Hello and welcome to our next lesson in the unit of work, "Macbeth and Masculinity: the Struggle for Power".

Today's lesson is called "Banquo and a Chivalric Code".

(mouse clicks) Now, by the end of today's lesson you will be able to compare Macbeth and Banquo, and explore how Shakespeare presents the importance of the chivalric code.

My name is Mr. Barnsley, it's great to see you all again for today's lesson.

Let's dive in.

(mouse clicks) So to start, let's look at five key words that are gonna come up in today's lesson that we might want to try and use in our discussion.

So the first is chivalric code.

You'll recognise that phrase from the title and the outcome of today's lesson, so we'll work out what that means very shortly.

We have aside, scepticism, Fervour, and apocalyptic.

(mouse clicks) So the chivalric code is an informal code of conduct that many men agreed to live by at the time.

And when we talk about at the time we're talking about both when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, but also in 11th century Gaelic Society when the play was set.

(mouse clicks) An aside then is a stage direction.

And this is one that tells the actors that the lines that they are gonna say are going to be heard by the audience and the audience alone.

So they're gonna be delivered, the dialogue is gonna be delivered out loud for the benefit of the audience, but the characters on stage are not gonna hear it.

(mouse clicks) Now people show scepticism, they are sceptical when they doubt the truth of something.

(mouse clicks) Fervour means an intense or passionate feeling.

(mouse clicks) And if something is described as apocalyptic, then it means it is really catastrophic because it is being compared to the end of the world.

(mouse clicks) Now today's lesson is gonna be split into three parts.

At first we're gonna look at act one, scene three, specifically how we see the chivalric code show up there.

We're then going to look at the character Banquo in more detail, and how we is used as a construct.

And at the end of the lesson we are gonna do some writing about the character of Banquo.

We are of course going to start by looking at Act one, scene three, and how the chivalric code shows up there.

(mouse clicks) Before we can do that, we need to make sure we understand exactly what the chivalric code is.

So as I said, this was a key code of conduct, informal but adopted by most men, and it was a key way of functioning of the feudal system.

(mouse clicks) Four values that made up the chivalric code were honour, honesty, valour, and loyalty.

Let's just make sure we know what all of those words mean.

So honour was the expectation that men would do what was morally right.

Honesty was that they would be truthful in everything that they said and did.

(mouse clicks) Valour said that men should show courage, and loyalty meant they should show support or allegiance to their allies.

So we're gonna start with Macbeth's speech, and you'll notice this first part is said as an aside, said for the audience's benefit but the other characters on the stage can't hear it.

"Glamis, and thane of Cawdor.

The greatest is behind." To Ross and Angus, "Thank you for your pains." To Banquo, "Do you not hope that your children shall be kings? When those that gave me the thane of Cawdor to me, promise no less to them." Okay, let's unpack, unravel what's happening here with Macbeth.

I've got two questions for you.

The first is, why do you think (mouse clicks) Macbeth is speaking in an aside here? Okay, why does he not want the other characters on the stage to hear this early part that he's saying? And secondly, why do you think Macbeth is more preoccupied by these prophecies about Fleance, Banquo's son, than Banquo is? He seems much more interested in what the witches said than Banquo did himself.

So I'd like you to pause pause the video, have a quick discussion, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, fantastic discussions I heard there, I want to pick out some of the key things that we mentioned.

Well done to everyone who said Macbeth is speaking in an aside here, because it's starting to show his ambitious nature.

He's saying, "Yeah, look, I was thane of Glamis, now I'm thane of Cawdor.

But the witches promised me that I would be king." So the greatest maybe is yet to come, he's starting to wonder if the witch's prophecies are true.

And it's interesting here that he is more preoccupied, more interested in Banquo's prophecies than Banquo seems to be himself, because Banquo's prophecies says that his son will be king.

So Macbeth is maybe already starting to think a few steps ahead.

"Well, if I'm going to be king and Banquo's sons are going to be king, what happens to me to allow Banquo's sons to take the throne from me?" So already we can see Macbeth thinking very quickly there about the role Banquo might play in his future.

(mouse clicks) Let's now have a look at how Banquo responds to Macbeth.

"That trusted home might yet in Kindle you unto the crown, besides the thane of Cawdor.

But it is strange: and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, that the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray us in deepest consequence." Okay, let's take a minute to think about what Banquo is saying here.

