Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad that you have decided to learn with me today.

We are in the unit "Macbeth," Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain.

We're gonna finish reading act three today, and we're gonna think what type of monarch is Macbeth.

I can't wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through this lesson together.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, we're going to have read act three, scenes four to six, and you're going to be able to explain what happens in those scenes.

We're also going to consider what kind of King Macbeth is.

There are some key words which are going to support us as we work through our learning today.

They are reign, tyrant, illegitimate, court, and hallucination.

Their definitions are going to come up one at a time on the next slide.

If you'd like to spend some more time with our keywords and their definitions, pause the video at the end of the next slide.

Our lesson outline for today, we're gonna start off by considering Macbeth's reign and then we're going to think what kind of monarch is Macbeth.

Let's get started with Macbeth's reign.

I'd like you to consider the main plot points of the first three scenes of act three of Macbeth.

We have in act three, scene one, Banquo suspects Macbeth of regicide.

Macbeth worries about his legacy and he plots Banquo and Fleance's murder.

In act three, scene two, Lady Macbeth is also an unhappy and isolated monarch.

And in act three, scene three, Banquo is murdered by hired murderers, but Fleance escapes.

I'd like you to pause the video and discuss this question.

What might it be like to be ruled by King Macbeth? What might the atmosphere be at court and in the country as a whole? Pause the video and discuss this question using the plot points from the first half of act three to support you.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful discussions there, looking at the opening of act three and saying that it might not feel very stable at Macbeth's court because the monarchs, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, both seem preoccupied with their own concerns rather than that of the country.

Macbeth is very concerned with his legacy and is concentrating on plotting the murder of his friend and his friend's son.

And Lady Macbeth, who has seemed very confident in the past, is now not very happy and seems quite isolated.

So lots of private things going on when being king is actually very public role.

So an unsettled and unstable atmosphere at court.

It was really nice to hear those discussions supported by plot points from the beginning of act three.

Now, here's what happens in the final three scenes of act three of "Macbeth." In act three, scene four, the Macbeths hold a feast for the Court and Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

Banquo has recently been murdered, remember.

In act three, scene five, Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, meets the three witches and they discuss Macbeth's future destruction.

And in act three, scene six, two thanes discuss the tyrant Macbeth.

Macduff goes to England to raise an army against Macbeth.

So lots of faith in Macbeth's reign is deteriorating at this point.

I'd like you to discuss, how does Shakespeare develop our understanding of the dangers and illegitimacy of Macbeth court and his reign over Scotland? So we thought about the first half of act three.

Now we're gonna think about the second half of act three.

So how does Shakespeare develop our understanding of the dangers and illegitimacy of Macbeth's court and his reign over Scotland? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Lovely to hear those discussions.

Now you have a full understanding of all the plot points of act three.

So lots of people started with the feast, and a time when the Macbeths should be showing off their power, their status, and their stability, but actually, Macbeth is feeling very unstable and he hallucinates Banquo's ghosts in front of his court, and this would be very unsettling, destabilising for those of court to see their monarch in such distress.

I really like the focus on act three, scene five.

The inclusion of the witches when Macbeth is monarch really shows how illegitimate his reign is because we know that they had a hand in it.

And that also leads us to the idea of regicide, so really emphasising the idea that Macbeth should not be on the throne.

And act three, scene six is an interesting moment because it seems like Macbeth's power is starting to disintegrate.

Thanes now openly call him a tyrant, so people who should be loyal to the monarch are now thinking of Macbeth as a tyrant, as a bad king.

And we actually have an important thing, Macduff going to England, actually leaving his country in order to raise an army against Macbeth.

So we really get a development of the dangers and illegitimacy of Macbeth's court at the end of act three.

A check for understanding.

I'd like you to match these scenes, the six scenes from act three to their plot points.

Pause the video and match each of the scenes from act three to their plot points.

Pause the video now.

Well done for showing a thorough understanding of all the scenes in act three.

