Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

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

We're gonna be looking at the play "Macbeth" in the unit "Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian Villain." I'm gonna be your support and guide as we go through today's lesson looking at Lady Macbeth's role in the downfall of the hero Macbeth.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to evaluate Lady Macbeth's role in the downfall of Macbeth.

We're going to look at a number of different arguments.

Is she to blame? Does she have the biggest role? You're going to decide what you think, and we're going to think, well, how could we prove that our argument is valid? What can we select from the text to prove that what we think about Lady Macbeth's role in the downfall of Macbeth is a valid interpretation of this text? There are some key words which we're going to reference throughout this lesson to support us achieve our objective.

They are 'downfall,' 'hamartia,' 'excess,' 'hubris,' and 'unconventional.

' Their definitions are gonna come up one at a time on the next slide.

If you would 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 gonna start off by looking at this question: Who is to blame for Macbeth's downfall? And then in the second learning cycle, we're going to establish our own argument about Lady Macbeth.

Let's start off looking at this question: Who is to blame for Macbeth's downfall? At the end of the play, Macbeth is dead and disgraced; he has lost his power and status.

Malcolm, the newly appointed King of Scotland, calls Macbeth a butcher.

Here is Laura's argument about Macbeth's downfall.

"Undoubtedly," she says, "Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as responsible for Macbeth's downfall.

Shakespeare uses Act I, Scene 7 to show that Macbeth definitely doesn't want to kill King Duncan.

'We shall proceed no further in this business.

' It is Lady Macbeth's ambition which drives her to make her change his mind, and once the regicide is done, Macbeth's downfall is inevitable.

He's an illegitimate and fearful king who must be toppled." I'd like you to discuss this question.

Quick thoughts: How far do you agree with Laura's argument about Macbeth's downfall? Pause the video and discuss the question.

Lovely to hear people with such a range of views.

Some people really agreeing with Laura and saying, "Yes, Lady Macbeth is to blame for Macbeth's downfall." It's not just that she manages to convince him, but it's the way in which she manages to convince him.

She goads him, she emotionally blackmails him, she emasculates him so that he is so fragile that he feels he has to commit regicide, and that is no place to assume power as a king.

But some people saying, "No, I disagree with Laura's assessment of Lady Macbeth's role in Macbeth's downfall.

Macbeth himself chose to commit regicide, she did not do it." And in addition, some people looking at his immediate responses to the prophecies that the witches give in Act 1, Scene 3, saying his interest, his entrancement by those prophecies, was obvious from the very beginning.

Some people referencing Banquo saying that he was 'rap't,' spellbound by those prophecies, and all of his asides where he considers the idea of becoming king.

So a real range of ideas there.

But what I really liked was hearing that everyone grounded their ideas in ideas from the text, evidence from the text, so that those ideas could definitely be deemed valid.

Hamartia is a term used to describe a character's fatal flaw.

Fatal flaw.

So fatal means it brings death and flaw is a synonym for weakness, imperfection, or fault.

I'd like you to discuss this question.

What do you think Macbeth's hamartia is? What is his fatal flaw, and what do you think Lady Macbeth's hamartia is? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Lovely again to hear some arguments about what these characters' hamartias might be.

Some people using our keyword, one of our keywords, hubris, and saying, "Macbeth is filled with hubris.

He's overconfident and this is his fatal flaw.

This is what leads to his death." You can see this as soon as he ascends the throne, he no longer relies on Lady Macbeth.

He thinks that he himself can maintain power, and that hubris brings his downfall.

And some people using a word 'ambition' and saying, Act 1, Scene 5 really develops, establishes Lady Macbeth's ambition and Act 1, Scene 7 develops that characterization even further.

And this ambition, this desire for the golden round, is what leads to Macbeth's downfall because it doesn't bring him happiness.

And once he's committed the regicide, there's no turning back.

He is an illegitimate monarch and that illegitimacy will be challenged and so the status quo can be restored at the end of the play.

So some argue, as I heard in your discussions just now, that the Macbeths actually share a hamartia, excessive ambition.

They argue that the shared hamartia leads to Macbeth's downfall.

So for example, Jun says, "Both the Macbeths respond to the prophecies in a way which reveals they're excessively ambitious.

