Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

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

We're in the unit Macbeth: Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain, and today we're going to be reading the second half of Act one and looking at the character of Lady Macbeth in a lot more detail.

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, you're going to be able to explain what happens in Act one, scenes five to seven of Macbeth.

We're gonna read these scenes of the play, we're gonna discuss them, and then we're going to look a little bit more carefully at the character of Lady Macbeth and consider how she's presented in these scenes.

There are gonna be some keywords which we're going to reference throughout this lesson, which are going to help us unlock our learning.

They are patriarchal, regicide, deceive, goad, and femininity.

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.

So our lesson outline for today, we're going to start by exploring Act one, scene five to seven, and then we're going to look at this question - Lady Macbeth, is she presented as a supportive wife or an evil villain? Let's get started with exploring Act one, scenes five to seven.

I'd like you to begin by discussing this question.

How does Shakespeare establish that Macbeth is a powerful warrior in Act one, scenes one to four, the scenes that we've already read? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some lovely discussions there showing off your fantastic knowledge of the beginning of Act one, scenes one to four.

Lots of people talking about that scene, Act one, scene two, where the sergeant talks about Macbeth's prowess, his ability on the battlefield.

Everyone seems incredibly impressed with not only how loyal Macbeth is, but also how brutal he is.

Here's some ideas that you might have had.

He's described as using his sword to carve through enemy soldiers.

He's described as cutting a man in half unseamed him, and I saw a lot of people looked at that quotation, a very powerful one to express what Macbeth is like on the battlefield.

He's praised and promoted by his king.

At the beginning of the play, he's (indistinct) of Glamis so definitely respected, but he then gets promoted to Thane of Cawdor.

He's described as brave and valiant by other warriors.

So it's not just people in Scotland who view him as a very powerful warrior, but his own soldiers, his own sort of colleagues on the battlefield see him as brave and valiant.

Now in Act one, scene five, we meet his wife, Lady Macbeth for the first time, and Macbeth describes her as his dearest partner of greatness.

I'd like you to discuss these two questions.

What does this description suggest about their relationship? And given the patriarchal society, why might his description surprise you? Pause the video and discuss these two questions now.

Lovely to hear people already analysing this relationship and using that second bullet point, that second question about the patriarchal society to bring in some contextual knowledge.

So absolutely this seems like quite a surprising relationship in some ways because there seems to be some equality between them.

He calls her his partner of greatness.

Lots of people suggested it does seem like they love each other.

He calls her his dearest partner of greatness.

And some people focused on this idea of greatness that it suggests we can see some ambition, maybe coming through from Macbeth, given that he's aspiring to greatness.

And it does seem perhaps a little bit surprising.

We know it's a patriarchal society.

We're in 11th century Scotland where men were considered superior to women.

So this description here suggests some kind of equality, which we might think of as surprising.

When we first meet Lady Macbeth, she's reading a letter from Macbeth.

This is where he calls her his dearest partner of greatness.

In it, in this letter, he tells her about the prophecies so that she knows what greatness is promised thee, what greatness is promised to her.

If Macbeth becomes king, she will become queen.

This is Lady Macbeth's first response to Macbeth's letter.

She says, "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised." I'd like you to discuss how does Shakespeare convey Lady Macbeth, her confidence in the prophecies? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

A lovely analysis of Lady Macbeth's first lines of dialogue, here's some ideas you might have had.

Her verbs "shalt be" and "promised" suggest certainty.

She doesn't say you might become king.

She says he will.

He shall become king.

And she echoes Macbeth's promise, showing her confidence in him.

He says greatness is promised to you.

And she seems to pick that word up and say, well, you will be what you are promised as well.

So they're echoing each other's language, showing again that unity and indeed that they are partners at this point.

Lady Macbeth continues.

She says, "Yet do I fear thy nature." I fear your nature Macbeth.

"It is too full of the milk of human kindness thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness that should attend it.

Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round" I'd like you to discuss, start off with this metaphor.

Lady Macbeth uses a metaphor to describe Macbeth.

