemporary setting and language. After preparation and rehearsal time, have the groups
perform their scenes for the class.
Follow the performances with a discussion that focuses on issues surrounding the reinterpretation of texts.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
5
Up close and personal 1: the character of Macbeth
Ask students to read the following Macbeth soliloquies in groups:
•
Act 1, scene 3 ‘Two truths are told …’
•
Act 1, scene 7 ‘If it were done when ’tis done …’
•
Act 2, scene 1 ‘Is this a dagger …’
•
Act 3, scene 1 ‘To be thus is nothing …’
•
Act 4, scene 1 ‘Time thou anticipatest …’
•
Act 5, scene 5 ‘She should have died hereafter …’
What does each of these soliloquies tell us about Macbeth as a person and his journey within?
Ask students to share their responses with the rest of the class.
Tell them that tableaux are group-created frozen pictures based on an idea, theme, or key
moment in a story. As a group, they can prepare a series of tableaux to represent Macbeth’s
journey, and then present their tableaux to the class.
Show students the Wordle website: http://www.wordle.net.
Wordle is an application used for generating ‘word clouds’ from text that you provide. The
clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You
can feed each of the above soliloquies into Wordle.
What ideas emerge as the most prominent from this process?
When all soliloquies are put in together, what emerge as the three most prominent ideas that
come from Macbeth’s mouth?
What new insights have you gained through using this process?
Ask students to create a PowerPoint presentation using images from Flickr
(http://www.flickr.com) that depicts their understanding of Macbeth’s character. They should
write and record a commentary to go with the images. If they know how, they might also like to
add some music or sound effects.
Up close and personal 2: over to you
Move into groups to examine a character: Lady Macbeth, Banquo or Macduff. Each group
should choose three speeches that it believes capture the essence of its chosen character.
After discussing this at length, each group prepares a series of tableaux to represent this
character.
Groups perform a dramatic reading of their key speeches, and present their tableaux. They
explain why they have made these choices. Finally, students create a word cloud from Wordle
for their character. This can be displayed in the classroom.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
6
So, what’s it all about?
As a class, discuss the big ideas (or themes) in Macbeth. Make a list of them on the board.
Divide the class into groups. Each group should be assigned one of the big ideas.
Each group:
•
discusses what Shakespeare is saying through the play about this big idea
•
collects evidence from the play to support the answer.
Ask students to go to Tag Galaxy (http://taggalaxy.com) and experiment with this application.
When they understand how Tag Galaxy operates, ask them to create a galaxy that represents
their theme. They can show their galaxy, with a commentary, to the rest of the class.
Assessment
•
Group presentation of assigned character: dramatic reading, tableaux, explanation and
word cloud
•
Individual PowerPoint on Macbeth
Bringing it all together
Resources
•
Macbeth, William Shakespeare (your preferred edition)
•
Macbeth rap video (‘Sound and fury’): http://www.flocabulary.com (select ‘Free teacher
resources’, then ‘Free songs & videos’, then scroll down)
•
Hot seat (page 15)
Teaching and learning activities
Ask students to complete Hot seat (page 15).
Rap!
Watch the following hip-hop version of Macbeth: http://www.flocabulary.com (select ‘Free
teacher resources’, then ‘Free songs & videos’, then scroll down). In small groups, students
write and perform their own Macbeth hip-hop or rap.
All the world’s a stage
Working in small groups, students choose their favourite scene from Macbeth.
They then imagine Macbeth set in a different context. Examples might include Macbeth as:
•
a chef
•
head of a motorcycle gang
•
a pirate
•
a top television executive.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
7
Students will need to script their scenes. Ask them to decide what sort of language they will use:
Shakespeare’s, their own modern translation, or incorporating language that belongs to a
particular group. The setting they choose will determine costuming, props etc.
Each student must perform at least four lines on stage.
At the end of each performance, each group must write a 350- to 500-word justification of why
they chose the scene and why they presented it the way they did.
Assessment
•
Hot seat (page 15)
•
‘All the world’s a stage’ group performances
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
8
Writer: Inga Weber
The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not
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•
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While the material in this unit of work is not remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act
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your responsibility to read and comply with any copyright information, notices or conditions of
use which apply to a Site.
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
9
Plot summary exercise
Name
Class
Date
Fill in the gaps in the passage below using the words in the box at the end.
Macbeth and his friend ___________ have just won a battle for King _________. On their way
home, they come across three ___________. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become
Thane of ___________ and King of ___________. They tell Banquo that his ___________ will
be kings of Scotland in the future. Immediately, their first ___________ is fulfilled when Macbeth
is rewarded for his bravery in battle with a title.
When he returns home, his wife ___________ Macbeth convinces Macbeth that he must
murder King ___________. Macbeth ___________ Duncan to death. Next, he hires some men
to kill ___________, so that his sons cannot become kings. Banquo’s ___________ comes
back from the dead to haunt him.
Macbeth goes to visit the ___________ again, and they warn him against ___________, who is
the Thane of Fife. They also tell him that he can only be killed by someone not of ___________
born, and only when ___________ wood comes to Dunsinane.
When Macbeth finds out that Macduff has gone to England, he murders his ___________. Lady
Macbeth goes ________ and believes her hands are covered in ___________.
Malcolm and Macduff come to attack his castle, camouflaged by ___________ from the forest.
Macduff tells Macbeth that he was cut from his mother, and he kills him.
___________ is crowned king.
Cawdor
blood
Macduff
Duncan
children
ghost
mad
Banquo
witches
sleep
Macduff
Banquo
prophecy
Lady
Birnam
woman
branches
Malcolm
Scotland
witches
Duncan
family
stabs
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
10
Moved synopsis
Introduction
The term ‘moved synopsis’ has been
developed by Bell Shakespeare to describe
an interactive storytelling activity in which
students act out a short synopsis of the play.
