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William Shakespeare

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Macbeth: Introduction

Macbeth: plot summary, macbeth: detailed summary & analysis, macbeth: themes, macbeth: quotes, macbeth: characters, macbeth: symbols, macbeth: literary devices, macbeth: quizzes, macbeth: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Macbeth

Other books related to macbeth.

• Full Title: The Tragedy of Macbeth
• When Written: 1606
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1623
• Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)
• Genre: Tragic drama
• Setting: Scotland and, briefly, England during the eleventh century
• Climax: Some argue that the murder of Banquo is the play's climax, based on the logic that it is at this point that Macbeth reaches the height of his power and things begin to fall apart from there. However, it is probably more accurate to say that the climax of the play is Macbeth's fight with Macduff, as it is at this moment that the threads of the play come together, the secret behind the prophecy becomes evident, and Macbeth's doom is sealed.

Extra Credit for Macbeth

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

Macbeth Essays

There are loads of ways you can approach writing an essay, but the two i favour are detailed below., the key thing to remember is that an essay should focus on the three aos:, ao1: plot and character development; ao2: language and technique; ao3: context, strategy 1 : extract / rest of play, the first strategy basically splits the essay into 3 paragraphs., the first paragraph focuses on the extract, the second focuses on the rest of the play, the third focuses on context. essentially, it's one ao per paragraph, for a really neatly organised essay., strategy 2 : a structured essay with an argument, this strategy allows you to get a much higher marks as it's structured to form an argument about the whole text. although you might think that's harder - and it's probably going to score more highly - i'd argue that it's actually easier to master. mainly because you do most of the work before the day of the exam., to see some examples of these, click on the links below:, lady macbeth as a powerful woman, macbeth as a heroic character, the key to this style is remembering this: you're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will definitely relate to the theme., the strategy here is planning out your essays before the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow., below are some structured essays i've put together., macbeth and gender.

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How to Write a Macbeth Essay ( OCR GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Senior Content Creator

How to Write a Macbeth Essay

Paper 2 of your OCR GCSE English Literature exam will include questions on your anthology poetry, unseen poetry and on the Shakespeare play you’ve been studying.

You will have 50 minutes to complete one Macbeth question from a choice of two options:

A question based on an extract (of about 40 lines) from Macbeth or 

A “discursive” essay question, which is not based on any extract

You will not have access to a copy of Macbeth for either of these two questions, so it’s important you know the plot of the play really well, and that you have memorised some references and quotes from the play to use in your essay.  For the Macbeth essay, OCR examiners state that you need to use evidence from elsewhere in the play, even for the extract-based question : to get a Grade 9, it’s not enough to rely on the text from the extract. See our Macbeth Quotations and Analysis revision note page for some great quotations to learn.

How do you start a Macbeth essay?

It’s always daunting when you have 50 minutes to write one long answer. So how do you start writing? It might sound odd, but the answer is don’t start writing.

The single most important thing you can do to get the highest mark on your Macbeth essay is to write an essay plan before you start your answer. For both the extract-based question and the discursive essay, examiners award the highest marks to students who create a “coherent line of argument” and who maintain a “focus on the question” and a “critical style”. What do these phrases actually mean?

By creating a plan before you start writing, you can make sure that your essay covers all three of these points.

Your plan could look something like this:

How do you structure a Macbeth essay?

As we’ve seen, examiners give the highest marks to students who have managed to create a “coherent line of argument” throughout their essay. We’ve seen that the best way to achieve this is to create a plan, and to use that plan to structure your essay clearly and logically. 

To achieve a grade 9, OCR recommends that students include an introduction , clearly organised paragraphs and a conclusion .  If you look at the example plan above, you will see that the example plan includes a “ thesis statement ” and “ topic questions ”. See how to include these into your essay below:

Top tips for structuring your Macbeth essay:

Always begin with a clear thesis statement that sets out your argument:

Your thesis statement should only be one or two sentences in length

Include three or four paragraphs in your essay:

Including more paragraphs can result in a rambling essay that doesn’t always answer the question - less is more when writing a focused, coherent essay

Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence:

This is one sentence that sets out the argument of the paragraph

Topic sentences should always be directly related to your thesis statement and the key words of the essay question

All the evidence (quotations or textual references) you include in any paragraph should help you prove your topic sentence

Finish your essay with a short conclusion:

The conclusion shouldn’t include any new evidence

It should sum up how you have proved your thesis statement 

Some schools and teachers teach students a “scaffold” for writing essay paragraphs. This usually takes the form of an acronym, like PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation).

However, more and more, OCR examiners are recommending students don’t follow these fixed structures. This is because they restrict your ability to bring in additional pieces of evidence, explore contextual factors, extend your explanation to include different interpretations, or include your own opinions.

To see an example of how to include these elements in your essay, see our model answer for the OCR Macbeth extract question , and a model answer for the Macbeth discursive essay question .

Macbeth essay top exam tips

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A Modern Perspective: Macbeth

By Susan Snyder

Coleridge pronounced Macbeth to be “wholly tragic.” Rejecting the drunken Porter of Act 2, scene 3 as “an interpolation of the actors,” and perceiving no wordplay in the rest of the text (he was wrong on both counts), he declared that the play had no comic admixture at all. More acutely, though still in support of this sense of the play as unadulterated tragedy, he noted the absence in Macbeth of a process characteristic of other Shakespearean tragedies, the “reasonings of equivocal morality.” 1

Indeed, as Macbeth ponders his decisive tragic act of killing the king, he is not deceived about its moral nature. To kill anyone to whom he is tied by obligations of social and political loyalty as well as kinship is, he knows, deeply wrong:

         He’s here in double trust:

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,

Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,

Who should against his murderer shut the door,

Not bear the knife myself.                  ( 1.7.12 –16)

And to kill Duncan, who has been “so clear in his great office” (that is, so free from corruption as a ruler), is to compound the iniquity. In adapting the story of Macbeth from Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland, Shakespeare created a stark black-white moral opposition by omitting from his story Duncan’s weakness as a monarch while retaining his gentle, virtuous nature. Unlike his prototype in Holinshed’s history, Macbeth kills not an ineffective leader but a saint whose benevolent presence blesses Scotland. In the same vein of polarized morality, Shakespeare departs from the Holinshed account in which Macbeth is joined in regicide by Banquo and others; instead, he has Macbeth act alone against Duncan. While it might be good politics to distance Banquo from guilt (he was an ancestor of James I, the current king of England and patron of Shakespeare’s acting company), excluding the other thanes as well suggests that the playwright had decided to focus on private, purely moral issues uncomplicated by the gray shades of political expediency.

