Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

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

We're gonna be looking at the play, "Macbeth" in the unit, "Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain." We're gonna dive into Act 3, Scene 4.

I'm really looking forward to hearing all your fantastic ideas.

I'm gonna be your support and guide throughout this lesson.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to explain how Shakespeare uses language to reveal Lady Macbeth's diminishing power over Macbeth.

We're gonna look carefully at what she says to him in Act 3, Scene 4.

We're gonna look at his reaction to it, and in that way, we're gonna be able to understand how her power has diminished over her husband.

We're going to reference some key words throughout this lesson to help us achieve our objective.

They are appearance versus reality, emasculate, legitimate, diminishes, blunt.

The definitions of these words are gonna come up one at a time on the next slide.

If you want to spend more time with our keywords and their definitions, pause them at the end of the next slide.

So our lesson outline for today.

We're gonna start by looking at the theme of appearances versus reality in Act 3, Scene 4.

And then we're gonna finish off today's lesson looking at Lady Macbeth's diminishing power in learning cycle two.

Let's start off with a theme of appearances versus reality in Act 3, Scene 4.

Here's a summary of Act 3, Scene 4.

Macbeth, King of Scotland welcomes his subjects for a feast.

He says to them, "the hearty welcome.

Ourself will play the humble host." As the feast begins, Macbeth has a private conversation with the murderers he hired to kill Banquo and Fleance.

The first murderer says to him, "his throat is cut." He means Banquo's throat.

Banquo's throat is cut.

The murderers have to reveal though that Fleance escaped.

And Macbeth says, in response to this news, "then comes my fit again.

I had else been perfect." I'd like you to discuss this question.

How does Macbeth appear before his guests? And what is the reality of how he's feeling? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some lovely discussions there exploring this theme, and you are absolutely right that in front of his guests, he has to appear the noble monarch.

He says "the hearty welcome." So he's very pleased that all of his guests have come and he's trying to show that he's a good monarch by saying "I will be the humble host" even though I have a higher status than all of you.

I will welcome you, I will serve you in my castle.

But in reality, he's incredibly stressed.

He's stressed because he knows that Fleance has escaped.

So he's stressed because he thinks my legacy is not secure.

The witch's told Banquo that his son's would be king and they wanted to have his son killed.

That didn't work.

So perhaps the witch's prophecy will come true.

My legacy is not secure.

But lots of you also said he's probably distressed or stressed because he's having to have a public persona.

But at the same time, he's having a private conversation with some murderers.

So he is having to speak in two different ways in the same space.

It was really nice to hear you thinking about the staging of this and where the murderers would be and where all the guests would be.

The scene continues, lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to sit down so that they can start the feast.

And during the feast, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost and he's extremely distressed.

He says, "thou canst say I did it, never shake thy gory bloody locks at me." His bloody hair, "never shake thy gory locks at me." No one else can see Banquo's ghost.

So Lennox, another thane says "what is it that moves your highness?" Why are you so upset? I'd like you to discuss this question.

How might Macbeth's guests feel seeing their monarch like this? Pause a video and discuss this question now.

Fantastic discussions Looking at this section of this scene, and the word that I heard most often was confused, that they would be confused that their monarch at this feast, which is meant to be a happy occasion, seems so visibly distressed.

But some of you also said maybe they would feel quite suspicious.

We know that banquo felt quite suspicious of Macbeth's ascension to the throne.

And we know that Macduff is not at this feast as suspicious of Macbeth and his reign.

So perhaps there's a kind of mixed feeling of confusion and suspicious, especially because Macbeth seems to be speaking some of his fears, "thou canst say I did it.

Never shake thy gory locks at me." That's quite an incriminating sentence.

What is it that he did and why is he looking at bloody hair, that might fuel some of these suspicions that his guests have.

The scene continues.

Lady Macbeth tries to stop Macbeth shouting and trembling by emasculating him.

She says "are you a man? You look but on a stool." She can't see banquet's ghost either.

Seeing Macbeth can't stop being visibly distressed, she ends the feast prematurely.

"Go at once," she says to their guests.

I'd like you to discuss Lady Macbeth has emasculated her husband before in Act 1, Scene 7, how is this time different? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Lovely to hear people referring to earlier in the play with such ease.

So you're showing your depth of knowledge of this play.

So in Act 1, Scene 7, lady Macbeth emasculated Macbeth because he refused to kill King Duncan.

He said "we shall proceed no further in this business." And Lady Macbeth used emasculation emotional blackmail in order to goad him into regicide.

And at the end of the scene he says "I am settled.

I bend up to this terrible feat." He agrees to murder King Duncan because of Lady Macbeth's emasculation.

But here, lots of you noticed well, it didn't work because Macbeth continues to be visibly distressed and she has to send their guests away.

So the same language really emasculating him, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on her husband this time.

