Writeanessayofatleast400wordsonthistopic:

AnalysethecausesofMacbethstragicdownfall.

Thisisatypedformalessay.

Itisdueinatthestartofperiod1,Tuesdayweek9

Introduction
Twoorthreeparagraphsinthebody
Conclusion

Useatleastfivequotationsaspartofyourevidence.

Howtoquote

WhenquotinglinesofShakespeareanverse,keeptheoriginalformatforquotations
whicharetwoormorelineslong.Indentthequotation.Exampleextractfromanessay:

Thefirstreasonforthisthemesimportanceisthatitrevealscharacter.Ithelpsustoseethecharacters
forwhattheyreallyare.EarlyevidenceofMacbethsambitioniswhenhesays:

Ifgood,whydoIyieldtothatsuggestion

Whosehorridimagedothunfixmyhair?

HereheisreferringtothethoughtofmurderingDuncanbuthewouldnotbeconsideringthisheinous
deedwereitnotforhislatentambition.

Whenquotingfewerthantwofulllinesofversewithinaparagraph,useadiagonalslash
toindicatewherethenextlinewillstart.Exampleextractfromanessay:

Clearly,theideaofkingshipisappealing,ascanbeseenwhenMacbethsays:why,chancemay
crownme/Withoutmystir.Obviously,MacbethwouldprefertotakepowerwithouthavingtokillDuncan.

Thethreedotsindicatethatyouhavedeliberatelyonlyquotedpartoftheline.

Chooseyourevidencewisely.Donotusequotationswhicharetrivial.Makesure

yourevidenceconfirmsyourassertions.

4.Someusefulquotations:

...IamThaneofCawdor.IfgoodwhydoIyieldtothatsuggestionWhosehorrid
imagedothunfixmyhair...
(Act1/3/133135)

Mythought,whosemurderisyetfantastical,Shakessomysinglestateofman
(Act1/3/139140)

Starshideyourfires!Letnotlightseemyblackanddeepdesires.

(Act1/4/5051)

IfchancewillhavemeKingwhy,chancemaycrownme
Withoutmystir
(Act1/3/162163)

Hietheehither
ThatImaypourmyspiritsinthineear
Andchastisewiththevalourofmytongue
Allthatimpedestheefromthegoldenround
(ActIScenevi)

YetIdofearthynature:Itistoofullothemilkofhumankindness
Tocatchthenearestway.
(Act1/4/1213)

Beinnocentoftheknowledge,dearestchuck,Tillthouapplaudthedeed...
(Act3/2/4546)

Ihavenospur

Toprickthesidesofmyintent,butonly

Vaultingambition,whichoerleapsitself

Andfallsontheother.
(Act1/7/2831)

Youressaymusthavetheseingredients:

1.anintroduction,withathesis.Yourthesisisyourmainlineofargument.Yourmainlineof
argumentrelatestowhichfactormakesthemostimportantcontributiontothedownfallof
Macbeth
2.Twoorthreeparagraphsinthebodyoftheessay.Eachparagraphmuststartwithatopic
sentence
3.aconclusion
4.supportingevidence.Thisconsistsofreferencestoincidentsintheplayanda
tleastfive
quotations(seenoteonhowtoquote).Remembertocommentonthemeaningandsignificance
ofquotations(StatementExampleExplanation/Elaboration)
5.accurate,fluentwriting,withgooduseoflinkingwordsandphrasessuchas:HoweverThus
InadditiontoAswellasNeverthelessFurthermoreAnotherAscanbeseen

Markingschedule:asforfilmessays

_______________________________________________________________________

Helpfulmaterial

1.Thinkaboutsequenceofeventsintheplayandevidence
2.Structure
3.Howtousequotations
4.Usefulquotations

1.Macbeth getitright.Readtheplaycarefullyandproduceevidence.

IfyouarguethatLadyM.issolelyresponsibleforMacbethstragedy,youwillbefallingintoa
sexisttrapforbeginners.Thinkaboutthesepoints,insequence,andtheevidence(usually
quotations)whichsupportsthem:

Point

Evidence

1.ThewitcheschoosetomeetMacbeth.Why?

2.Macbethisalreadythinkingofmurderevenbeforehewritestohiswife.

3.Macbethhasblackanddeepdesires.

4.LadyMacbethsaysthatherhusbandisambitious.

5.LadyMacbethhastocallonoutsidepowerstogiveherevilstrength.

6.Macbethacknowledgeshisambitionbutneedsaspur.

7.LadyMacbethwantstoknowwhyM.toldherofthesituationinthefirstplace.

8.Macbethiseasilyconvinced.

9.LadyMacbethwasnotabletodothedeedherself.

10.M.plansthemurderofBanquoandkeepstheplanfromhiswife.

11.Macbethdominatestheplayfromnowonwelearnlittleabouthiswife.

12.Macbethseeksoutthewitches.