Act three, scene one, Macbeth plots Banquo and Fleance's murder.

In act three, scene two, Lady Macbeth is an unhappy monarch.

In act three, scene three, Banquo's murdered and Fleance escapes.

In act three, scene four, Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

In act three, scene five, Hecate tells off the three witches.

In act three, scene six, two thanes called Macbeth a tyrant.

Well done for matching all of those scenes to their plot points.

After Lady Macbeth has to send the thanes away in act three, scene four, so during the Banquo scene where Macbeth has hallucinated Banquo's ghost, Macbeth says, "There's not one of them, but in his house I keep a servant fee'd.

There's not one of my thanes but in his house I keep a servant fee'd.

I will tomorrow and betimes I will, to the weird sisters.

More shall they speak.

For now I am bent to know by the worst means, the worst.

For mine own good, all causes shall give way.

I am in blood stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious to go over.

Strange things I have in head, that will to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned." Let's have a look at this short section from act three, scene four.

Let's have a look at some of the words in a bit more detail and then we'll have a discussion.

So a servant fee'd means a paid spy.

So Macbeth has a paid spy in all of the thanes that should be loyal to him.

He has a paid spy in their houses.

I'd like you to discuss, Macbeth spies on all his thanes.

What do you think that tells us about him? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some beautiful discussions about this moment from the text.

One of my favourite quotations because I think it's so revealing about how Macbeth is feeling as king.

So Macbeth is a paranoid monarch and I heard lots of people use that word paranoid because his distrust, it's not just Banquo, who he focused on at the beginning of act three, saying that he was very, very worried about him because of the witches' prophecies, but actually he doesn't trust any of his thanes.

He says, "I will to the weird sisters, more shall they speak.

For now I am bent to know by the worst means, the worst." I'd like you to discuss, Macbeth trusts the witches rather than his thanes.

What does that tell you about his reign? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some fantastic discussions there, showing off great contextual knowledge about the malevolence and mistrustful of the witches, especially for the play's first jacobian audiences.

So Macbeth seems a very unstable monarch.

He's relying on supernatural and malevolent sources rather than his trusted thanes.

So there's a real disjuncture here between the thanes, who he should trust but he doesn't, and the witches, who he shouldn't trust but he does, This word tedious here, it means difficult.

And Macbeth says, "I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go over." I'd like you to discuss, what does Macbeth reveal? What does Macbeth reveal about his feelings towards the bloodshed? There's been a lot of bloodshed in this place so far.

And what does this moment in acts three and four reveal about his feelings towards that bloodshed? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some beautiful discussions there, looking at this sort of metaphorical language that Macbeth is using to describe his feelings.

So Macbeth has killed so many people that he feels there is no point in stopping now and he says it would be as pointless as wading halfway through a deep river and then turning back.

He's already done so much, he has to just keep pushing forward, so there is an element here of Macbeth's unhappiness.

He's not particularly enjoying, it seems, all of the violence, but he knows he has to keep going.

And finally he says, "Strange things I have in head that will to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned." And this means there are strange plans in my head, in Macbeth's head, which I must act on quickly and unthinkingly.

I'd like you to discuss this question.

What does this tell us about Macbeth's reign and his state of mind? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some beautiful discussions there, thinking about Macbeth's reign.

And Macbeth reign is characterised by terror and reckless acts of violence, so violence that he's barely even thinking about anymore.

He's an unthinking and scared monarch and his mind is frantic.

And I had lots of people compare this idea that he's going to act recklessly and without thinking to the long soliloquy where he considers whether he should kill King Duncan in act one.

So there seems to be a real change here in Macbeth's approach to violence, as well as the violence itself.

A check for understanding.

Which words could describe King Macbeth in act three? A, hallucinates, B, paranoid, C, legitimate, or D, tyrannical.

Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected paranoid and tyrannical.

He is, of course, not a legitimate monarch.

He's an illegitimate monarch, he should not be on the throne.

Now, we're gonna read act three, scene four, where Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

And as you read, I'd like you to discuss these two questions.