At the beginning he's saying, "Hmm, maybe there is some truth to the witchEs prophecies." But he says it's strange, "It's strange that maybe they tell us some truths, but maybe they're gonna betray our- and there'll be consequences where we are betrayed." I want you to think about some of these kind of key words that Banquo says, 'tis strange, he calls the witches the instruments of darkness, and he says, "They're gonna betray in deepest consequence." I want you to think about, pause the video, have a quick discussion, think about how does Banquo's reaction to the witches compare to that of Macbeth's.

Press play when you are ready to continue.

Fantastic, some more great discussion there.

I really liked any ideas that picked out that Banquo is definitely more sceptical, where Macbeth responds with fervour, quite an intense passion, Banquo is much more sceptical, he shows scepticism around the witches responses.

He calls them strange, he calls them instruments of darkness, a metaphor there comparing them to dark acts and dark arts.

So evil, really.

And that verb betray suggests he does not trust them and thinks that if they listen to the witches, terrible things are gonna happen.

So we see a very clear contrast between Banquo's response and Macbeth's.

(mouse clicks) Finally, we're gonna look at Macbeth's response here, and all of this is said as an aside, so designed to only be heard by the audience, we are listening to Macbeth's inner thoughts.

"Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme.

But if good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?" So let's unravel what is being said here.

Well, Macbeth is saying, "Well, if these things are good, if the witches are speaking truth, why does this make my hair stand on end? Why does it make my heart beat quickly in my chest?" Think about why someone's hair might stand on end, and think about why their heart might start beating quickly.

He's saying, "Why does this horrible idea," and I think he's starting think about what he might need to do to become king, "This horrible image, this horrible idea, why does it make my heart beat so quickly?" So pause the video and think about what, the fact that he calls this happy prologues, he calls the witches speeches a happy prologue, a prologue, something that happens before the main act.

What does this quote tell us about how Macbeth is feeling? And then I want you to think about, is he following the chivalric code here? Does he seem different to the brave and noble Macbeth of Act one, Scene two? Pause the video, have a discussion and press play when you are ready to continue.

Well done, great discussion, and fantastic to everyone who said Macbeth is starting to show some signs of excitement here.

Happy, his heart beating quickly, are signs of potential excitement.

They could also be signs of nervousness, let's not ignore that, but they could be signs of happiness or excitement, of interest and intrigue.

And all of this suggests that Macbeth isn't really following the chivalric code.

We see certainly a lack of loyalty, but also a lack of honesty, that all of this is being said behind the backs of Banquo and Ross and Angus, he's not willing to acknowledge these feelings in front of other people.

(mouse clicks) Okay, we're gonna do a couple of quick check for understandings here.

The first one, which of the following is not a value of the chivalric code? Is it honour, kindness, honesty, or loyalty? Make your selections now.

Well done to everyone who said B, kindness is not one of the values of the chivalric code.

(mouse clicks) And a second check for understanding now.

I would like you to select three pieces of evidence from Act one, Scene three, which foreshadow kind of give us hints and clues that Macbeth is going to break the chivalric code.

So pick three of these four, which ones are pieces of evidence that suggest Macbeth will break the chivalric code? So we've got A, the fact that Macbeth speaks in asides so that others do not hear his thoughts.

B, the fact that Macbeth thanks Ross and Angus for telling him he will be thane of Cawdor.

C, that Macbeth focuses on the prophecy about Fleance, Banquo's son.

And D, the thought of the witches prophecies coming true secretly excite Macbeth.

Pick three of those, make your choices now.

(mouse clicks) Okay, well done.

If you picked A, C, and D.

All of those give us a hint that Macbeth is about to break the chivalric code.

(mouse clicks) Okay, your first task of today's lesson, I would like you to complete the table below by adding inferences and quotations from Act One, scene three.

So on the left-hand side, I want you to find any kind of quotations or any of your own inferences that you can make from the play, that tell us Banquo is gonna follow the chivalric code.

And on the right-hand side, I would like you to find any evidence that you think Macbeth will break the chivalric code.

Pause the video and press play when you are ready for feedback.

Okay, let's go through some of the great ideas that you have had.

So well done if you picked up on the idea that Banquo isn't that focused on the witches prophecies about his son, he doesn't, you know, he's not honing in on that, he doesn't think, "Great, my sons are gonna be king." You know, he doesn't focus on that and I think that suggests that he knows or he doesn't want it to be true, 'cause that might suggest he has to break the chivalric code for it to be true.

He's also very wary that the witches, believing the witches, that they will betray him.

Okay, he doesn't trust the witches, and he recognises their instruments of darkness, he thinks what they're saying comes from a place of evil.