13.MacbethplansthemurderofMacduffsfamily

14.LadyM.goesmadguiltbutM.remainsdefiant

Essaystructure

Donotallowtheplot(whathappens)todriveyourargument.Instead,youmustcreatea
thesis(mainlineofargument)andsupportingarguments.Thesesupportingarguments
shouldbeyourtopicsentencesatthestartofeachparagraph.

Example:

Thesis:ThewitchesandLadyMacbethplayaroleinMacbethstragicdownfallbutheis
chieflyresponsibleforhisowndemise.

Topicsentence1:ThewitchescontributetoMacbethsdownfallbytemptinghimwith
prophecies.

Topicsentence2:LadyMacbethplaysherroleaswellbygoadingMacbethintokilling
Duncan.

Topicsentence3:However,Macbethultimatelyisthemasterofhisowndestinyandis
chieflyresponsibleforhisowndownfall.

Therefore,donotstartyourparagraphswithplotdetails.Startthemwithatopicsentence
andthenuseplotdetailsandquotationstoproveyourpoints.

TherewerevariouscausestoMacbethstragicdownfall,ofthesecauseshislustfor
power,thewitchesandLadyMacbethwerethefactorswhichcontributedthemosttohis
downfall.ledhimtodowhatwasunthinkabletohimpriortogreedovertakinghim.
Thesefactorsultimatelyovertookhisdecisionmaking.

Macbethslustforpowerplayedabigroleintakinghimtohistragicdownfall.He
realizedhewouldhavetodokillothersinordertohavethecrowntobetheking.Stars
hideyourfires!Letnotlightseemyblackanddeepdesires.Hewassuccumbingtothe
greedforpowerthathewasbeginningtohaveevildesiresthatwouldseeminhuman.
Heasksthestarstohidetheirfiresashedoesnotwantanyonetoseethedesiresthat
hesecretlyhas.TheprinceofCumberland!ThatisastepOnwhichImustfalldown,or
elseo'erleap,Forinmywayitlies.InthisquoteMacbethexpressesthatinorderto
becomekinghimself,hewillhavetostepoverMalcomorgiveupbecauseheisinhis
pathofpower.InthisquoteMacbethrevealsthatheiswillingtoridofMalcominorder
togainhisownpower.Hislustforpowerfillshishatredforotherswhohavemorepower
thanhimandthisultimatelymotivateshimtoattempttoridofMalcolm.Macbethslust
forpowercauseshimtodounthinkableactssuchasmurderwhichbeginto
dehumanizehimandslowlycauseshisdownfallfromwhoheusedtobe.

ThewitchesthatMacbethencountersshowedhimwhatwassupposedlythefuturefor
himandshowedhimpropheciestobefulfilled.ThesepropheciesfillMacbethwiththe
thoughtthattheymustcometrueandthatMacbethwillendupasking.Thewitches
makeatotalof3prophecies,thefirsttworegardingMacbethandBanquo.Itisstated
thatMacbethwillbenamedThaneofCawdorandlateron,king.Allhail,Macbeth,that
shaltbekinghereafter!.BanquowillnotruleScotlandbutwillbethefathertofuture

generationofkings.MacbeththenlaterisnamedThaneofCawdorbutaproblemarises
whenhebeginstowonderwhenhewillbeking.ThisactsasacausetoMacbeths
downfallbecauseheisnamedThaneofCawdorandhiscuriosityandangerfornot
beingnamedheirtothethronefillshimwithhislustforpower.HethenmurdersDuncan
afterLadyMacbethscoldshimforbeingacowardandnotdoingthejob.

LadyMacbethwasmanipulativeandcontrollingtowardsMacbethwhichledhimto
murderDuncanandeventuallytohisdownfall.Throughouttheirwholerelationshipin
theplay,LadymacbethisoftentellingMacbethoffortellinghimwhattodoandhowto
act.SheherselfcouldnotkillDuncanandtellsMacbethtodoitevenafterheresists.
Whenyoudurstdoit,thenyouwereaman.LadyMacbethsaysthatwhenMacbeth
daredtodoitthatwaswhenhewasaman.ThiswasallsaidafterMacbethwhoclearly
wantsnopartinthisatthestartsaysPlease,stop!Idaretodoonlywhatisproperfora
mantodo.Hewhodarestodomoreisnotamanatall.LadyMacbethcommonly
scoldsMacbethfornotactinghimselforbraveenoughtodothejobhimself.HadLady
MacbethnotbeensomanipulativetowardsMacbeththroughouttheplayitislikelythat
themurderplotwouldneverhavetakenplaceatall.LadyMacbethpressuredMacbeth
totheevildeedssuchasthemurderofDuncanwhichledhimtohistragicdownfall.

Bytheendoftheplay,Macbethslustforpower,thewitchesandtheirprophecies
alongsideLadyMacbethwerethemaincausestoMacbethstragicdownfall.Their
manipulativelanguageandpropheciesledMacbethtobepressuredintocommittingevil
acts.