Duncan has done nothing, then, to deserve violent death. Unlike such tragic heroes as Brutus and Othello, who are enmeshed in “equivocal morality,” Macbeth cannot justify his actions by the perceived misdeeds of his victim. “I have no spur,” he admits, “To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition” ( 1.7.25 –27). This ambition is portrayed indirectly rather than directly. But it is surely no accident that the Weïrd Sisters accost him and crystallize his secret thoughts of the crown into objective possibility just when he has hit new heights of success captaining Duncan’s armies and defeating Duncan’s enemies. The element of displacement and substitution here—Macbeth leading the fight for Scotland while the titular leader waits behind the lines for the outcome—reinforces our sense that, whatever mysterious timetable the Sisters work by, this is the psychologically right moment to confront Macbeth with their predictions of greatness. Hailed as thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and king, he is initially curious and disbelieving. Though his first fearful reaction ( 1.3.54 ) is left unexplained, for us to fill in as we will, surely one way to read his fear is that the word “king” touches a buried nerve of desire. When Ross and Angus immediately arrive to announce that Macbeth is now Cawdor as well as Glamis, the balance of skepticism tilts precipitously toward belief. The nerve vibrates intensely. Two-thirds of the prophecy is already accomplished. The remaining prediction, “king hereafter,” is suddenly isolated and highlighted; and because of the Sisters’ now proven powers of foreknowledge, it seems to call out for its parallel, inevitable fulfillment.

The Weïrd Sisters present nouns rather than verbs. They put titles on Macbeth without telling what actions he must carry out to attain those titles. It is Lady Macbeth who supplies the verbs. Understanding that her husband is torn between the now-articulated object of desire and the fearful deed that must achieve it (“wouldst not play false / And yet wouldst wrongly win,” 1.5.22 –23), she persuades him by harping relentlessly on manly action. That very gap between noun and verb, the desired prize and the doing necessary to win it, becomes a way of taunting him as a coward: “Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valor / As thou art in desire?” ( 1.7.43 –45). A man is one who closes this gap by strong action, by taking what he wants; whatever inhibits that action is unmanly fear. And a man is one who does what he has sworn to do, no matter what. We never see Macbeth vow to kill Duncan, but in Lady Macbeth’s mind just his broaching the subject has become a commitment. With graphic horror she fantasizes how she would tear her nursing baby from her breast and dash its brains out if she had sworn as she says her husband did. She would, that is, violate her deepest nature as a woman and sever violently the closest tie of kinship and dependence. Till now, Macbeth has resisted such violation, clinging to a more humane definition of “man” that accepts fidelity and obligation as necessary limits on his prowess. Now, in danger of being bested by his wife in this contest of fierce determinations, he accepts her simpler, more primitive equation of manhood with killing: he commits himself to destroying Duncan. It is significant for the lack of “equivocal morality” that even Lady Macbeth in this crucial scene of persuasion doesn’t try to manipulate or blur the polarized moral scheme. Adopting instead a warrior ethic apart from social morality, she presents the murder not as good but as heroic.

Moral clarity informs not only the decisions and actions of Macbeth but the stage of nature on which they are played out. The natural universe revealed in the play is essentially attuned to the good, so that it reacts to the unambiguously evil act of killing Duncan with disruptions that are equally easy to read. There are wild winds, an earthquake, “strange screams of death” ( 2.3.61 –69). And beyond such general upheaval there is a series of unnatural acts that distortedly mirror Macbeth’s. Duncan’s horses overthrow natural order and devour each other, like Macbeth turning on his king and cousin. “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place”—the monarch of birds at its highest pitch—is killed by a mousing owl, a lesser bird who ordinarily preys on insignificant creatures ( 2.4.15 –16). Most ominous of all, on the morning following the king’s death, is the absence of the sun: like the falcon a symbol of monarchy, but expanding that to suggest the source of all life. In a general sense, the sunless day shows the heavens “troubled with man’s act” ( 2.4.7 ), but the following grim metaphor points to a closer and more sinister connection: “dark night strangles the traveling lamp” ( 2.4.9 ). The daylight has been murdered like Duncan. Scotland’s moral darkness lasts till the end of Macbeth’s reign. The major scenes take place at night or in the atmosphere of the “black, and midnight hags” ( 4.1.48 ), and there is no mention of light or sunshine except in England ( 4.3.1 ).

Later in the play, nature finds equally fitting forms for its revenge against Macbeth. Despite his violations of the natural order, he nevertheless expects the laws of nature to work for him in the usual way. But the next victim, Banquo, though his murderer has left him “safe in a ditch” ( 3.4.28 ), refuses to stay safely still and out of sight. In Macbeth’s horrified response to this restless corpse, we may hear not only panic but outrage at the breakdown of the laws of motion:

                           The time has been

That, when the brains were out, the man would die,

And there an end. But now they rise again

With twenty mortal murders on their crowns

And push us from our stools. This is more strange

Than such a murder is.                           ( 3.4.94 –99)

His word choice is odd: “ they rise,” a plural where we would expect “he rises,” and the loaded word “crowns” for heads. Macbeth seems to be haunted by his last victim, King Duncan, as well as the present one. And by his outraged comparison at the end—the violent death and the ghostly appearance compete in strangeness—Macbeth suggests, without consciously intending to, that Banquo’s walking in death answers to, or even is caused by, the murder that cut him off so prematurely. The unnatural murder generates unnatural movement in the dead. Lady Macbeth, too, walks when she should be immobile in sleep, “a great perturbation in nature” ( 5.1.10 ).