We encourage teachers to write their own script for this exercise and where possible include
elements relevant to the particular group of students.
Warwick University drama educator Jonathon Neelands calls this approach the ‘Shakespeare
whoosh’.
The point of the ‘moved synopsis’ or ‘Shakespeare whoosh’ activity is twofold.
1. Students start to interact by participating in a safe and entertaining activity.
2. Through participation, students learn the story of the play.
Creating your script
The Bell Shakespeare website contains resources in which you may find short synopses of
most of Shakespeare’s plays. These can be adapted into a script for a moved synopsis.
Alternatively you can do an internet search of the synopsis or work from a published copy of the
play.
The key to the moved synopsis is to work at the level of interaction that encourages and
enthuses your students about the story. What will drive them to want to know what happens
next?
Cue cards can be used for a few words or a short line of dialogue for the students to read out at
the relevant point in the narrative. We have found that students who are confident readers but
not necessarily confident actors will engage with simple actions while reading a line of script
from a cue card held in front of them. Reluctant readers might be more comfortable without cue
cards, or with one- or two-word cue cards.
Your script should be in short sections for each scene or section of a scene that contains
important action and dialogue.
So how do you do it?
With your narrative script of the story in hand, invite your students to form a circle with you.
Invite students to come into the circle to be the characters as they appear in the narrative. With
a play such as The tempest, you might invite students into the circle to create the boat. For A
midsummer night’s dream students might create the forest of trees and the sounds of the forest
at night.
© 2010 Bell Shakespeare
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
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Moved synopsis continued
Example
A midsummer night’s dream by William Shakespeare
We (everyone in the circle) are in Athens and the duke (select a student who comes into the
circle and poses like a duke) called Theseus is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta (select
another student), who is queen of the Amazons.
This will be accompanied by a four-day festival of pomp and entertainment. Theseus calls his
master of the revels (select another student), Philostrate, to find suitable amusements for the
occasion (encourage other students to mime the actions of various acts) – a juggler, dancers,
circus acrobats, opera singers.
An Athenian nobleman (select another student) called Egeus marches into Theseus’s court
with his daughter (select another student), Hermia, and two young men (select another two
students), Demetrius and Lysander.
As you read the next section encourage the students to act out what you say about their
character.
Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but Hermia
is in love with the other guy, Lysander, and she refuses to marry Demetrius. Egeus asks for
Theseus to allow the full penalty of law to fall on Hermia’s head if she disobeys him. Theseus
gives Hermia until his wedding to consider her options, warning her that disobeying her father’s
wishes could result in her being sent to a convent or even executed.
(Exit all but Lysander and Hermia.) Hermia and Lysander plan to escape Athens the following
night and marry in the house of Lysander’s aunt, a long way from Athens.
Enter Hermia’s friend Helena (select another student). Hermia and Lysander tell Helena of
their intention to elope. (Exit Hermia and Lysander.)
Helena has always been in love with Demetrius (recall student playing Demetrius), and still
loves him even though he discarded her once he met Hermia. Helena tells Demetrius of
Hermia and Lysander’s plan, hoping that she will win him back. Time passes and it is evening.
Demetrius stalks into the woods after his intended bride and her lover; Helena follows behind
him.
© 2010 Bell Shakespeare
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
12
Moved synopsis quotes
Quotes from Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Name
Class
Date
When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain?
For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name.
Here I have a pilot’s thumb. Wrecked as homeward he did come.
So foul and fair a day I have not seen.
Speak if you can: What are you?
What are these so wither’d and so wild in their attire?
All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.
All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.
All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter!
I fear thy nature. It is too full of the milk of human kindness.
If it were done when it is done, then it were well, it were done quickly.
Is this a dagger I see before me?
I have done the deed.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
My hands are your colour; but I shame to wear a heart so white.
O Banquo, Banquo, our royal master’s murder’d!
I’ll to England.
To Ireland, I ... Where we are, there’s daggers in men’s smiles.
My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him. Safe in a ditch he bides.
Thanks for that. There the grown serpent lies.
I am in blood stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
13
Moved synopsis quotes continued
Quotes from Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Name
Class
Date
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! None of woman born shall harm Macbeth!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to
high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.
Saw you the weird sisters?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?
Out, damned spot!
I have almost forgot the taste of fears.
She should have died hereafter.
Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow. It is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.
As I did stand my watch upon the hill, I look’d toward Birnam, and anon, methought the wood
began to move.
Liar and slave!
Let me find him, fortune!
My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already. I bear a charmed life, which must not
yield to one of woman born.
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.
I will not yield.
Hail, king! For so thou art; behold where stands the usurper’s cursed
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
14
Hot seat
Name
Class
Date
Answer the questions below from the points of view of the listed characters.
How do
you feel at
the end of
the play
and why?
Which
character
do you
blame most
for the
events of
the play?
When in
the play
were you
happiest?
When in
the play
were you
most
unhappy?
What would
you do
differently
and why?
Why do
you think
the witches
tricked
Macbeth?
Macbeth
Lady
Macbeth
King
Duncan
Macduff
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
15
Hot seat continued
Name
Class
Date
Answer the questions below from the points of view of the listed characters (continued)
How do
you feel at
the end of
the play
and why?
Which
character
do you
blame most
for the
events of
the play?
When in
the play
were you
happiest?
When in
the play
were you
most
unhappy?
What would
you do
differently
and why?
Why do
you think
the witches
tricked
Macbeth?
Banquo
Malcolm
Fleance
© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
The big M by Inga Weber, Balranald Central School, NSW
16