The scene ends.

And as the scene ends, we hear that Macbeth worries that "blood will have blood." He reveals that he keeps spies in each of his Thanes households.

"There's not one of them, but in his house I keep a servant fee'd." And he decides to go and see the three witches to ask them for insights about the future.

Now, Aisha read this scene and she said look, "I think Shakespeare uses Act 3, Scene 4 to reveal how fragile Macbeth's grip on power is.

He appears the noble monarch, but in reality he's riddled with doubts and fears." I'd like you to discuss what do you think led Aisha to this argument? Pause the video, reflect on Act 3, Scene 4, and discuss the question now.

Some really lovely discussions there looking at this scene, a lot of detail and selecting brilliant evidence, which would really support Aisha's argument.

So lots of you started with that first clause of the sentence.

He appears at the noble monarch and saying well, at the beginning holding this feast, he says a hearty welcome to everyone And he wants to play the host.

But this moment in the scene is very quickly undermined by his conversation with the murderers.

He's worried about his legacy.

And so he has Banquo and he tries to have Fleance killed.

And then lots of you looked at later in the scene.

Well, his grip on power is very fragile because he's now exposed and his innermost worries, his fear that the killing of Duncan, the regicide was a terrible thing to do.

The fear of killing Banquo was a terrible thing to do.

And he's looked at the ghost and said "thou canst say I did it.

Never shake thy gory locks at me." So he seems to be admitting the way in which he got to power and also his fear about the way in which he has achieved power.

And then looking at the fears he has about Banquo, some of you extended that and said well, it's not just this thing.

It's not just Banquo that he's worried about.

Look at the end of the scene, his paranoia stretches to all of his subjects.

He says "there's not one of them, but in his house, I keep a servant fee'd." So instead of being a noble monarch who trusts his subjects, is loved by them, is admired by them, he instead is paranoid and so spies on them.

And lots of people also focused on the end, which I think is one of the most shocking moments in the play.

I always wait for it when I'm reading it or watching it in performance.

He decides to go and see the three witches and some fantastic contextual knowledge came through here.

People saying that this is a very strange thing, a shocking thing for a monarch to do to rely on the supernatural, especially for the plays first Jacobian audiences who would have really believed in witches and their malevolent power.

So his decision to go and see them rather than in Act 1, Scene 3, when they just appeared to him, is a really, really shocking moment.

A quick check for understanding.

I'd like you to read each sentence stem and then match those sentence stems to its ending.

Pause the video, match the sentence stems to their endings now.

Well done for grappling with those sentences.

Congratulations if you said in Acts 3, Scene 4, Macbeth appears a legitimate monarch because he's holding an important feast.

In Act 3, Scene 4, Macbeth appears the legitimate monarch, but in reality, his mind is occupied with his uncertain future, not his guests.

In Act 3, Scene 4, Macbeth appears the legitimate monarch.

So Lady Macbeth orders their guests away when he can't control his reaction to Banquo's ghost.

So I'd like you to use the plot points from Act 3, Scene 4 to explain how appearances at the feast differ from reality.

Let's look at the plot points.

Macbeth appears a respected and noble warrior and the reality, I'd like you to consider his private conversation at the start of the scene with the murderers.

Macbeth appears united with his wife and queen.

The reality, I'd like you to consider Lady Macbeth's emasculation and its effect.

And finally, Macbeth is a legitimate monarch who cares about his subjects.

Let's look at the reality.

I'd like you to consider how the scene ends.

What does it reveal about his reign? Pause the video and using the plot points from Act 3, Scene 4, explain how appearances of the feast differ from reality.

Pause the video now.

Lovely to hear people looking at that scene in such detail and also exploring this incredibly important theme for the play as a whole.

Here are some ideas that you might have had.

So the appearance, Macbeth is a respected and noble warrior.

The reality, he's no longer fighting enemies nobly on the battlefield, but asking murderers to kill for him and to kill his friend and a child.

The appearance, Macbeth is united with his wife and queen, but actually he's no longer affected by his wife's emasculation and trusts the witches, not her to give advice.

And finally, Macbeth is a legitimate monarch who cares about his subjects.

Well, he killed his king, so he isn't a legitimate monarch and he spies on his subjects rather than trusts them.

Fantastic at looking at that theme of appearance versus reality and selecting really precise examples of where Shakespeare explores this theme.

Let's move on to our second learning cycle.

We're going to look now at Lady Macbeth diminishing power in Act 3, Scene 4.

Remember at the end of his soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth, "we will proceed no further in this business." And he resolves not to commit to regicide.

Lots of you mentioned that in our first learning cycle.

But Lady Macbeth emasculates him, goading him into the crime.

And this is how the scene ends.

Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, "I'm settled and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat." I'd like you to discuss what does Macbeth's decision in Act 1, Scene 7 tell you about the power of Lady Macbeth's emasculating language? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Really nice to hear people reflecting on an earlier moment in the play.

And absolutely Lady Macbeth's emasculating language is incredibly powerful.

She manages to persuade her husband in a very short section, a very short conversation to commit one of the most terrible crimes that you could commit, regicide, to kill his king.

And she manages to do this just through the power of her emasculating language.

In Act 3, Scene 4, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, a king and queen, and hosting a feast.

Macbeth says "at first and last, the hearty welcome." We looked at this in learning cycle one.

And Macbeth, having just heard news of Banquo's murder, sees Banquo's ghost among the guests.

We know that Macbeth said, "thou canst say I did it.

Never shake thy gory locks at me." He also says "horrible shadow." That is how he defines the ghost.

His terrified reaction threatens to reveal the regicide.

And Lady Macbeth tries to calm him down using the same emasculating language.

She thinks this tactic worked before, perhaps it will work again.

Let's read this section of Act 3, Scene 4, so we can have a look at her emasculating language in a bit more detail.

Lady Macbeth says, "are you a man? This is the very painting of your fear.

Banquo's ghost is the very painting of your fear.

This is the air-drawn dagger, which you said led you to Duncan.

O, these flaws and starts, imposters to true fear would well become a woman's story at a winter's fire, authorised by her grandam.

Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all's done, you look but on a stool." I'd like you to discuss this very powerful section from Act 3, Scene 4, a fantastic language here.

I'd like you to discuss how does Lady Macbeth emasculate Macbeth.

And consider how she weaponizes his past experiences, how she minimises what he sees, and how her blunt speech emphasises her anger.

Pause the video, discuss these questions, looking at this short section of Lady best speech from Act 3, Scene 4.

Pause the video now.

Some fantastic discussions there about this very rich section of language and I heard lots of people using keywords from today's lesson as well to support them with their analysis.

Here are some ideas that you might have had.

Lady Macbeth says, "are you a man? Shame itself! Why do you make such faces?" Her questions and exclamations are blunt and aggressive, designed to jolt Macbeth out of his frenzy.

She says "this is the very painting of your fear.

This is the air-drawn dagger, which you said led you to Duncan." She undermines him by weaponizing a previous experience.

She describes the dagger as 'air-drawn' showing its foolish to be scared of it, calling the ghost 'the very painting of your fear' suggests Macbeth's fear is unfounded.

"O, these flaws and starts," she says, "imposters to true fear would well become a woman's story at a winter's fire, authorised by her grandam." She likens Macbeth to a woman naively believing a scary story told by her grandmother.

And finally, "when all's done, you look but on a stool." She's blunt, no longer uses metaphor, 'the painting of your fear', or adjectives, the 'air-drawn dagger' to undermine him.

She merely states that he's scared of a seat.

So some very aggressive emasculating language, which she believes will work because in Act 1, Scene 7, she managed to use the same style of language to push him into regicide.

Here are two key moments from the end of the scene.

So Lady Macbeth has had her emasculating language.

Let's look at two key moments from the end of the scene.

First of all, lady Macbeth has to send the guests away.

"At once, good night.

Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once," she says.

And Macbeth resolves to see the witches.

"I will to-morrow, to the weird sisters.

More shall they speak.

For now, I am bent to know by the worst means, the worst." Let's look at this first moment.

I'd like you to discuss how effective was Lady Macbeth's emasculation? Why does she send everyone away? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Lovely responses.

Lots of people saying it was not effective at all.

She has to send everyone away because Macbeth continues to be distressed.

He's not able to appear the noble monarch anymore, but instead seems very scared, is exposing his private self, his private fears.

So the emasculation was not effective, unlike in Act 1, Scene 7.

Let's look at the second moment.

So Macbeth resolves to go and see the three witches.

"I will to-morrow 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 who is Macbeth relying on and how does his language convey that he knows they should not be relied upon? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Beautiful discussions about this section of the scene, A really important section, a shocking moment as we discussed in learning cycle one.

So Macbeth is relying on the witches, which certainly for the place first Jacobian audiences would've been incredibly shocking for anyone to do, but especially a monarch.

And he calls them the worst.

He knows that they are evil, he knows that they are malevolent, but he wants to go and see them anyway.

So he knows they should not be relied upon.

But in his paranoid state, a state where he's spying on his Thanes, killing his friends, he's decided these are the people that I can only rely on now.

So looking at those two key moments and Lady Macbeth's emasculating speech, I'd like you to tell me, discuss how does the ending of Act 3, Scene 4 reveal Lady Macbeth's diminishing power? And you can use the quotations from each scene to support your discussion.

Remember, they were Act 1, Scene 7, Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, "I'm settled and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat." And in Act 3, Scene 4, Lady Macbeth says "at once, good night.

Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once." And Macbeth says "I will tomorrow to the weird sisters." So how does the ending of Act 3, Scene 4 reveal Lady Macbeth's diminishing power and use the quotations below to support your discussion.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful discussions there looking at key moments from across the play.

Here are some ideas that you might have had.

Lady Macbeth used the power, used to have the power to make Macbeth do the worst crime of all, regicide, but now she doesn't even have the power to stop him from reacting to something unsettling.

Lady Macbeth has to send their subjects away.

It's clear she doesn't have control over her husband.

Macbeth no longer relies on her judgement and advice, but the witches, even though he calls them the worst.

Beautiful discussion there, looking at two different moments from across the play.

A quick check for understanding.

How does Act 3, Scene 4 reveal Lady Macbeth's diminishing power over Macbeth? I'd like you to select two that apply.

Is it A, she emasculates him asking 'are you a man?' B, Macbeth is scared to 'look but on a stool.

' C, Macbeth resolves to ask the three Witches for advice.

Or D, Lady Macbeth has to send their guests away.

Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected C and D.

Now, a single paragraph outline is a way of planning for an essay question.

A single paragraph outline contains a topic sentence, bullet points supporting detail from the text, and a concluding summary sentence.

A student created a single paragraph outline to answer this question.

In what ways does Act 3, Scene 4 expose Lady Macbeth's diminishing power? This is their topic sentence.

They wrote "In Act 1, Shakespeare conveys the depth of Lady Macbeth's power.

Unafraid of regicide, she emasculates a hesitant Macbeth, bending her warrior husband to her will.

By Act 3, the Macbeths are monarchs, but status is not all that has changed.

Lady Macbeth power over Macbeth seems to have diminished." This was their concluding summary sentence.

"Ultimately, Shakespeare uses this scene and Lady Macbeth's language to suggest that the regicide has changed not just the Macbeths' status, but their relationship with each other, and Macbeth's relationship with himself." Really powerful opening sentence and a really nice summary sentence there.

Summing up their arguments and looking at Shakespeare's intentions.

I'd like you to discuss what do you think their supporting evidence might have been? So what evidence might have developed their paragraphs so that they could prove that their topic sentence was valid? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some really powerful conversations there showing your understanding of this essay question, well, in what ways does Act 3, Scene 4 expose Lady Macbeth diminishing power? Here are some ideas that you might have had.

They might have included in their supporting detail that when Lady Macbeth emasculates Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 7, calling him ' a feared', stating 'when you durst do it, then you were a man,' he responds saying he will commit the regicide.

'I'm settled.

' I had a lot of people using that nice short quotation.

In Act 3, Scene 4, she's more explicit.

'Are you a man?' And stating his distress is 'shame itself!' And I heard lots of people talking about the kind of journey of Lady Macbeth language that becomes even more explicit, even blunter in Act 3, Scene 4 than it has been in Act 1, Scene 7.

And her aggressive language is perhaps reflective that they're in a public space, so his distress is dangerous.

So some people thinking about appearances versus reality that we looked at in learning cycle one.

And finally, Macbeth's reaction shows Lady Macbeth's diminished power.

'I will to-morrow to the weird sisters.

' So he's going to rely on the witches and not Lady Macbeth.

Now I'd like you to create your own single paragraph outline, which would answer the question, in what ways does Act 3, Scene 4 expose Lady Macbeth's diminishing power? We've looked at an example topic sentence and summary sentence, and we've thought about some of the supporting detail that might be useful.

I'd like you now to take control of the single paragraph outline and use it to answer the question in what ways does Act 3, Scene 4 expose Lady Macbeth's diminishing power? Pause the video and complete the single paragraph outline now.

Beautiful to see people creating very powerful topic sentences and carefully crafted summary sentences along with some very judicious, well chosen supporting detail so that their plan for this question is very, very solid.

Before we celebrate some of your single paragraph outlines, I'd like you to self-assess using the questions below to guide you.

Do you have a clear topic sentence? Do you have three to four pieces of supporting detail? And do you have a summary sentence? Pause the video and reflect on your single paragraph outline using the questions below to guide you now.

Just as lovely to see people editing their work and assessing their work as it is to see them writing, such an important part of the planning and writing process.

It's been fantastic to hear all of the different ideas that you would use to explore this question.

How does Act 3, Scene 4 expose Lady Macbeth's diminishing power? In summary, in Act 3, Scene 4, we see the Macbeth's hold an important feast.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.

As in earlier scenes, lady Macbeth could be interpreted as trying to emasculate her husband.

However, Macbeth appears less susceptible to being manipulated by her emasculation.

Lady Macbeth appears to lose control over her husband.

Thank you so much for joining me for today's lesson.

It's been amazing to hear all of your beautiful ideas about this idea lady Macbeth's diminishing power.

I look forward to seeing you next time.