It is through this same ironic trust in natural law that Macbeth draws strength from the Sisters’ later prophecy: if he is safe until Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane, he must be safe forever:

Who can impress the forest, bid the tree

Unfix his earthbound root? Sweet bodements, good!

Rebellious dead, rise never till the Wood

Of Birnam rise . . .                  ( 4.1.109 –12)

His security is ironic because for Macbeth, of all people, there can be no dependence on predictable natural processes. The “rebellious dead” have already unnaturally risen once; fixed trees can move against him as well. And so, in time, they do. Outraged nature keeps matching the Macbeths’ transgressions, undoing and expelling their perversities with its own.

In tragedies where right and wrong are rendered problematic, the dramatic focus is likely to be on the complications of choice. Macbeth, on the contrary, is preoccupied less with the protagonist’s initial choice of a relatively unambiguous wrong action than with the moral decline that follows. H. B. Charlton noted that one could see in Richard III as well as Macbeth the biblical axiom that “the wages of sin is death”; but where the history play assumes the principle, Macbeth demonstrates why it has to be that way. 2 The necessity is not so much theological as psychological: we watch in Macbeth the hardening and distortion that follows on self-violation. The need to suppress part of himself in order to kill Duncan becomes a refusal to acknowledge his deed (“I am afraid to think what I have done. / Look on ’t again I dare not”: 2.2.66 –67). His later murders are all done by proxy, in an attempt to create still more distance between the destruction he wills and full psychic awareness of his responsibility. At the same time, murder becomes a necessary activity, the verb now a compulsion almost without regard to the object: plotted after he has seen the Weïrd Sisters’ apparitions, Macbeth’s attack on Macduff’s “line” ( 4.1.174 ) is an insane double displacement, of fear of Macduff himself and fury at the vision of the line of kings fathered by Banquo.

Yet the moral universe of Macbeth is not as uncomplicated as some critics have imagined. To see in the play’s human and physical nature only a straightforward pattern of sin and punishment is to gloss over the questions it raises obliquely, the moral complexities and mysteries it opens up. The Weïrd Sisters, for example, remain undefined. Where do they come from? Where do they go when they disappear from the action in Act 4? What is their place in a moral universe that ostensibly recoils against sin and punishes it? Are they human witches, or supernatural beings? Labeling them “evil” seems not so much incorrect as inadequate. Do they cause men to commit crimes, or do they only present the possibility to them? Macbeth responds to his prophecy by killing his king, but Banquo after hearing the one directed at him is not impelled to act at all. Do we take this difference as demonstrating that the Sisters have in themselves no power beyond suggestion? Or should we rather find it somewhat sinister later on when Banquo, ancestor of James I or not, sees reason in Macbeth’s success to look forward to his own—yet feels it necessary to conceal his hopes ( 3.1.1 –10)?

Even what we most take for granted becomes problematic when scrutinized. Does Macbeth really desire to be king? Lady Macbeth says he does, but what comes through in 1.5 and 1.7 is more her desire than his. Apart from one brief reference to ambition when he is ruling out other motives to kill Duncan, Macbeth himself is strangely silent about any longing for royal power and position. Instead of an obsession that fills his personal horizon, we find in Macbeth something of a motivational void. Why does he feel obligated, or compelled, to bring about an advance in station that the prophecy seems to render inevitable anyway? A. C. Bradley put his finger on this absence of positive desire when he observed that Macbeth commits his crime as if it were “an appalling duty.” 3

Recent lines of critical inquiry also call old certainties into question. Duncan’s saintly status would seem assured, yet sociological critics are disquieted by the way we are introduced to him, as he receives news of the battle in 1.2. On the one hand we hear reports of horrifying savagery in the fighting, savagery in which the loyal thanes participate as much as the rebels and invaders—more so, in fact, when Macbeth and Banquo are likened to the crucifiers of Christ (“or memorize another Golgotha,” 1.2.44 ). In response we see Duncan exulting not only in the victory but in the bloodshed, equating honor with wounds. It is not that he bears any particular guilt. Yet the mild paternal king is nevertheless implicated here in his society’s violent warrior ethic, its predicating of manly worth on prowess in killing. 4 But isn’t this just what we condemn in Lady Macbeth? Cultural analysis tends to blur the sharp demarcations, even between two such figures apparently totally opposed, and to draw them together as participants in and products of the same constellation of social values.

Lady Macbeth and Duncan meet in a more particular way, positioned as they are on the same side of Scotland’s basic division between warriors and those protected by warriors. The king is too old and fragile to fight; the lady is neither, but she is barred from battle by traditional gender conventions that assign her instead the functions of following her husband’s commands and nurturing her young. In fact, of course, Lady Macbeth’s actions and outlook thoroughly subvert this ideology, as she forcefully takes the lead in planning the murder and shames her husband into joining in by her willingness to slaughter her own nurseling. It is easy to call Lady Macbeth “evil,” but the label tends to close down analysis exactly where we ought to probe more deeply. Macbeth’s wife is restless in a social role that in spite of her formidable courage and energy offers no chance of independent action and heroic achievement. It is almost inevitable that she turn to achievement at second hand, through and for her husband. Standing perforce on the sidelines, like Duncan once again, she promotes and cheers the killing.

Other situations, too, may be more complex than at first they seem. Lady Macduff, unlike Lady Macbeth, accepts her womanly function of caring for her children and her nonwarrior status of being protected. But she is not protected. The ideology of gender seems just as destructive from the submissive side as from the rebellious, when Macduff deserts her in order to pursue his political cause against Macbeth in England and there is no husband to stand in the way of the murderers sent by Macbeth. The obedient wife dies, with her cherished son, just as the rebellious, murderous lady will die who consigned her own nursing baby to death. The moral universe of Macbeth has room for massive injustice. Traditional critics find Lady Macbeth “unnatural,” and even those who do not accept the equation of gender ideology with nature can agree with the condemnation in view of her determined suppression of all bonds of human sympathy. Clear enough. But we get more blurring and crossovers when Macduff’s wife calls him unnatural. In leaving his family defenseless in Macbeth’s dangerous Scotland, he too seems to discount human bonds. His own wife complains bitterly that “he wants the natural touch”; where even the tiny wren will fight for her young against the owl, his flight seems to signify fear rather than natural love ( 4.2.8 –16). Ross’s reply, “cruel are the times,” while it doesn’t console Lady Macduff and certainly doesn’t save her, strives to relocate the moral ambiguity of Macduff’s conduct in the situation created by Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. The very political crisis that pulls Macduff away from his family on public business puts his private life in jeopardy through the same act of desertion. But while acknowledging the peculiar tensions raised by a tyrant-king, we may also see in the Macduff family’s disaster a tragic version of a more familiar conflict: the contest between public and private commitments that can rack conventional marriages, with the wife confined to a private role while the husband is supposed to balance obligations in both spheres.