So again, shows loyalty and kind of honesty in the fact that he doesn't want to believe them.

Whereas Macbeth speaks in asides, he's keeping his true thoughts private, he's not showing honesty here.

He's very interested in Banquo's views, he's thinking could Banquo betray him? So he's already starting to look for signs that Banquo won't follow the chivalric code, which suggests he himself is capable of breaking it.

And we also know that the idea of being king makes his heart knock at his ribs, it gets him excited.

But we also know he can't really become king without breaking the chivalric code.

Okay, let's move on to the second part of today's lesson, and that is looking at Banquo as a construct.

(mouse clicks) So the word construct should not be new to us but I would like to remind us all that a construct is something that has been deliberately crafted or created by the author for a specific reason or message.

So some examples of a construct, George Orwell uses a Boxer as a construct to explore the value of education.

And we've already looked at how Shakespeare uses the character of Duncan as a construct, because he acts as a foil to Macbeth.

Remember, a foil is a character that helps show contrast.

So his generosity in kingship, Duncan's generosity in kingship serves to highlight or to heighten Macbeth's greed when he is king.

So pause the video for two minutes, and I'd like you to think about how does Banquo, how does Shakespeare use Banquo as a construct? What reasons are there for Banquo to exist? What messages is Shakespeare trying to give through the character of Banquo? Pause the video now.

(mouse clicks) Fantastic discussions, there are loads of great ideas.

So let's have a look at three of the main ones.

So the first, Banquo is used as a foil.

Okay, like Duncan, he's used to contrast, he behaves in an opposite way to show contrast in the way that Macbeth behaves.

So unlike Macbeth, Banquo's loyalty outweighs his ambition.

Well done if you also said he acts as a warning.

So we know that Banquo's ghost returns in the middle of the play, and that's a warning to Macbeth and others, "Don't be disloyal, don't betray your allies." But also he's used as an exemplar.

Well done if you got this, this was the trickiest one to get.

(mouse clicks) We know that James the first was an ancestor of Banquo, so Banquo represents the chivalric values that we expect, or Shakespeare expects, society expects, royalty and monarchs should hold.

(mouse clicks) Okay, we are gonna do another check for understanding here, to make sure we've understood these three quite tricky ideas about how Banquo is used as a construct.

So I would like you to match the clauses on the left-hand side to those on the right-hand side, to create three full sentences which show your understanding of how Banquo is used as a construct.

Pause the video and press play when you are ready for the feedback.

Okay, let's look at the first one.

Banquo acts as a foil to Macbeth, (mouse clicks) and this highlights Macbeth's early disloyalty to Duncan.

So when we see Banquo acting in a loyal way, it makes Macbeth look even more disloyal.

James the first is an ancestor of the real Banquo, (mouse clicks) so this suggests that loyalty and honour to values that Banquo shows throughout the play.

Well these are two chivalric values that all royalty should hold.

And finally that means Banquo's ghost returns to haunt Macbeth, that illustrates that ultimately disloyalty will not be rewarded, you will be punished if you are disloyal.

(mouse clicks) Okay, so our next task today is a discussion.

So I want you to, first, we're just gonna get some quick thoughts out there.

I want you to pause the video, speak for two minutes with your partner, why is Banquo so important to the plot of Macbeth? Pause the video, have that quick discussion and press play when you are ready to continue.

(mouse clicks) Okay, I would like everyone now to have a go at formalising those discussions that they have had.

So I'm gonna challenge you to use three different sentence structures from my discussion grid below, to help you formalise your ideas.

Firstly, I want you to draw comparisons between Banquo and Macbeth.

So we can use some sentence stems like, although, whereas, whilst, and despite, these are sentence stems we should recognise.

An example of one of these sentences might be, whilst Banquo rejects the prophecies, Macbeth seems intrigued, implying his disloyalty.

Next, I would like you to develop your ideas, I'd like you to give reasons and justifications for any of the ideas that you have.

So you can use phrases like more specifically, more precisely, in particular, indeed.

So go deeper.

So more specifically, Banquo speaks openly and honestly, yet Macbeth speaks in asides.

(mouse clicks) And finally, I'd like you to draw conclusions to your arguments.

So use sentence stems such as, therefore, ultimately, as a result, consequently.

(mouse clicks) So consequently, Banquo acts as a foil to illustrate Macbeth's treacherous nature.

So there are three different ways I want you to try and formalise those ideas in the discussion you've had.

Pause your video, give yourselves five minutes to have this discussion and press play, and we'll collect some ideas together.