How does Macbeth feel when he learns that Fleance escaped? And Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost? He's terrified.

How does Lady Macbeth try and stop him from shouting and trembling? Read act three, scene four, pause, and discuss these questions when you have finished reading.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful reading of act three, scene four, particularly showing Macbeth's distress when he sees Banquo's ghost.

Here are some ideas you might have had about our discussion questions.

How does Macbeth feel when he learns that Fleance escaped? Well, he says he feels cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound to saucy doubts and fears.

That is he feels trapped by his anxieties about his legacy.

And Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

He's terrified.

How does Lady Macbeth try and stop him from shouting and trembling? Lady Macbeth tries to undermine him, just as she did in act one.

And I heard lots of people referencing some of the echoes they heard in her language here in act three, to the language in act one.

She asked him, for example, "Are you a man?" And tells him he, "Looks but on a stool." But interestingly, this tactic doesn't work and Macbeth remains terrified by his hallucination.

Well done for discussing those questions and reading act three, scene four so beautifully.

We're gonna move on to act three, scene five, the scene with the witches where Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, tells the witches off.

And as you read, I'd like you to discuss, how does Shakespeare present the power of the supernatural? And I'd like you to use this moment to support your discussion.

Hecate says she will, "Raise such artificial sprites as by the strength of their illusion shall draw him," Macbeth, "onto his confusion." And artificial sprites here means deceptive spirits, and confusion in this sense means his destruction.

So read act three, scene five, Hecate tells off the witches, and once you finish reading that scene, discuss this question using the moment on the slide to support your discussion.

Pause the video now.

Well done for reading that scene and embodying the character of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.

Here's some ideas that you might have had.

So the supernatural has a power to create visions or hallucinations.

She says she's gonna create artificial sprites, deceptive spirits, spirits that are purposefully malevolent, are gonna deceive Macbeth.

And these visions and hallucinations will not only deceive Macbeth, but they will lead to his destruction.

They will destroy him.

So the supernatural seems to have power over King Macbeth, and thus over Scotland itself, as Macbeth is Scotland's monarch.

It's a very, very powerful moment to express that power of the supernatural.

We're now gonna read act three, scene six, where two thanes called Macbeth a tyrant.

And as you read, I'd like you to focus on the Lord's speech and discuss the following four questions.

What does the Lord call Macbeth? How does the Lord emphasise that Macbeth's reign is illegitimate? The Lord talks about King Edward, who's king of England, and how is King Edward different to King Macbeth? Why is the Lord so keen for Macbeth's reign to end? What will it give to Scotland and what will it free Scotland from? Read act three, scene six.

Once you finish reading, discuss these four questions, pause the video, and complete the tasks now.

Some beautiful reading as we come to the end of act three.

Let's have a look at these discussion questions in a bit more detail.

Here are some ideas you might have had.

So what does the Lord call Macbeth? The Lord calls him a tyrant.

How does the Lord emphasise that Macbeth's reign is illegitimate? The Lord says Macbeth holds the due of birth of the son of of Duncan, who was, of course, the legitimate king, and that this son, Malcolm, has been accepted into the court of the King of England.

So we've got a legitimate king, King of England.

We've got another legitimate King, Duncan.

We've got someone who should be the king right now, Malcolm, all versus this illegitimate king, King Macbeth.

The Lord talks about King Edward, King of England.

And how is King Edward different to King Macbeth? Well, the Lord called King Edward pious and holy.

And by contrast, Macbeth is a tyrant.

So we have a very holy king, a religious king, one who understands his place on Earth in relation to God, would not commit any immoral acts.

And then we have Macbeth, a tyrant who's using his power on Earth in an unjust way.

And finally, why is the Lord so keen for Macbeth's reign to end? What will it give to Scotland and what will it free Scotland from? Well, the Lord wants Macbeth's reign to end so that Scotland can return to peace.

People will be able to sleep without fear.

There'll be no more bloody murders and people will be able to respect their king and be respected by him too.