Malcolm is allied with Duncan by lineage and with Macduff by their shared role of redemptive champion in the final movement of the play. He, too, is not allowed to travel through the action unsullied. After a long absence from the scene following the murder of Duncan, he reappears in England to be sought by Macduff in the crusade against Macbeth. Malcolm is cautious and reserved, and when he does start speaking more freely, what we hear is an astonishing catalogue of self-accusations. He calls himself lustful, avaricious, guilty of every crime and totally lacking in kingly virtues:

                Nay, had I power, I should

Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell,

Uproar the universal peace, confound

All unity on earth.                  ( 4.3.113 –16)

Before people became so familiar with Shakespeare’s play, I suspect many audiences believed what Malcolm says of himself. Students on first reading still do. Why shouldn’t they? He has been absent from the stage for some time, and his only significant action in the early part of the play was to run away after his father’s murder. When this essentially unknown prince lists his vices in lengthy speeches of self-loathing, there is no indication—except an exaggeration easily ascribable to his youth—that he is not sincere. And if we do believe, we cannot help joining in Macduff’s distress. Malcolm, the last hope for redeeming Scotland from the tyrant, has let us down. Duncan’s son is more corrupt than Macbeth. He even sounds like Macbeth, whose own milk of human kindness ( 1.5.17 ) was curdled by his wife; who threatened to destroy the whole natural order, “though the treasure / Of nature’s germens tumble all together / Even till destruction sicken” ( 4.1.60 –63). In due course, Malcolm takes it all back; but his words once spoken cannot simply be canceled, erased as if they were on paper. We have already, on hearing them, mentally and emotionally processed the false “facts,” absorbed them experientially. Perhaps they continue to color indirectly our sense of the next king of Scotland.

Viewed through various lenses, then, the black and white of Macbeth may fade toward shades of gray. The play is an open system, offering some fixed markers with which to take one’s basic bearings but also, in closer scrutiny, offering provocative questions and moral ambiguities.

• “Notes for a Lecture on Macbeth ” [c. 1813], in Coleridge’s Writings on Shakespeare , ed. Terence Hawkes (New York: Capricorn, 1959), p. 188.
• H. B. Charlton, Shakespearian Tragedy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1948), p. 141.
• A. C. Bradley, Shakespearean Tragedy (London: Macmillan, 1904), p. 358.
• James L. Calderwood, If It Were Done: “Macbeth” and Tragic Action (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1986), pp. 77–89.

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Mr Salles Teaches English

20/30 Macbeth Answer and How to Improve it

20 marks = grade 6/7.

This was the 2023 question.

Starting with this conversation, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes during the play.

Schools set this for one of their mocks this year. This is stupid. The only question which won’t be asked in 2024 is this one.

It is the least effective question schools should set. So why am I posting an answer to it here?

Because I want to show you how to adapt your revision to any question which comes up.

How to Adapt Your Revision to Any Question

First, read the essay below. 20 marks is the top of grade 6 or the bottom of grade 7, depending on how grade boundaries move about.

Here’s the extract:

Macbeth changes dramatically during the play. His tragedy develops because he refuses to learn from his mistakes. Shakespeare used his protagonist Macbeth to teach King James and his Jacobean audience. He taught that to avoid becoming like “ black Macbeth ”, King James should learn from his own mistakes and Macbeth’s.

The greatest change to Macbeth is his attitude to guilt . He begins as a fierce warrior defending Scotland and kills without feeling guilty . We consequently meet him as “ brave Macbeth ” killing in a noble cause.

But planning the murder of Duncan is a mistake which leads to his guilt . He feels this most clearly when he asks in soliloquy, “ Is this a dagger which I see before me? ” We understand this is caused by his guilt because in soliloquy a character speaks their true, inner thoughts. Once he has murdered Duncan, his guilt is overwhelming, which is why he asks “ Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? ” This hyperbolic metaphor emphasises how powerful his guilt is.

In this extract Macbeth cares for his wife because she is suffering from the same feelings he is. She has a mind “ diseased ”, and her feelings of remorse “ weigh upon the heart ”. Macbeth feels guilt because he knows his mistakes have caused this, and he feels the same way.

Macbeth is also influenced to change through the supernatural witches. Shakespeare deliberately introduces us to the witches in Act I Scene I, before Macbeth gets to meet them. This emphasises that they will have a huge influence on his protagonist. Their influence begins by chanting his name, “ all hail Macbeth ” three times. This flattery makes him arrogant and over-confident, two feelings which will lead him to making the mistake of killing Duncan.

Macbeth also refers to the supernatural in this extract, which is much later in the play. We can see this in his use of “ curses ” and through Shakespeare’s punning of “ Seyton ” as a reference to Satan, emphasising Macbeth’s reliance on the supernatural. He loses both his morality and his ability to distrust the supernatural.

Another change is Macbeth’s attitude to violence . His violence earned him praise because it was used on the battlefield. In 11 th Century Scotland and Jacobean times, this would have been seen as brave and honourable. His power as a warrior is emphasised in the way he “ brandished steel ” and “ unseamed ” his enemy “ from the nave to chops ”.

However, by the time of this extract Macbeth’s violent language of “ flesh be hacked ” is dishonourable. His Jacobean audience has turned against him because he has used his violence for personal gain.

To conclude, Macbeth changes in many ways, but these are all caused by his own mistakes. He failed to learn from these, and continued to repeat them. Shakespeare’s wider message is not just directed at King James, but to his audience, warning them to avoid Macbeth’s kind of change, and to always change to become better.

