Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name's Mrs. Riley and I'm here today to teach you this lesson, which is part of our unit on Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." In our lesson today, we'll be doing some planning and some writing, and we're going to be writing the final section of a soliloquy.

So let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to plan and write the closing thoughts of Macbeth's soliloquy.

Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

I'm going to say each one and I'd like you to repeat it back to me.

Are you ready? Soliloquy.

Rhetorical question.

Figurative language.

Non-finite clause.

Let's see what these words mean.

A soliloquy is an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.

So it's like a long speech that a character in a play might give, but they're not talking, they're not in a conversation with someone, they're just kind of speaking their thoughts aloud.

A rhetorical question is a question asked to the reader that does not expect an answer.

Figurative language is the use of simile, metaphor, and personification to create vivid imagery.

A non-finite clause is a type of subordinate clause that can start with a verb in the progressive tense.

Now that's a lot of information there.

Don't worry, we are going to go through each of these things in our lesson over and over again, so you're gonna feel really comfortable with what each of those words means as the lesson goes on.

So in our lesson today, we have two learning cycles.

First, we're going to plan the closing thoughts of our soliloquy, the final section.

And then in the second learning cycle we'll be writing and we'll be able to use all our brilliant planning from the first learning cycle to make our writing hopefully feel really nice and easy.

So just a reminder that we have written or we will write our soliloquy in these three sections.

Hopefully you've already written the first two, but don't worry if you haven't.

So, reasons against killing Duncan was the first section, reasons for killing Duncan was the second section, and then the closing thoughts, which includes the visualisation of the dagger.

That just means when he thinks he sees a dagger.

So there we go, we've got the images to help.

So that first section was when Macbeth was saying, "I can't kill Duncan.

I'm a loyal subject and he's been so good to me." Then he's thinking of all the reasons he should.

"Oh, I would be so powerful.

Lady Macbeth will be really happy if I do." And then the final section is where he makes his mind up, and one of the big things that helps make his mind up is that dagger.

So we've done these first two sections and today we're going to plan and write the final section.

So Macbeth has already gone through all the reasons that he should not and should kill Duncan.

We know that he's facing that internal conflict and doesn't know what to do, so that's why he's kind of weighing up the options.

He's saying, "What if I did this and what if I did this?" He's thinking his decision through out loud in his soliloquy.

Now, towards the end of the scene, Macbeth thinks he sees a dagger.

So there's not actually a dagger, but he thinks he sees one.

And he sees this as another supernatural sign telling him that he should kill Duncan.

The first supernatural sign was the witch's prophecies.

So he sees this as another kind of magical sign that's telling him what he should do.

The act ends with Macbeth deciding he will kill Duncan.

So let's just remind ourselves of this scene in the play.

So here we have in italics the stage directions.

"Night.

The great hall of the castle.

All is quiet.

A flickering light appears.

Macbeth, with a servant, bearing a torch.

They halt," that means stop.

Macbeth says, "Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready, she strike upon the bell." This is another stage direction.

"The servant departs," that means leaves, "leaving the torch to glimmer on the spears and shields that hang upon the wall.

Its light, reflected on the polished surfaces, seems to form the shapes of daggers." Macbeth says, "Is this a dagger which I see before me? I have thee not.

A dagger of the mind? A false creation?" "Faintly there is the sound of a bell.

Macbeth draws breath sharply." "I go, and it is done.

The bell invites me.

Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell." Okay, so what creates the image of the dagger? Is it A, Duncan's sword? B, shadows on the wall formed by spears and shields? C, the witch's wand? Or D, Lady Macbeth's candle? What creates the image of the dagger before Macbeth? Pause the video now.

Well done, it is the shadows on the wall formed by the spears and shields.

So the dagger isn't real, it's like a shadow that's formed, but he is kind of, I think because by this stage he's probably going a little bit mad because he's got this big decision weighing heavily upon him, he thinks it is a real dagger.

So let's think now about what features we will include in this closing of our soliloquy.

We will use first person perspective because we are pretending to be Macbeth.

So we're not going to say, "Macbeth saw a dagger." We're going to say, "I can see a dagger." We're going to use present tense because his thoughts are happening now.

We're not going to say, "I felt so confused." We're going to say, "I feel so confused." I'm wondering if that's the best example.