More specifically, as soon as Macbeth is told that he's been promoted, Shakespeare gives him an aside, 'The greatest is behind,' implying he desires the crown, plus Banquo describes him as 'rap't' by the prophecies.

Lady Macbeth is just as ambitious.

As soon as she hears of the prophecies, she says, Macbeth 'shall be what thou art promised.

' Despite the prophecies clearly being unreliable, they use them to justify their inherent ambition.

As a result, they disrupt and destabilise the status quo.

This must be restored and can only be restored by their downfalls." So you can see that Jun has really carefully selected evidence from the text to support his idea that the Macbeths' hamartia is excessive ambition.

But some people disagree.

So there are lots of different arguments about the reason for Macbeth downfall, and some people disagree that it is excessive ambition.

So for example, Izzy says, "Lady Macbeth is clearly ambitious, but her ability to manipulate Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 7 is founded on her knowing Macbeth is full of hubris," which is the word lots of you used in the previous discussion.

"This is his hamartia," is what Izzy argues.

"He's too proud to ignore Lady Macbeth's emasculation in Act 1, Scene 7, and decides to prove himself by committing regicide.

Furthermore, this hubris only increases as the play continues.

He rejects his relationship with Lady Macbeth and his Thanes, instead relying on the witches' second set of prophecies to keep him safe and legitimise his rule.

The witches tell him what he wants to hear and he refuses to engage with the ambiguity of their prophecies." So I really like how Izzy has selected evidence from across the play.

So she looks at Act 1, Scene 7, but then she also looks at the end of Act 3 where Macbeth decides to rely on the witches and then their prophecies in Act 4 as well.

A check for understanding, What could serve to show why Lady Macbeth is to blame for Macbeth's downfall? Is an A, she emasculates him so he kills King Duncan? B, she's overly hubristic.

C, she undermines Macbeth's hamartia, or D, she's excessively ambitious? Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected A and D.

Now I'd like you to discuss, we've seen three really powerful, strong arguments backed up with well-selected evidence from the text.

Who do you agree with most? Sophie, Jun, or Izzy? And here is a reminder of their arguments.

So Sophie said that Lady Macbeth's ambition leads to Macbeth's downfall.

Jun said Macbeth and Lady Macbeth shared hamartia.

Excessive ambition leads to Macbeth's downfall.

And Izzy said it's Macbeth's hubris which leads to his downfall.

Pause a video and discuss who do you agree with most and why.

Lovely to hear a rich and argumentative discussion there.

People agreeing, some with Jun, some with Izzy, some with Sophie.

And what I really liked was that people had a range of evidence from across the text to back up their arguments.

We're gonna formalise that discussion a bit now.

So I'd like you to use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas about who is to blame for Macbeth's downfall.

And there are sentence starters to support you.

So first of all, you need to establish an argument, your argument.

And using this word, 'arguably' is gonna help you do that.

And I'd like you to use some key words, hamartia, hubris, excessive ambition.

You don't need to use them all, but the ones that are going to serve you to help establish your argument the best.

Then I'd like you to develop your ideas using 'more specifically' or 'more precisely' or 'in particular' or 'indeed' to push you into selecting that fantastic evidence from the play to help you show that your argument is valid.

And I'd like you to identify key moments in the play which support with this argument, and those sentence starters will push you to do that.

And finally, to conclude your arguments, 'therefore,' 'ultimately,' 'as a result,' or 'consequently.

' And I'd like you to link this evidence to Macbeth's downfall because that is the question that we are discussing and the argument that we're trying to form.

So pause the video and use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas about who is to blame for Macbeth downfall.

Pause the video now.

Some beautiful discussions there, creating some really strong arguments just like Jun, Izzy, and Sophie's arguments that we looked at before.

Here's some ideas that you might have had: "Arguably Macbeth's hubris leads to his downfall." "Indeed, he's introduced in Act 1 as a warrior who likes to show off; he puts a traitor's head on display." "Ultimately, the desire to show off his power is part of what pushes him to desire the crown." "Arguably, Lady Macbeth's excessive ambition leads to Macbeth's downfall.

In particular, calling on spirits to help her achieve the throne is outrageous, God chooses the monarch." And I had lots of people using context to bolster their argument as well.

"As a result, Macbeth downfall is inevitable because his power is illegitimate." So really nice.

I had lots of people concluding their arguments by linking to the question using that keyword 'downfall' to do it.