20 marks AO4 = 4 marks

Examiner Comments This is a clear explanation

And is always focused on the question, how Macbeth changes

The student shows that the Shakespeare constructed and sequenced the play consciously

And shows several examples of Macbeth’s changes

The student focuses on the whole play, and doesn’t get locked into the extract

Instead, the extract is used as a springboard to give their ideas about the whole play

There is no need to start with the extract

The extract is mainly there to give the student something to write about if they choose to

As long as the student does refer to the extract in the answer, they will meet the exam rubric

To get into Level 5, the student should write more about Shakespeare’s methods

Or write in more detail about Shakespeare’s ideas

My guide to writing Macbeth essays has several essays of all grades for every question up to 2022.

You can find it on Amazon, here .

Or you can read it on any device for FREE, along all my other guides, also for free. Amazon gives it away, here .

My Comments

For me the main lessons I learned in writing the guide are that:

Explanations are most important. The more of these you write, the higher your mark.

Always link to Shakespeare’s purpose and ideas. That’s how you use his methods and context.

Construct your answer as an argument.

To write an argument, begin with a thesis and end with a conclusion.

I also add that the best way to organise your argument is to start at the beginning of the play, and work your way through chronologically.

So, don’t start with the extract.

This essay shows you how useful that is.

What Else to Notice

This student has revised for two answers about Macbeth.`Guilt and Violence.

They haven’t panicked when they’ve read this question. Then they have included 8 references to Macbeth’s guilt, and 5 of his violence into this answer. Go back and see those two words in italics in the answer.

That’s a perfect tactic to adapt this question to any question that comes up.

My prediction is that it will be on the supernatural. Take notes from this essay, and all the other Macbeth essays on my Substack, and then apply them to a question on the witches or the supernatural.

(Yes, there will be a video!)

Mr Salles Teaches English is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts which help you get top grades, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Feedback from Tilf.io Better than the Senior Examiner?

Macbeth changes dramatically during the play. His tragedy develops because he refuses to learn from his mistakes. Shakespeare used his protagonist Macbeth to teach King James and his Jacobean audience. He taught that to avoid becoming like “black Macbeth”, King James should learn from his own mistakes and Macbeth’s. 

This introduction sets up a clear argument about Macbeth's change and its didactic purpose. However, try to directly link these changes to the question's focus on Macbeth as a male character and how societal expectations of masculinity may influence his actions and development.

The greatest change to Macbeth is his attitude to guilt. He begins as a fierce warrior defending Scotland and kills without feeling guilty. We consequently meet him as “brave Macbeth” killing in a noble cause. But planning the murder of Duncan is a mistake which leads to his guilt. He feels this most clearly when he asks in soliloquy, “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” We understand this is caused by his guilt because in soliloquy a character speaks their true, inner thoughts. Once he has murdered Duncan, his guilt is overwhelming, which is why he asks “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” This hyperbolic metaphor emphasises how powerful his guilt is. 

You provide a good analysis of Macbeth's changing attitude towards guilt, supported by relevant textual evidence. To enhance your response, consider exploring how Macbeth's initial lack of guilt aligns with traditional masculine roles and how his later guilt could be seen as a departure from these roles.

In this extract Macbeth cares for his wife because she is suffering from the same feelings he is. She has a mind “diseased”, and her feelings of remorse “weigh upon the heart”. Macbeth feels guilt because he knows his mistakes have caused this, and he feels the same way. 

This paragraph shows an understanding of Macbeth's empathy towards Lady Macbeth. To improve, you could discuss how Macbeth's care for his wife might challenge or conform to the expectations of masculinity in the context of the play.

Macbeth is also influenced to change through the supernatural witches. Shakespeare deliberately introduces us to the witches in Act I Scene I, before Macbeth gets to meet them. This emphasises that they will have a huge influence on his protagonist. Their influence begins by chanting his name, “all hail Macbeth” three times. This flattery makes him arrogant and over-confident, two feelings which will lead him to making the mistake of killing Duncan. 

You correctly identify the witches' influence on Macbeth's transformation. To strengthen your analysis, consider how Macbeth's susceptibility to the witches' flattery might reflect on his masculinity and the societal pressures to achieve power and status.

Macbeth also refers to the supernatural in this extract, which is much later in the play. We can see this in his use of “curses” and through Shakespeare’s punning of “Seyton” as a reference to Satan, emphasising Macbeth’s reliance on the supernatural. He loses both his morality and his ability to distrust the supernatural. 

This paragraph highlights Macbeth's continued engagement with the supernatural. Discuss how this reliance might be interpreted as a weakness in his masculine character, especially in the context of the play's setting.

Another change is Macbeth’s attitude to violence. His violence earned him praise because it was used on the battlefield. In 11th Century Scotland and Jacobean times, this would have been seen as brave and honourable. His power as a warrior is emphasised in the way he “brandished steel” and “unseamed” his enemy “from the nave to chops”. 

You make a valid point about the shift in Macbeth's use of violence. To further align with the question, explore how this change from honorable to dishonorable violence affects Macbeth's perception as a male character.

However, by the time of this extract Macbeth’s violent language of “flesh be hacked” is dishonourable. His Jacobean audience has turned against him because he has used his violence for personal gain. 

This is a good observation of the audience's changing perception of Macbeth. Consider discussing how Macbeth's dishonorable actions conflict with the heroic masculine ideal of the time.

To conclude, Macbeth changes in many ways, but these are all caused by his own mistakes. He failed to learn from these, and continued to repeat them. Shakespeare’s wider message is not just directed at King James, but to his audience, warning them to avoid Macbeth’s kind of change, and to always change to become better. 

Your conclusion effectively summarises Macbeth's changes and the play's moral message. To enhance it, reiterate how these changes relate specifically to Macbeth's masculinity and the expectations of male characters within the play.

Mark:  21 - 24  (this is a beta feature and mark may not be very accurate)

Overall feedback:  Your essay demonstrates a thoughtful and developed consideration of Macbeth's changes throughout the play, with a good use of textual evidence to support your points. To improve, ensure that you consistently link your analysis back to the question's focus on Macbeth as a male character and the societal expectations of masculinity. This will help to provide a more nuanced and critical exploration of the character's development.