(mouse clicks) Well done some fantastic discussions there, and congratulations to all of you who are using those complex sentence stems to help formalise your ideas.

Okay, let's share some ideas.

There's plenty of things you may have said, I want to collect some of them together.

So well done to everyone who said that Banquo acts as a foil to Macbeth.

He highlights Macbeth's disloyalty because he's a very loyal and honourable man, he follows the chivalric code in a way that Macbeth doesn't.

But we also know one of the reasons he's so important is that his son, Fleance, is vital in fueling Macbeth's paranoia.

And one way I want us to, we sometimes don't think Fleance is that important in the play, but actually, let's imagine Fleance was killed when Banquo was killed.

Do you think that would change the second half of the play? Do you think Macbeth would have acted in a more rational way if he wasn't fearing the fact that Fleance was still king? (mouse clicks) We also know that the appearance of Banquo's ghost, it pushes Macbeth into isolation.

That's the moment he starts to reject Lady Macbeth and says he doesn't need her help.

(mouse clicks) We also know that the ghosts reminds everyone that there are consequences to Banquo's murder, there are consequences to being disloyal.

And we see that as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both kind of driven to madness and isolation.

(mouse clicks) And finally, one of the other reasons Banquo is so important is because we know that the real Banquo was an ancestor of King James the first.

So his loyalty, the way he behaves and follows the chivalry code is a subtle reminder from Shakespeare to James the first, on this is how society expects Kings to behave.

(mouse clicks) Okay, we're gonna move into that final part of our lesson today, and we are gonna do some writing about Banquo.

(mouse clicks) So first I want us to imagine that we've been given this question, starting with Act one, Scene three, the scene that we looked at the beginning of this lesson, I want you to explore how Shakespeare uses Banquo to present the theme of loyalty.

(mouse clicks) So when we are, whenever we are looking at a question like this, we need to kind of unpick what it's asking for us.

So first of all, it's saying to us, "You must make sure you speak about this scene, but you can speak about any other scenes that involve Banquo as well." (mouse clicks) Whenever it says how it's reminding us that we're not just gonna retell the story and share our argument, but we need to think about how language or form or structure has been used by Shakespeare when he's presenting the theme of loyalty.

Now, this tells us that we need to focus on the character of Banquo, but, let's be honest, any Macbeth essay should be speaking about Macbeth.

So in an essay like this I am gonna talk about Banquo, but I'm gonna make sure I'm always focusing on the relationship between Banquo and Macbeth.

(mouse clicks) And I'm gonna make these comparisons because I'm gonna be focusing on this theme of loyalty.

So my essay, my response to this question is really going to be about comparing how Banquo and Macbeth's behaviour show us different approaches to loyalty, and the consequences of being disloyal.

(mouse clicks) So I want to think, I'm gonna share with you what I would include in an essay like this.

I'm gonna share some of my ideas and then I want you to have a think about if there's anything else you would include.

So when talking about Act one, Scene three, I would definitely talk about how Banquo is loyal to the crown when he questions the witches prophecies, I would also contrast Macbeth's early behaviour where he uses asides and he shows his fervour at the prospect of becoming king, so he shows his excitement.

I am gonna talk about there how Macbeth is more interested in the prophecy of Fleance than Banquo is.

(mouse clicks) So I'm gonna really focus my discussion of Act one, scene three, about how Banquo is used as a foil to show Macbeth's early disloyalty.

And when I talk about the rest of the play, I will talk about how Macbeth's continued obsession with Fleance leads him to betray Banquo and have him killed, I will talk about how Fleance's survival might actually be a reward to Banquo's loyalty.

Yes, Banquo died but his son, again, a link to James the first as his kind of sons are ancestors of King James the first, it shows that actually loyalty will be rewarded, ultimately.

And then I'll talk about the end of the play and how Macbeth's isolation, his hallucination, the ghosts and his death are all an apocalyptic warning against disloyalty.

This is not just saying, "Oh, if you're disloyal some bad things may happen." They're saying, "If you are disloyal, the worst things will happen." Pause the video, have a couple of minutes discussion and think about what else you could include here.

(mouse clicks) Okay, we're gonna start by doing some writing about Banquo by thinking about doing an introduction, writing a really good introduction to this question.

So an introduction is constructed of three sentences.

A sentence about the text as a whole, a sentence which focuses on the theme or the character in question, and your thesis statement, your overarching argument.

(mouse clicks) We're gonna put this into practise, I'm gonna have a go and then you are gonna have a go.