Now let's move on to establishing an argument about Lady Macbeth, our second learning cycle.

A student wanted to answer this question: "How far is Lady Macbeth to blame for Macbeth's downfall?" And this is the argument that they established.

"Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as an unconventional character whose excessive ambition corrupts Macbeth, leading to his downfall." I'd like you to discuss why is this a powerful idea? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

It's always really nice to hear other students praising student work, working out what is really, really powerful about it, and sharpening your evaluative skills about essay writing.

Here's some ideas that you might have had: So this student starts by saying Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth a fantastic way to start a sentence, because it acknowledges that Shakespeare purposefully crafted his character.

The student moves on and says that Lady Macbeth is presented as an unconventional character.

And this is a really, really clear argument.

How is she presented? She's presented unconventionally.

This also allows them to bring in context because why is she unconventional? Why would she be unconventional for when the play is set, 11th century Scotland, and for the play's first audiences in Jacobean England? So a very clear argument.

And finally, "whose excessive ambition corrupts Macbeth, leading to his downfall." It's a link to the question so it's very clear what the student is arguing and it's very clear what the question is as well.

So let's continue to look at this question.

How far is Lady Macbeth to blame for Macbeth's downfall? I'd like you to discuss what would your own powerful idea be in response to the question? It does not need to be the same argument as the student we just looked at who said it was Lady Macbeth's successive ambition; it can be your own argument.

And I'd like you to use all the appearances of Lady Macbeth to help you, starting with Act 1, where she asks spirits to unsex her and tells Macbeth to kill Duncan.

She says, "Only when you commit the regicide will you be a man." Act 2, Scene 2: After the regicide, she tells Macbeth to consider it not so deeply.

So "Don't worry about the regicide." In Act 2, Scene 3, she pretends to be shocked by Duncan's death.

She says, "Woe, alas!" In Act 3, Scene 1, she's queen and she prepares for "our great feast." In Act 3, Scene 2, she asks Macbeth, "Why do you keep alone?" Without her, he arranges Banquo's murder.

In Act 3, Scene 4, she asks, "Are you a man?" when Macbeth hallucinates Banquo's ghost.

And then Act 5, Scene 1, her final appearance, she sleepwalks and talks and says, "Here's a smell of blood still," and she dies soon after.

So these are all the appearances of Lady Macbeth in the play and they're gonna help you craft your answer to this question: How far is Lady Macbeth to blame for Macbeth's downfall? Pause the video and craft your own argument now.

It was lovely to hear people crafting a really powerful idea in response to this question and really the range.

So some people agreeing with the student before and saying it is Lady Macbeth's excessive ambition which leads to Macbeth's downfall and signalling that they would be talking about the subversive nature of Lady Macbeth and her characterization.

And some people arguing, "Actually no, not at all.

Act 1, Scene 1," sorry, "Act 1 and Act 2 serve to show that Lady Macbeth is a dutiful wife and she supports Macbeth's ambition to become Queen.

So it's not her own ambition, it's not she who leads to Macbeth downfall, but she's actually a supportive wife and it is Macbeth who is to blame for his own downfall." And others saying, "Well, we cannot blame Lady Macbeth because after the regicide, her role in Macbeth's life seems to diminish.

And she seems to be asking Macbeth, 'Why do you keep a alone?' They are not a united couple anymore.

And he arranges Banquo's murder.

He then decides to go and see the witches.

It is his decision what happens once they are monarchs." So people signalling these ideas in their introduction, signalling that "This is my argument and I have the evidence to support it." Now the student who argued that it was Lady Macbeth's ambition which led to Macbeth downfall.

This is their first topic sentence: "Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as an a-typical woman, both in 11th century Scotland and Jacobean England.

Her dominance over her husband leads him to regicide and ultimately his downfall." I really like how they link to the question again using that word 'downfall.

' And as we discussed, the power of their argument came from the fact that they could actually bring in some context, And they've done that in this first topic sentence by mentioning 11th century Scotland and Jacobean England.

Now I'd like you to discuss, what evidence do you think this student could use to support their first topic sentence? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some fantastic discussions there showing off your depth of knowledge about the play as a whole.

You were able to select some really precise moments from the text which would support this topic sentence.

Here are some ideas that you might have had: "She reads about the prophecies and immediately plans to have Macbeth 'crown'd withal.