What went well:  Good use of textual evidence to support analysis of Macbeth's changing attitudes and behaviors.

Even better if:  Ensure that the analysis consistently relates back to the question's focus on Macbeth's masculinity and societal expectations of male characters.

My Comments on Tilf.io

This is even more helpful than the senior examiner. Let me tell you why.

The mark is wrong. Except that it isn’t. AQA examiners would be allowed to be 3 marks different to the examiner either way. So 17-23 is ok with AQA! Tilf.io is much closer to the exact mark.

But the most important part isn’t my grade (unless I’ve scored 100%). I want to know:

What do I do well, so I can keep on doing it.

What do I need to do better to get higher grades.

And this is where Tilf.io is even better than the senior examiner.

Look at what it wrote about ‘masculinity’.

This was an absolute gift from AQA – it is not often I get to praise their questions. But, if you write about masculinity, you have to write about ideas of manhood in 1605. You have to write about Shakespeare’s view of what it meant to be a man.

And that, my friends, forces you to get grade 7 or more. Always write about Shakespeare’s ideas!

You can try out Tilf.io for FREE. Just click here .

Tomorrow I will give paid subscribers the grade 9 version of this essay.

Thank you for reading Mr Salles Teaches English. This post is public so feel free to share it with someone else who wants top grades.

Ready for more?

Macbeth William Shakespeare

Macbeth essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

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Macbeth Essays

Serpentine imagery in shakespeare's macbeth sarah downey.

The snake has long been used as a symbol of sly subtlety. A serpent's presence has been characterized by cunning cynicism dating as far back as biblical times, when the snake persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Eden's garden. Even the...

Macbeth's Evolution David Sauvage

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth undergoes a profound and gradual evolution throughout the play. He regresses from a logical, compassionate, caring, and conscientious man, to an entirely apathetic, amoral paradigm of cynical numbness. Macbeth's...

Jumping the Life to Come Alex Hoffer

A central theme of William Shakespeare's Macbeth is the title character's willingness to accept his fate. Macbeth's attitude toward the prophecies of the witches varies depending on how much he likes the prediction. At first, he follows along with...

Deceptive Appearances in Macbeth Sonia Jain

There is truth to Duncan's line "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face," for throughout Shakespeare's play Macbeth, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not what they most often appear to be. Even Macbeth does not know the extent...

Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies Chris Hadfield

Separating qualities common to one 'set' or 'type' of Shakespeare's plays which are not common to the plays as a whole is a difficult task: it would no doubt be possible to find evidence of any feature uniting 'the Tragedies' within any of...

Inevitability and the Nature of Shakespeare's Tragedies Chris Hadfield

In Greek tragedy, inevitability plays an important role, portraying the protagonists as pawns of the fates, whose roles in the tragedy are distributed arbitrarily and without justice. The outcomes of these roles are decided before the play even...

Sleep and Nature Shira Traison

In Shakespeare's, Macbeth, there seems to be an uncanny connection between the images of sleep and nature. The play refers to the results of nature being thwarted, and since sleep is the primarily natural function of every human being, its seems...

The Elizabethan Chain of Being in Shakespeare's Macbeth Julianna Castaneda

The collective minds of people in England during the time of Shakespeare struggled to explain the unexplainable; they struggled to understand randomness and human nature. They believed that from the beginning of time a certain cosmic order had...

Gender Transition in Macbeth Anonymous

Come you spirit,

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.

--Lady Macbeth

More so than any other Shakespearean play, Macbeth functions the most vividly as a psychoanalysis of the state of humanity's development of a sense of sexual self. Now, in a...

The Appearance of Fairness Michael Wainwright

Starting with the witches' assertion that âfair is foul, and foul is fair,â? it is clear that Macbeth is a play in which appearances will be deceiving and morality will be muddled. From the dialogue between King Duncan, Malcolm, and the wounded...

Macbeth's Moral Quandary Michael Wainwright

In Scene 2 of Act 2, Lady Macbethâs master plan to promote her husband to the throne finally comes to fruition. For the first time in the play, however, Lady Macbeth reveals some degree of weakness in her inability to actually murder Duncan with...

Mocking Time With Fairest Show: Tragic Macbeth Makes Time His Foe Christina Gulas

Time plays a crucial role in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Like all Shakespearian tragedies, the main character is necessarily at odds with time. By its very nature, a tragedy must end with the death of the hero. The hero, therefore, must bide...

Re-Creation and Immortal Fame: The Search for Eternal Life in Macbeth and Coriolanus Christina Gulas

In Shakespeare's time, having children was, arguably, even more important than it is today. In a society dominated by rules of inheritance and birthright, children were important, not only as the means of carrying on a name and genetic material,...

Ambiguity Leads the Way Jean-Francois Carrier

Dramatic tragedies are by definition plays that enact the struggle and downfall of their main character or characters. "The Tragedy of Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, is a perfect example of this; the entire play portrays the fatalistic...

Unholy Mothers: Mothers as Negative Characters in Richard III, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Macbeth and The Tempest Barret Buchholz

Unholy Mothers: Mothers as Negative Characters in Richard III, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Macbeth and The Tempest

by, Barret Buchholz

April 15, 2005

The mothers presented in Shakespeare's plays encompass a broad range of social positions, personalities,...

Responsibility for Tragedy in Othello and Macbeth Anonymous

The tragedy in both Othello and Macbeth is found not so much in the scattering of bodies covering the stage at the end of each play, but instead in the degeneration of the plays' respective protagonists. Men championed by Shakespeare at the...

Character Juxtaposition: The Twoness of Macbeth Anonymous

Character Juxtaposition: The Twoness of Macbeth

Shakespeare's Macbeth relays the tale of a Scottish general, at first presenting a seemingly brave and noble warrior. Macbeth is eventually prompted by ambition to seek the throne upon hearing a...

Madness in Hamlet and Macbeth Kelly Crossley

Hamlet and Macbeth are two of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. Each share not only fame, however, but format: Both feature main characters with tragic flaws that become their demise. In the cases of Hamlet and Macbeth, this flaw is...