He says, "Do faithful homage and receive free honours." The Lord is emphasising here that the role of king is not just about having power and status, but also looking after your people and your country, something that Macbeth is failing to do right now.

We're gonna move on to our second learning cycle now.

We're going to think about this question, what kind of monarch is Macbeth? Here are some things we learn about King Duncan.

We know he has a strong and loyal army who fight for him.

He promotes those who are loyal, Macbeth, and punishes those who betray Scotland, the Thane of Cawdor.

He thinks about the future of Scotland by appointing his heir, Malcolm.

And Macbeth acknowledges he has many virtues, and he's called gracious by Lennox, so these words suggest a closeness to God.

I'd like you to discuss, what are the differences between King Duncan and Macbeth.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some beautiful discussions there, and lots of people started off with the idea that King Duncan is a legitimate monarch and he takes his role very seriously, thinking about how he can be of service to Scotland, to Scotland's future, and to his thanes.

So he's a gracious monarch, he's a legitimate monarch, but he also understands that he is there to serve.

It's not just all about himself, it's not all about his status, and we can see this in examples of him thinking about Scotland's future, and also thinking about how to punish and reward thanes, so he seems fair, he's presented as just, and we can see that this kingship, this style of monarchy works because he has a very loyal army who fight for him in act one, and lots of thanes, Macbeth and Lennox, for example, acknowledge that he's a good king.

Now, in comparison, Macbeth does not have this good reputation.

He's now known as a tyrant and thanes are fleeing Scotland because they don't wish to live there anymore and they want to topple Macbeth.

And Macbeth does think about his future, but only his own legacy.

So he wants to kill Banquo and Fleance because they're a threat to his legacy.

He's not thinking about the future of Scotland, but instead his own future.

And he's not thinking about his thanes and how he can punish and reward.

In fact, he just has a servant fee'd, a paid spy in each of his thanes' households.

So very, very clear differences between Macbeth and King Duncan, and these contrasts help us understand what it might mean to be a very good king and what it might mean to be a very bad king.

A check for understanding.

I'd like you to match the qualities to the king.

We've got King Duncan and we've got Macbeth.

Pause the video and match the qualities to the king.

Pause the video now.

Well done for showing a fantastic understanding of our key words.

We've got King Macbeth.

He's a legitimate monarch, he's close to God, and he respects his subjects.

In contrast, we've got Macbeth, who is tyrannical, he relies on the supernatural, not his subjects, and he is an illegitimate monarch.

Well done for understanding the contrast between these two kings.

I'd like you to discuss this question following our reading of act three.

What kind of monarch is Macbeth? And I'd like you to consider his legitimacy as king, how his subjects feel subject and act towards him, how he feels and acts towards his subjects, his state of mind, and how he compares to the other kings presented in the play.

Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some beautiful discussions there, thinking about Macbeth as monarch and showing some really detailed understanding of all of act three.

Here's some ideas you might have had.

Macbeth is an illegitimate monarch.

Macbeth is a paranoid monarch who spies on his subjects.

Macbeth is a monarch with a terrible reputation.

Those who should revere him call him a tyrant.

Macbeth is a violent monarch who kills those he sees as a threat.

Macbeth is an unstable monarch whose mind is playing tricks on him.

He hallucinates and he can't sleep.

Compared to King Duncan, who is described as gracious, Macbeth relies on supernatural forces, not God.

And Macbeth cares about his own legacy rather than thinking of the future of Scotland.

Well done for coming up with so many different ideas all tied to plot points, which help us understand what kind of monarch Macbeth is.

In summary, act three sees Shakespeare explore Macbeth's illegitimate reign over Scotland.

At a public feast, Macbeth Hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

Macbeth reveals that he spies on his thanes.

Macbeth decides to go and see the three witches again.

Macduff, a Scottish thane, goes to England to try and raise an army against Macbeth.

It's been such a pleasure to read the end of act three with you.

I look forward to seeing you next time.