' Macbeth has doubt, she only has strategy.

Showing her hamartia is her excessive ambition." And I had lots of people using that keyword to support this student's topic sentence.

"Macbeth doesn't want to commit regicide, 'we shall proceed no further in this business.

' But her emasculation in Act 1, Scene 7 shows she will stop at nothing to get the golden round." And "Macbeth has told us the regicide will lead to his downfall in his soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7.

He knows there will be a consequence for the regicide." And I had a few people referencing that soliloquy, which I thought was a very interesting piece of evidence to bring in, not one necessarily I would've thought of, but actually he does himself say, "Look, if I commit the regicide, I know there will be a consequence." And this supports the idea that it is Lady Macbeth's emasculating him, pushing him into regicide, that lead to his downfall, a downfall he's already predicted.

Here's the student's second topic sentence: "Furthermore, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth as a completely changed character after the regicide, changes that foreshadow his downfall." So again, a really nice topic sentence, which links to the question.

They explicitly use that word 'downfall' to make sure they've got direction, drive, purpose for their paragraph.

And I'd like you to discuss again, what evidence could they use to support their second topic sentence? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some lovely discussions there.

Again, showing off some really powerful knowledge about this play.

This time trying to prove that Macbeth is a completely changed character after the regicide.

Here's some ideas you might have had: "In Act 2, Scene 2, he's worried he will no longer be able to sleep or pray after the regicide, showing his changed relationship with God." "In Act 3, Scene 4, Lady Macbeth tries to emasculate him again, 'Are you a man?' He no longer responds; the things he used to care about and now worthless." And he stops including Lady Macbeth in his plans, e.

g his plan to kill Banquo, and becomes increasingly isolated from his suspicious Thanes.

Lady Macbeth has turned him from a celebrated soldier to an isolated and illegitimate monarch.

So I really liked how people looked at the appearances of Lady Macbeth, a kind of diminishing power over Macbeth to prove this topic sentence.

A check for understanding.

What evidence would support this argument: "Whilst Lady Macbeth is excessively ambitious, it is Macbeth's hubris, which brings about his downfall."? So slightly different argument here, but what evidence would support this argument? Is it A, B, C, or D? I'd like you to pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected A and D, showing that you can select really good ideas to support an argument.

You have crafted your own powerful idea in response to this question.

You did that in this learning cycle.

And a reminder that the question was, how far is Lady Macbeth to blame for Macbeth downfall? I'd like you to add to this argument which you created with a developed paragraph that has a topic sentence and evidence from the text.

However, if you wish, you can use the student's topic sentences that we were looking at in this learning cycle.

A reminder, they were: "Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as an a-typical woman both in 11th century Scotland and Jacobean England.

Her dominance over her husband leads him to regicide and ultimately his downfall." And the second topic sentence was: "Furthermore, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth as a completely changed character after the regicide, changes that foreshadow his downfall." So you're now going to create a developed paragraph that has a topic sentence and evidence from the text to build on the powerful idea that you had in response to this question, how far is Lady Macbeth to blame for Macbeth downfall? Pause the video and complete the task now.

It was lovely to see people build on those powerful arguments that you created with really specific clear topic sentences that link to the question and well-chosen evidence from the text to prove your topic sentence.

Before we celebrate your work, I'd like to do some self-assessment using the following questions to guide you.

Do you have a powerful idea to start your writing? Do your topic sentences clearly explain what the paragraph will be about? And does each paragraph include evidence from the text to support your topic sentence? Pause the video, self-assess your work using these questions to guide you.

Always a pleasure to see people assessing their work so carefully, so honestly, and that is just as important as the writing process, to be able to reflect on what you've written and make sure that it is the strongest argument as possible.

You should really celebrate the work that you've done today, looking at establishing an argument about Lady Macbeth and her role in the downfall of Macbeth.

In summary, hamartia is a character's fatal flaw.

You could argue that the hamartia of both Lady Macbeth and her husband is that they are excessively ambitious.

Some will argue that Lady Macbeth's manipulation led to Macbeth downfall.

Hubris means excessive pride or self-confidence, and some will argue that Macbeth's hubris leads to his own downfall.

It has been a pleasure hearing all of your fantastic arguments today and your depth of knowledge about the text shown by your well-selected evidence.

I look forward to seeing you next time.