An Analysis of Lady Macbeth's Gender Role throughout Macbeth Aline Tran

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a male dominated play. Most of the noticeable characters in Macbeth are male, including Macbeth, Macduff, Banquo, King Duncan, and Malcolm. Despite the lack of female power by numbers, Lady Macbeth proves to be a...

Macbeth's Tragic Flaw: The Collapse of Emotion August Trevor Sutton

Shakespeare frequently makes use of the adjective ‘weird’ in his tragedy Macbeth. Along with bringing to mind the supernatural and unearthly, the word also forces one to consider the nature of the word’s antonym – what is normal? Macbeth’s...

Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair: Paradox and Equivocation in Macbeth James R. Silvester

In the play Macbeth, some of the most significant characters rely upon their ability to equivocate, in order to hide their treacherously covetous, or purely malicious intentions. Most characters take part in these acts of subterfuge, but the three...

The Role of Intimacy in the Macbeths’ Marriage Anonymous College

The bulk of the drama in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is based in murder. Throughout the play, much of the dialogue and action have to do with plotting a homicide, carrying out the terrible deed, or being haunted by the guilt of taking another...

The Use of Contrast in Macbeth Lucy McCracken 12th Grade

‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare is a play in which great contrasts lie between its main characters. ‘Macbeth’ is a tragic play, set in eleventh century Scotland, which explores the psychological and political effects of the eponymous character,...

Regicide in Macbeth Anonymous 12th Grade

In 'Macbeth,' the eponymous character fulfils his own overwhelming thirst for power by committing what was viewed to be worst possible crime: regicide. This initial murder of King Duncan acts as a starting point for Macbeth's reign of terror, and...

Macbeth: the Complex Intersection of Ambition Morality and Fate

This essay about William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” examines the complex themes of ambition morality and fate within the play. It describes Macbeth’s transition from a noble warrior to a tyrannical ruler driven by the prophecies of the Weird Sisters and his own unchecked ambition. Lady Macbeth’s role is also highlighted as she embodies and manipulates gender norms to fulfill her desires. The essay discusses the psychological consequences of Macbeth’s actions including his guilt and paranoia which lead to his tragic downfall. Themes of fate versus free will are explored through the characters’ reactions to the witches’ ambiguous prophecies. Additionally the play’s use of natural and supernatural elements is discussed emphasizing how personal corruption is mirrored by cosmic disorder. The essay concludes by reflecting on the moral lessons of the play and its relevance to contemporary issues of power and ethics.

How it works

William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is a profound exploration of the dark side of ambition and the consequences of unethical behavior wrapped within a dramatic and thrilling narrative. This tragic play steeped in witchcraft prophecy and murder offers a timeless analysis of the human condition and the psychological effects of power and guilt.

“Macbeth” begins with the titular character in a place of honor and valor having just defeated the forces of invasion and rebellion against King Duncan of Scotland. His encounter with the three Weird Sisters on the desolate heath marks a turning point not only in the plot but in his moral landscape.

The witches prophesy that Macbeth will become king planting the seeds of ambition and desire for power. Shakespeare brilliantly illustrates how Macbeth initially a loyal and noble warrior is led astray by his aspirations and the manipulations of his wife Lady Macbeth.

Equally complicated and motivated by her own goals is Lady Macbeth. She defies the prevailing gender conventions of the era by demonstrating willpower and strength even greater than her husband’s. She is willing to give up all things feminine in order to fulfill her wants as seen by her well-known plea to the spirits to “unsex me here” and fill her with malice. This scene is significant because it emphasizes how gender roles and the dynamics of power inside a marriage are explored in the play.

The drama explores Macbeth’s psychological suffering as he ascends to the throne through regicide. The story culminates in a depressing realization as the remorse he feels for what he did causes him to experience psychosis and disturbing visions. Shakespeare skillfully discusses the social and psychological effects of unchecked ambition by using Macbeth’s spiral into madness. At the blood-stained blade hallucination and later when Banquo’s ghost appears at the supper Macbeth is forced to face the moral consequences of his actions.

The theme of fate versus free will also pervades the narrative. While the witches’ prophecies set Macbeth on the path to kingship it is his own actions—spurred by his interpretation of their words—that seal his doom. This interplay raises questions about predetermination and the extent of free will themes that resonate deeply with audiences even today. The prophecies ambiguous and cunning can be seen as self-fulfilling driven by Macbeth’s choices rather than any true destiny.

Moreover the natural and supernatural elements of the play serve to enhance its ominous atmosphere. The constant references to darkness storms and the eerie appearances of the witches connect the turmoil within Macbeth to the cosmic disorder he creates. This linkage between the moral and natural realms is a common element in Shakespearean tragedies where personal actions disrupt the broader order of the universe.

“Macbeth” is a stark reminder of the perils of excessive ambition and moral compromise. The play’s conclusion with Macbeth defeated and the rightful order restored serves as a cathartic resolution of the chaos unleashed by his actions. Yet the resolution also invites reflection on the cycle of power and its consequences suggesting that ambition unchecked by ethical considerations leads invariably to ruin.

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” offers a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of human ambition and the intricacies of the human psyche in addition to being an entertaining play. The drama which continues to be a mainstay of English literature offers perspectives that are still applicable in the modern period. Its depiction of a tyrant’s ascent and descent is nevertheless a potent meditation on the contradictions in human nature and the never-ending struggle between good and evil.

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10 things to know when studying Shakespeare's Macbeth

Monday 8th, August 2022

Jess Laven graduated in 2020 with an ATAR of 96.60. In this article, Jess runs through 10 top tips for success when studying Shakespeare's Macbeth . Check out ATAR Notes' Text Guide for Macbeth here . 📚

It is possible that you’ll study Shakespeare’s Macbeth during your high school career, particularly for an English exam. You’re probably having regicidal thoughts at the mere mention of Shakespeare, let alone Macbeth , but it doesn’t have to be this way.

In 2020, I managed to achieve full marks on my external English exam, which was based on Macbeth . I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for studying Shakespeare’s Macbeth that will help you to ace your external English exam without a trace of blood on your hands.