Would Macbeth say, "I felt so confused"? Let's think of a better example.

We're not going to say, "My mind was in turmoil." We're going to say, "My mind is in turmoil." Thoughts and feelings.

So how does he feel when he sees that dagger? We're going to use rhetorical questions, that's one of our keywords and we're going to go through those later in the lesson.

We're going to use figurative language.

And again, we're going to look at those closely in the rest of the lesson.

And non-finite clauses, which again we're going to focus on later, so don't worry if you're thinking, "Oh, I'm not sure what any of those mean." And we're going to include his final decision to kill Duncan.

In the playscript that we just read, the last bit was when he heard a bell and he said that the bell summoned him, it was like the bell was calling him, and he said, "Hear it not, Duncan, for it summons you to Heaven or to Hell." It's like his way of saying, "Don't hear that bell, Duncan, because that's probably the last thing you're going to hear because I am about to come and kill you," and who knows whether he would go to Heaven and Hell.

So the act ends there, so that's gonna leave the audience feeling really tense because he's made this big decision finally, after really not knowing what to do, he's made his decision but he hasn't carried it through yet, so the audience are gonna be left at the end of the act on the edge of their seats.

Okay, so what features will we include in our soliloquy? Figurative language, rhetorical questions, commands, direct speech using inverted commas.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

We are going to use figurative language like metaphors and similes.

We are going to use rhetorical questions.

We are not going to use commands and we are not using any inverted commas for speech because we don't use inverted commas in playscripts.

So in the closing of the soliloquy, we will use a range of figurative language to describe the dagger and Macbeth's thoughts.

Let's just focus now on what figurative language is.

So there are many types of figurative language.

One of the types is personification.

Can you just practise saying that word? My turn, your turn.

Personification.

Well done, personification gives human characteristics to non-human things.

Let's see an example.

"How can I stop these thoughts crowding my mind?" Now if we think of something crowding, that's something we would imagine a human might do.

Ah, all these people are crowding around me.

We wouldn't really imagine thoughts would be able to crowd something, and therefore we are giving thoughts, which is thing, a human characteristics.

How can I stop these thoughts crowding my mind? It would be a bit like me looking at my cup of tea here and imagine it's got hot chocolate in it and I'm really trying not to drink any hot chocolate because I've given it up for some reason, and I could say, "Oh, the hot chocolate was winking at me." Now obviously this cup of hot chocolate can't actually wink at me.

That's something a human could do.

But I'm giving it human characteristics, it's called personification.

A simile, let's just say that, simile, well done, a simile involves comparing two things using the words like and as.

For example, "The dagger before me hangs in the air like a shadowy omen, leading me to a fate I cannot escape." In this example, the dagger is being compared to a shadowy omen, using that word like.

A metaphor, my turn, your turn.

Metaphor.

Well done.

Now this time it compares two things, saying that one thing is another.

Metaphor is always the type of figurative language that I find most difficult.

I find it easier writing a simile because I can always use like and as and think, "Okay, what could I say? The dagger is glinting in the shadows like a luminous torch, or something." But a metaphor doesn't use like or as, it just says that one thing is another.

So let's have an example.

"The dagger before me is the key to my destiny, unlocking the door to my downfall." So actually metaphors, I always, like I said, find them a bit more difficult, but in some ways they're actually easier because we're just saying one thing is another.

So another example of this would be if we were describing the snow, if we were going to do a simile, we could say, "The snow was like a blanket." That's as simile because we're saying the snow is like a blanket, we're comparing them by saying it's like something.

If I was going to turn that into a metaphor, I would just say, "A blanket of snow." I'm not saying it's like a blanket, I'm just calling it a blanket.

Blanket of snow, that would be a metaphor.

Okay, let's move on.

So could you match the figurative language type to its definition? We've got metaphor, simile, and personification.

Could you read the definitions and match those up? Pause the video now.

Well done, a metaphor compares two things by saying one thing is another.

A simile compares two things using like or as.

Personification assigns human characteristics to non-human things.

So now we're going to turn our attention onto non-finite clauses because we know that this is something we're going to try and include today in our soliloquies.

So a non-finite clause is a type of subordinate clause that can start with a verb in a progressive tense.

That's a lot of information, so let's break that down a little bit.

Here are some examples.