She says he's full of the milk of human kindness.

What does this description suggest about Macbeth? Pause video and discuss this question now.

Lovely analysis of this incredibly important quotation from the play, which is describing Macbeth.

I heard lots of people talk about the fact that we often connect milk with the nourishment of children and thus with innocence and perhaps purity.

And it is quite a surprising metaphor to describe a powerful warrior.

Lots of people referenced, well, this is a man who's cut someone in half, who has used his sword to carve through the battlefield.

He doesn't seem to be full of human kindness, but Lady Macbeth is saying, this is part of Macbeth's character.

Let's look at the next part of the soliloquy.

She says, Lady Macbeth says, "thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it." What does Lady Macbeth reveal about Macbeth's character with this moment in her soliloquy? Pause a video and discuss this question now.

Lovely discussions about the second part of the soliloquy.

Absolutely, lots of people said, well, she's making it clear that he does have ambition within him.

He is ambition.

She said he's not without ambition but crucially, he isn't able to pursue his ambitions if he has to do anything immoral without the illness that should attend it.

So he's got this kind of difficult part of his character where he is ambitious, but he maybe can't pursue his ambitions if he has to do anything that he considers wrong.

And Lady Macbeth knows this about him, knows this about his character.

Let's look at some of the words from the final section of the soliloquy in a bit more detail.

Chastise means to control or tell off.

Valour means strength.

Impedes means stops, and golden round means crown.

So let's look at the section in full.

Lady Macbeth says, "Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round." I'd like you to discuss why does Lady Macbeth want Macbeth to return? Why does she say "Hie thee hither"? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some beautiful discussions there engaging with some of this quite complex vocabulary.

She wants him to return in order for her to tell him what to do so that nothing stops them from gaining the golden round.

She wants to use her words, the valour of her tongue to prevent him from doing anything that might stop them getting the crown.

She wants to control him in other words, or that could certainly be one interpretation of this soliloquy.

A check for understanding.

What words might we use to describe Lady Macbeth's initial presentation? Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected B and C, powerful and unusual.

Just a reminder that she cannot be described as Jacobean.

This play was first formed in front of a Jacobean audience, but the play is set in 11th century Scotland.

So Lady Macbeth herself is not Jacobean.

It's the play's first audiences that we might describe as Jacobean.

Here are the key plot points of Act one, scenes five to seven of Macbeth.

In Act one scene five, Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecies.

She's excited that Duncan will spend the night at their castle because it will be easier to commit regicide.

In Act one, scene six, Lady Macbeth greets King Duncan and treats him as an honoured guest revealing her capacity to deceive.

And in Act one, scene seven, Macbeth decides he doesn't want to kill King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth goads him into it.

A check for understanding for the plot points of Act one, scene five to seven, I'd like you to match the scenes to their plot points.

Pause the video and match each scene to its plot point now.

Well done for showing your fantastic understanding of the final half of Act one.

Congratulations if you said in scene five, Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecies.

In scene six, Lady Macbeth welcomes King Duncan to her castle while plotting to kill him.

And the end of act one, scene seven, Lady Macbeth goads Macbeth into regicide.

Now I'd like you to read Act one, scene five, when Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecies, and as you are reading, pause and discuss the following two questions.

What does Lady Macbeth ask spirits to do to her? And Lady Macbeth rejects her femininity.

She says in her soliloquy, "Unsex me here", "take my milk for gall[poison]" so she can commit regicide.

What might this tell you about expectations of women in the play? Read through Act one, scene five, and after you've finished, discuss these two questions.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful readings of that scene.

I especially enjoyed seeing the soliloquy of Lady Macbeth being acted out at such an important, powerful moment in the play, such a memorable moment in the play, and it was great to see you engaging with that.

Let's have a look at these questions.

Here's some ideas that you might have had.

What does Lady Macbeth Beth ask spirits to do to her? Well, she asks them to unsex her, take her milk for gall and fill her with cruelty.

She wants heaven to hide the knife she will use to kill Duncan and the wound she makes in his body.