So let's see what this looks like.

So looking at the question, starting with act one, scene three, explore how Shakespeare uses Banquo to present the theme of loyalty, what would a really good introduction look like here? So let's start with a sentence about the play as a whole.

William Shakespeare's 1666 tragic play, Macbeth offers an almost apocalyptic warning to subjects who are not loyal to their king.

So a general sentence about what the play's about in general.

In act one, scene three, Macbeth and Banquo's contrasting reactions to the witches prophecies foreshadow Macbeth's future treachery.

So I'm gonna bring in the character of Banquo here in my second line.

and my overarching thesis, my thesis statement, my overarching argument; through Banquo and Macbeth's turbulent relationship, Shakespeare warns of the terrible consequences of being disloyal.

So what I'm saying here is my whole essay is going to be about how Shakespeare uses the relationship between Banquo and Macbeth to talk about the consequences of being disloyal.

(mouse clicks) Over to you now, you are gonna have a go at writing your own three part introduction.

Use these questions to help you as you're writing.

Do you start with an overarching sentence about the text as a whole? Does your second sentence focus on the theme or the character in the question? And do you have a clear overarching thesis argument? Pause the video, give it a go, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, and now moving on to our final task of the lesson.

We are gonna plan and write a paragraph in response to the essay question that we have been looking at.

So let's have a look at the success criteria.

Well, first of all, you need to do your planning.

So we're gonna use a single paragraph outline to plan.

You should have used one of these before, if not, go back and look at lesson two where we cover how to use these.

But make sure you spend three to five minutes planning your response before you start writing.

Let's see what else we should expect to see in your paragraph once you start writing it.

So your topic sentence should link to the question, and it should link to your thesis statement that you practise writing in your introduction a moment ago.

It should include keywords like Banquo, loyalty, and probably should make some reference to Macbeth as well.

(mouse clicks) Throughout your response, I want to see some analysis of language, formal structure.

So you might be analysing quotes, you might be talking about some structural devices like asides or constructs or foils.

(mouse clicks) You want to make sure context is woven throughout the response, so make sure you are really focused on Shakespeare's purpose.

(mouse clicks) Make sure any quotations that you use are used judiciously, and they are embedded into your response.

(mouse clicks) And finally, you need to make sure you have a sharp focus throughout on Banquo in relation to Macbeth and the theme of loyalty.

So pause the video, give yourself plenty of time to plan and write, and press play when you are ready to have a little bit of feedback.

(mouse clicks) Okay, well done.

I know writing for any length of time is never easy, but I'm really pleased with the quality of work we were doing there.

So now I want us to take a step back, do a bit of self-reflection and see how we felt the work went there.

So I want you to look at your work and I want you to try and identify where have you planned your work before writing? So make sure you've done that planning before you started.

I'd like you to also think about where you've used a topic sentence, which is closely linked to the question.

I want you to find evidence of where you've used your paragraph to include analysis of language, formal structure.

I want you to think about where you've used context to support your inferences, your knowledge of maybe Shakespeare's purpose, or the time when it was written.

(mouse clicks) I want you to find evidence that you've used quotations judiciously, and that they've been properly embedded into your paragraphs.

(mouse clicks) And I would like you to find examples where your essay has that tight focus, your, sorry, your paragraph has that tight focus on the essay question.

Okay, so pause the video, look back over your work, and assess it and see how well you've done in comparison to today's success criteria.

(mouse clicks) Okay, well done everyone for today's hard work, a tricky topic, but you are doing so, so well.

So let's just summarise what we have learned today.

From the start of the play, Banquo is used as a foil to Macbeth.

We see that his loyalty contrasts with Macbeth's own ambition.

(mouse clicks) We know that Banquo is an ancestor of King James the first, so Banquo is used as an exemplar, he's used to show how royalty should behave and how they should always follow the chivalric code.

We also know that Banquo plays a really important part in Macbeth's downfall, and we know particularly it's his son, Fleance, who fuels Macbeth's paranoia.

And his ghost, Banquo's ghost, drives Macbeth to isolation.

(mouse clicks) And finally Banquo's narrative arc, his whole story, and including the survival of his son, Fleance, serve as a warning against disloyal behaviour, but also there's a reward for people who behave with loyalty like Banquo does.

So that is all for today's lesson.

I would like to remind you there is a quiz to test your knowledge, to check your understanding, please give that a go.

It would be fantastic to see you pick up the lessons tomorrow with the fourth lesson in this unit.

Well done for doing a fantastic job, and see you all soon.