Crowding my mind.

Filling me with courage.

Consuming my thoughts.

Leading me to my destiny.

Now we can see straight away that this is a type of subordinate clause because they don't make sense by themselves.

We can't have a sentence just that says, "Crowding my mind," full stop.

So this is a type of subordinate clause, it needs to be paired with a main clause in order to make sense.

We can see the verbs that are progressive tense verb with an -ing suffix.

All of those verbs are in purple.

Crowding, filling, consuming, and leading.

So they all start with those -ing verbs, that which is the progressive tense verb.

We can see they don't make sense on their own, and they are a subordinate clause.

True or false? The following group of words is a non-finite clause.

Murdering Duncan is a bad idea.

Pause the video, is that true or false? Well done if you spotted it's false.

Which of these would be a better justification for your answer? Read them both carefully and decide which you choose.

Pause the video now.

Well done, the correct answer is A.

This cannot be a non-finite clause because it is a main clause that makes complete sense on its own.

It was a little bit of a trick because it does start with a verb in the progressive tense, murdering.

But the reason we know it's not a non-finite clause is because this is a main clause, it makes sense on its own.

So we know that any subordinate clause must be joined to a main clause to make complete sense.

So as you can see there in that picture, we've got subordinate clause, which is like the hero's helper, but it has to be with the main hero.

A non-finite clause can be placed first or second in a complex sentence.

Let's see what that looks like.

"Leading me to my destiny, the dagger draws me in." The main clause is "the dagger draws me in." That makes sense on its own.

The non-finite clause is "leading me to my destiny." It this sentence, it goes before the main clause.

But we can also do this.

"The dagger draws me in," then the non-finite, "leading me to my destiny." Here's another example.

"Tempting me like a serpent, the dagger shows me what I must do." "The dagger shows me what I must do, tempting me like a serpent." And as you can see in all of these examples, whether the main clause comes first or the non-finite clause, we always have a comma to separate them.

Okay, I'm going to do an activity and then you are going to do the same thing.

First it's my turn, so we're gonna switch roles.

You are going to be the teacher and decide if you think I'm doing this task correctly.

Okay, so I will read the main clause.

Okay, so I'm gonna be given a main clause.

I will pick a progressive verb, that's an -ing verb, from the word bank.

Oh, there's the word bank, okay.

Leading, tempting, drawing, enticing.

Yes, they all end in -ing.

I will think of a non-finite clause that starts with the verb to say a complex sentence.

So I'm gonna pick one of those verbs and then think of a non-finite clause.

Right, so here's my main clause.

What is this dagger? Yeah, that makes sense by itself.

Okay, so pick a progressive verb.

I'm going to pick drawing.

What is this dagger drawing or what could it be drawing me to? Drawing me closer to my.

Drawing me closer to my destiny.

"What is this dagger drawing me closer to my destiny?" Now of course I'd need a comma, so, "What is this dagger, drawing me closer to my destiny?" There we go, and then there's a question mark at the end 'cause that's a rhetorical question.

How did I get on? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Oh, I'm seeing lots of thumbs up, good.

Okay, your turn now.

So you're going to read the main clause that's gonna be given to you.

Pick a progressive verb from that word bank.

You've got glinting, seeming, or luring, which means kind of like it's dragging you in.

Think of a non-finite clause that starts with that verb that you've chosen to say a complex sentence.

So you're not writing, you're just saying it out loud.

Here's your main clause, "I see a dagger." So you now are going to choose, "I see a dagger, glinting something, something, something," seeming or luring.

Think of your non-finite clause and say your full sentence.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Here's an example of what you might have written.

"I see a dagger, glinting in the shadows." Or you might have said, "Seeming to float before me, I see a dagger." So first example, the main clause comes first, and in the second example, the main clause comes second.

They're both separated by a comma.

Okay, it's time for your first task.

I would like you to draw a sketch of the dagger.

Now, a sketch is something that shouldn't take you long.

This isn't an art lesson, this is an English lesson, so I reckon you could just do a quick sketch in about 10 seconds to a minute, okay? So a really quick little sketch of the dagger, it doesn't matter how good it is.

Then you're going to annotate your dagger, your drawing, with each of these.

A simile, a metaphor, personification, and a non-finite clause.