So quite a graphic soliloquy.

Lady Macbeth also rejects her femininity so she can commit regicide.

What might this tell you about expectations of women in the play? And it was lovely to hear people engaging with some contextual ideas about what it might mean to be a woman in 11th century Scotland.

So perhaps owing to the play's patriarchal society, she equates her femininity with weakness and she feels she must reject it in order to commit murder.

And lots of people using that word patriarchal, which really grounded your ideas.

Let's now read Act one, scene six, Lady Macbeth welcomes King Duncan to her castle while plotting to kill him.

As you are reading, I'd like you to pause and discuss the following question.

In the previous scene, Lady Macbeth advised Macbeth to be deceptive.

So in Act one, scene five, she tells Macbeth, "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." How does Lady Macbeth show off her own ability to deceive in this scene? Act one, scene six.

Pause the video, read the scene and consider the question.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful reading in this scene and I really enjoyed hearing a completely different side to Lady Macbeth who now has two pretend to be obedient to King Duncan.

Very different to her very revealing and graphic soliloquy in the scene before.

Let's look at some ideas you had in response to this question.

So in the previous scene, Lady Macbeth advised Macbeth to be deceptive.

How does she show her own ability to deceive in this scene? Well, she welcomes Duncan and says he honours her house while plotting to kill him.

And Duncan actually takes her hand in this scene thinking she's sincere when really she plans to kill him.

So this scene really uncomfortably sits with the scene before because Lady Macbeth is pretending to honour a king that she's plotting to kill.

Now let's look at Act one, at scene seven, the final scene we are going to read today.

Lady Macbeth goads Macbeth into regicide.

As you're reading, I'd like you to pause and discuss the following questions.

This scene begins with a long soliloquy in which Macbeth contemplates regicide.

He decides against it and tells his wife, "We shall proceed no further in this business." How does Lady Macbeth goad him into committing regicide by the end of the scene? I'd like you to now to read Act one, scene seven.

After you've finished, reflect on the question.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic reading of this scene.

I love seeing that dialogue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Lady Macbeth pushes him into regicide, goads him into regicide.

Here's some ideas that you might have had into how she goads him into this regicide.

So she goes Macbeth into regicide by telling him, only then will he be a man.

And I saw lots of people pick out that quotation, when you just do it, then you were a man.

She also questions his loyalty, accusing him of breaking his promise to her, something she would never do.

Indeed, she would dash her own child's brains out if she had promised Macbeth.

And again, lots of people focused on that very graphic image that Lady Macbeth uses in order to goad Macbeth into regicide.

Fantastic reading of those three scenes, which brings us to the end of Act one and we are all set up for King Duncan's Regicide.

We're gonna move on to our second learning cycle now, and we're gonna focus a little bit more on the character of Lady Macbeth.

We're gonna think she's supportive wife or an evil villain or perhaps something in between.

So having read these three scenes, Lucas came to this conclusion.

He says, Lady Macbeth is presented as an evil villain.

I'd like you to discuss this question.

What might have led him to this argument? You don't necessarily have to agree, but I'd just like to know what could have led him to this argument.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Beautiful discussions there showing off your ability to select really important significant evidence from the text which could support an argument.

Here are some ideas that you might have had.

She explicitly says she wants to be filled with cruelty and that does seem quite villainous.

She plans to murder the king that again seems quite evil, not a thing that a traditionally good character would do.

She forces her husband into regicide by manipulating him.

Shakespeare clearly shows us he doesn't want to do it.

So lots of people saying that long soliloquy in Act one, scene seven shows Macbeth does not want to commit regicide.

So we really can see Lady Macbeth's influence in this incredibly important plot point in the play.

And finally, she pretends to welcome Duncan into her castle while plotting to kill him.

So she's deliberately deceptive.

Really nice to see people using some keywords in their responses there, regicide and deceptive.

So that's some ideas that Lucas had or some ideas that would've supported Lucas's argument, Lady Macbeth is presented as an evil villain.

Now Jun disagrees.