1. Read both the original and translated versions

My school’s copies of Macbeth had a translated version of the script alongside the original Shakespearean version. Full translations are also available for free online.

I recommend reading both versions. You need to be familiar with the original play since this is what you’ll be assessed on; however, reading more than 17,000 words that you don’t understand isn’t productive by itself.

In the original script, Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits that tend on mortal thoughts to unsex her. While it’s important to know how she phrases this infamous quote, reading the modern version will allow you to understand the meaning behind the words. In this instance, Lady Macbeth is asking the spirits that assist murderous thoughts to make her less like a woman and more like a man.

2. Read the script more than once

In Year 12, my peers and I read the original Shakespearean version of Macbeth as a class. In addition to this, I took it upon myself to read the translated version twice, including once on the weekend before my Monday exam to ensure it was fresh in my memory.

It is unlikely that you will fully understand Macbeth after reading the play only once, so reading it a second and potentially a third time is crucial. Doing so is also useful when it comes to compiling quotes, which I will elaborate on shortly.

When I read the translated version, I would consistently refer to the original version, which was conveniently right next to the translation in my copy of the play. This is important because you need to remember and quote the language Shakespeare used in his original play.

3. Don't watch a movie adaption as a substitute for reading the play

If you’re thinking of watching one of the movie adaptions as a substitute for reading the play, think again. While such movies may give you a better understanding of some aspects of Macbeth , they are all significantly different from the original play.

If you choose to watch any Macbeth movie adaptions, ensure that it is to complement the knowledge you gain from reading the play. Also, be careful not to confuse the movies with the play because some inconsistencies could cause you to get your facts wrong in your exam. 

4. Don't call Macbeth a book

Sometimes it’s the little things. My Year 12 English teacher couldn’t stress enough that Macbeth is not a book. In actual fact, Macbeth is a play, and the 17,000 words I mentioned earlier make up the script. 

When you refer to Macbeth , whether it be in your essay writing, verbally or otherwise, always refer to it as a play or text. This will show that you truly understand the context in which Macbeth came to be.  

5. Underline Macbeth when referring to the play

Since “Macbeth” is both the title of the play and a character within the play, you need to differentiate between these in your writing to provide clarity. Therefore, whenever you refer to the play in your writing, always underline “ Macbeth ,” as has been done throughout this article. The reason why you shouldn’t use italics is that this won’t be an option when you’re handwriting an external exam.

6. Practise writing Macbeth essays

I have no doubt that you’ve all heard the saying, “practice makes perfect.” While you should keep in mind that “perfect” is as real as Macbeth’s hallucinations (nonexistent), the message behind these words holds true: you should regularly write analytical essays to help you improve your essay writing skills. Since this is a progressive exercise, you should practise writing Macbeth essays well in advance of your exam to allow time for you to improve. You should also practise writing with pen and paper in exam conditions to reflect the environment you’ll be in for your exam.

Research Macbeth essay questions or ask your teacher for a list and then start writing. Seek feedback from your teacher to help you identify where you need to improve. This will help you to write a well-structured and grammatically and factually accurate essay that showcases your knowledge and, ultimately, responds to the essay prompt. There is no better way to test your knowledge of a topic than to explain it to others, whether it be in essay or spoken form.

7. Do your own research

Hopefully, your teacher will provide you with lots of resources and insight that will give you a strong understanding of the play; however, you should do your own research too. This will give you more ideas about the quotes you should memorise and how you can analyse them. Since the number of quotes available to you during the exam will be limited to your memory, it’s important to know how to spin quotes so you can use them in a range of ways for a range of prompts.

8. Compile a list of quotes to memorise

I compiled a list of more than 60 quotes and noted down the basic meaning of each quote, as well as what themes each quote related to and how. Recording themes like this will help you to make sure you have a broad range of quotes and an in-depth understanding of how each quote can be analysed to suit a range of possible essay prompts.

I wrote my list of quotes in chronological order – the order that they appeared in the play – to help me remember the act and scene numbers. While remembering the quotes themselves is more important than remembering the acts and scenes they came from, this is still worth doing to showcase your knowledge.

The scripts you read may express act and scene numbers as Roman numerals, but you can write them in our everyday numerical form. If you are writing Act 4, Scene 2, you would write these numbers in brackets with a full stop between them, as follows: (4.2).

If you are a visual person, finding a small picture that represents each quote may be a memory strategy you would like to try. For example, for Lady Macbeth’s well-known quote, “Look like th' innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t,” you could have an image of a flower or a snake.

9. Focus on the Elizabethan Era

Macbeth was written in the Elizabethan era. The language you use and the way you analyse the play should reflect this fact.

For example, when analysing Macbeth’s themes, such as gender, femininity or masculinity, do not do so with a modern lens. We may see Lady Macbeth’s dominance and ambition as a testament to the strength of women from a contemporary perspective. Nevertheless, in the Elizabethan era, her behaviour would have been considered unnatural.

Similarly, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is unique for the Elizabethan era, which is evident when we compare it to that of Macduff and Lady Macduff. In that time, such relationships would be loving and mutually respectful, but, unnatural as she is, Lady Macbeth holds power over Macbeth. This allows her to influence their plans for regicide and acts as the initial catalyst for Macbeth’s downfall.

In terms of language use, there are words we use today that don’t reflect the context of the play. For instance, when Macbeth killed King Duncan, he committed regicide, not murder. This is because regicide specifically refers to the act of killing a king or queen, while murder is broader.

Familiarise yourself with the Elizabethan era and the language that reflects the time and the characters’ royal status.

10. Access ATAR Notes' resources

I used the ATAR Notes Text Guide on Macbeth to help me understand the play and identify and analyse important quotes. I also attended ATAR Notes’ free English lecture during their annual September lecture series. I recommend taking advantage of resources such as these to give you the edge in your English exam.

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Macbeth essay help

Write an 800 – 850 word critical essay that responds to the following question:

The success of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth , is due to the way it presents thought provoking ideas about human nature.

To what extent does this statement resonate with your understanding of the play?

In your response, you should make detailed reference to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth .

I need some help on how to answer the topic question, like where and how do I start of the essay.