And all of these can then be put straight in your writing in learning cycle two, so we're thinking all of these things are going to be on your success criteria.

So if you've got all of these on a plan, it means that you can put them in your writing and then you will meet everything on your success criteria.

So here's an example.

There's my sketch of the dagger and I have, you might for example write, "Flickers like a snake's tongue." And then I would be able to tick a simile because I'm comparing the dagger to a snake's tongue using that word like, okay? So pause the video now while you complete this task, good luck.

Okay, well done.

Here are some examples of what you might written around your dagger.

So there we have another example of a simile.

"Glints like a beacon, guiding me." Here is a metaphor.

"The dagger is a cursed symbol of my fate." I'm not saying it is like a cursed symbol, that would be a simile.

I'm saying the dagger is a cursed symbol of my fate, therefore it's a metaphor, so I could tick that.

Here's personification, "It mocks me as I try to ignore it." So I'm giving it human characteristics.

A dagger can't actually mock you, but we're giving it to those human characteristics, which is personification.

And finally, here's a non-finite clause.

"Illuminating the path to my destiny." We've got that progressive tense verb ending in -ing, illuminating the path to my destiny.

So all of those things now can be put straight into my writing to make an incredible ending to my soliloquy.

If you would like to steal any of those ideas and write them on your plan, then you can pause the video and do that now.

Okay, well done.

It's now time for our second learning cycle, which is our writing section.

Now, before we move on, can we all just have a quick movement break? Maybe you might wanna do a stretch, maybe you might wanna have a little bit of a wiggle around, maybe you might wanna take a deep breath in and out.

Okay, and we're gonna warm up our fingers a little bit for our writing.

Okay, here we go.

So, before we write, we're just going to remind ourselves of what a rhetorical question is.

Hopefully you know now 'cause we've been using these a lot in this unit so far.

But if not, don't worry, here's a reminder.

So soliloquies often include rhetorical questions, which are questions that do not expect an answer.

Here's an example.

"Could I commit such a heinous crime?" This is a rhetorical question because it does not expect an answer.

This is not a rhetorical question.

"Duncan, where are you?" Because this expects an answer.

For example, Duncan might say, "I'm down here." Rhetorical questions do all of these.

They draw the audience in, inviting them to reflect on the character's thoughts and dilemmas.

They convey the internal conflicts and uncertainties of the character.

They emphasise the key points in the character's argument.

And they persuade the character and the audience to see a certain point.

So which of the following do you think are rhetorical questions? Remember, they do not expect an answer.

"What is this dagger I see before me?" "Banquo, are you there?" "Is this dagger real, or is my mind playing tricks on me?" "Has Duncan retired to his chamber yet?" Pause the video and decide which of these are rhetorical questions now.

Okay, well done.

So A, "What is this dagger I see before me?" is a rhetorical question because it doesn't need an answer.

"Banquo, are you there?" This isn't a rhetorical question because it needs an answer.

"Is this dagger real, or is my mind playing tricks on me?" This is a rhetorical question, it does not need an answer.

"Has Duncan retired to his chamber yet?" Chamber is like old-fashioned way of saying bedroom.

This is not a rhetorical question because it would need an answer.

Somebody could answer, "Yes, he has," or, "No, he hasn't." So let's remind ourselves of some general things that we always try to do when we write.

We always plan and say each sentence before we write it.

It's really important.

Otherwise, we might start writing a sentence and then not know how to end it.

So we always, using our plan, think of the whole sentence and say it out loud before we write it.

We always use punctuation where we know the rules.

Remember all those things like commas, full stops, they're really important.

We're gonna showcase each sentence type we know.

If you know how to, for example, include a non-finite clause, then show off, show to me that you can use it.

We're going to try and write letters neatly on the line in joined handwriting.

We're going to use spelling strategies to spell words accurately.

We're going to check and improve our writing when we think we have finished.

Here is your success criteria for your writing today.

I have written in the first person perspective using words like I, me, and my.

Remember, today you are Macbeth.

I have included rhetorical questions, those questions that don't need an answer with a question mark at the end.

I have included figurative language.

For example, a metaphor, a simile, and personification.

And I have included a non-finite clause, that type of subordinate clause starting with a progressive tense verb, an -ing.