He's stating Lady Macbeth is actually presented as a supportive wife.

So a completely different opinion to Lucas.

A valid opinion, a valid argument, but completely different.

So you can see how people interpret the play in different ways, the characters in different ways.

I'd like you to discuss now, how do you think Jun got to this argument, Lady Macbeth is presented as a supportive wife? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Lovely to hear people selecting completely different evidence in order to find a support for this completely different argument.

Here are some ideas you might have had.

She wants the crown for Macbeth, not for herself.

Lots of people referenced that quotation we looked at in learning cycle one, "That shall be what thou art promised." She's thinking about the promise that Macbeth will be king.

She's not thinking about herself.

She knows Macbeth is ambitious, but also that he won't achieve his ambitions without her.

So she knows his character so well that she thinks I have to support my husband because he wants this thing, he wants the crown, but I know he won't be able to do it by himself.

And that led JUn to think she's a supportive wife.

She's very loyal to Macbeth, even if that loyalty is expressed through a graphic image of killing her own child.

So we might be quite shocked by that graphic image, but she is using it to show that she's incredibly loyal to her husband.

Well done for selecting evidence for a completely different argument.

So it shows off your ability to use those scenes to prove very different things before you come to your own interpretation of this character.

A check for understanding.

Lady Macbeth asks spirits to unsex her so she can take the throne for herself.

Is this true or false? Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you select it false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, she desires the golden round as all women were required to do in the play's patriarchal society or B, she desires the golden round for Macbeth and in this way is arguably presented as a supportive wife? Pause the video and select your justification now.

Well done if you selected B.

She desires the golden round from Macbeth and in this way is arguably presented as a supportive wife.

We looked at this idea when we explored what evidence could support Jun's idea that she is a supportive wife.

I'd like you to complete this table explaining why we could view Lady Macbeth as a supportive wife or alternatively as an evil villain.

Look back to Act one, scenes five to seven, your fantastic reading of those scenes and the discussion and use all of that work from the earlier learning cycles to support your completion of this table.

Pause the video and complete the table now.

Lovely to see people looking back through their play scripts and selecting even more precise evidence in order to support these two very opposing arguments.

And I heard some discussions there, people saying, well, I firmly believe this idea, I firmly believe the other idea.

So already some argumentative ideas and interpretations of this play coming through.

Here's some ideas you might have had on your table.

So arguably Lady Macbeth is presented as a supportive wife.

More specifically, she's willing to go to extremes to support Macbeth achieving the throne, "unsex me here and take my milk for gall".

She lives in a patriarchal society and fulfils the role expected of her by putting her husband before herself.

For example, knowing he's ambitious, but they will need her to help to achieve his ambition.

It's really nice to use that word, patriarchal in your response.

She's loyal to Macbeth even though that loyalty is expressed to the graphic image of dashing her own child's brains out had she promised Macbeth she would do this.

Let's look at the completely opposite side of the argument, she's an evil villain, not a supportive wife.

Well, she wants to be filled with cruelty so she can commit regicide.

She's deceptive, pretending to be a loyal subject to King Duncan.

She also encourages her husband to be deceptive.

Macbeth doesn't want to commit regicide but she goads him into doing it.

Really nice to see people using that verb, goad because that really seems to be what's happening in Act one, scene seven.

Well done for looking back into your play scripts and selecting really precise evidence for these two completely different interpretations of this character.

And as we read the play more, you will be able to think, well, what do I think of Lady Macbeth? It might be that she's a supportive wife.

It might be that she's an evil villain.

It might be a completely different interpretation of this character.

In summary, the play is set in a patriarchal society.

Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecies and wants to commit regicide.

Lady Macbeth is worried that Macbeth is too kind to kill Duncan.

Lady Macbeth summons demonic spirits to make her strong and act less feminine.

Lady Macbeth goes Macbeth into killing Duncan by questioning his masculinity and loyalty to her.

I have so enjoyed reading the end of Act one with you and hearing all of your fantastic ideas.

I look forward to seeing you next time!.