Do you agree with Laura or Jacob? Why? Laura says, "I'm going to describe the dagger using lots of figurative language and end my soliloquy with Macbeth making up his mind to kill Duncan.

This will be so exciting." Jacob says, "I'm going to describe the reasons for and against killing Duncan and end the soliloquy with Macbeth still feeling undecided." Who do you agree with and why? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Here's a possible answer you could have said.

"I agree with Laura.

We've already given the reasons for and against killing Duncan.

Now we need to describe the dagger and Macbeth's mind being made up." Let's look at a model section.

I'm going to read the whole section to you, and then we're going to go through the success criteria together.

Now, this is an example of what you are going to write in a minute, so make sure you're really focused.

You might be able to steal some ideas for your own writing.

Okay, here we go, so now I am Macbeth.

"What is this I see before my eyes? Can this be real? Is this dagger another sign, pointing me in the direction of my wicked destiny? These wretched thoughts are.

." Where have I got to? "These wretched thoughts are tightening their grip around me, smothering my mind.

Go, dagger, go.

No, I must not ignore this cursed symbol of my fate.

The dagger flickers before my eyes like a hypnotist luring me in.

I will go.

Duncan, I am coming for you.

." I've got there an ellipsis where we have a dot dot dot.

Okay, so let's go through my success criteria now.

Have I used first person perspective? Let's have a look.

Oh, yes, look.

I can see there in all of those words I have used I, me, my.

Okay, so I can give that a tick.

Have I used rhetorical questions? Yes, look, I can see here I've got three in the very beginning.

"What is this I see before my eyes? Can this be real? Is this dagger another sign, pointing me in the direction of my wicked destiny?" So I've got three rhetorical questions at the very start, so I can give that a tick, and all of them have a question mark at the end.

Okay, figurative language, let's have a look.

So, "These wretched thoughts are tightening their grip around me." That would be an example of which one? Can anyone shout out? Yeah, personification, because thoughts can't actually tighten their grip around me, but we're giving those thoughts human characteristics, so there's personification.

So in this next one we've got, "No, I must not ignore this cursed symbol of fate." So that's a metaphor, I'm saying the dagger is a cursed symbol of my fate.

And then I've got a simile, "The dagger flicks before my eyes like a hypnotist." So I'm comparing the dagger to a hypnotist using the word like, so I can give figurative language a tick.

Non-finite clause, let's have a look.

Can I see any -ing verbs? Oh yes, here we go.

"Pointing me in the direction of my wicked destiny, smothering my mind, luring me in." So the three progressive tense verbs are pointing, smothering, luring, all of them end in -ing.

All of those non-finite clauses come after the main clause and they all have a comma to separate them from the main clause.

So yes, I can give that a tick as well.

So now it's your turn to write.

Use your success criteria to help you and don't forget that plan, picture of your dagger with all those incredible ideas written around it.

Take those ideas and put them into a full sentence straight into your writing.

I think this piece of writing is going to be incredible.

You are so well prepared.

You've got your success criteria and your plan to help you, and this is the final part of writing we are going to do in this unit, so let's make it the best writing we can possibly do.

Let's be really ambitious like Macbeth is.

Okay, pause the video now and good luck with your final section of your soliloquy.

Okay, well done.

So I would now like you to read your writing out loud to check for mistakes.

I always find it easier to check for mistakes when I read it out loud than reading it in my head.

And as you do that, if you haven't done it already, just tick your success criteria to see if you have completed each area.

And perhaps if you think, "Oh, actually, I haven't included a non-finite clause," maybe you could just add one in.

So just spend a little bit of time just reading and checking and perhaps improving your work.

Pause the video now.

Well done, hopefully you feel really proud of what you've achieved today and hopefully you were able to tick off all of those different things on the success criteria.

Let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've learned that soliloquies are used in plays to show the audience how a character is feeling.

We can use plans and success criteria when writing to be writing as successful as possible.

Writers can use figurative language to paint pictures in the reader or audience's mind.

Writers can use non-finite clauses to create text flow in their writing, to have a variation of sentences.

Rhetorical questions can show that a character is in turmoil, that idea that they've got that internal conflict.

So well done, we have now completed our soliloquies.

We've created some incredible writing together and you should feel really pleased with yourselves.

Hopefully I'll see you for some more learning another time.

Well done for all your hard work today.