Hello and welcome to your lesson today on exploring the supernatural as a symbol of guilt in "Macbeth".

I'm Miss Sutherland, and I'll be teaching you today.

Our learning outcome for today's lesson is to explore how the supernatural has been used to symbolise Macbeth's guilt and divine retribution in the play "Macbeth".

We have four keywords for today's lesson.

Let's go through them together now.

The first one is "conjure".

To conjure something means to make that thing appear from nowhere.

So a magician might conjure a rabbit out of his hat.

"Vengeance" is our next word.

Vengeance is action against someone to punish that person.

So if someone wrongs us, we might seek vengeance.

And in this lesson we'll be looking at vengeance in the context of God.

To what extent does God have a vengeance against Macbeth? "Retribution." Retribution is punishment imposed for purposes of repayment for the wrong committed.

So we might think of retribution as someone getting what they deserve for the crime they have committed, someone getting a punishment that reflects the extent of their crime.

And "impervious".

"Impervious" means unable to be affected by.

So we could describe a material as impervious to water if water cannot get through that material.

But we can also call people impervious.

We can say that "she was impervious to jealousy", meaning she wasn't affected by any jealousy.

So there are your four keywords for today's lesson.

I'll give you a moment to pause the video and reflect upon them now.

Great.

Let's move on to look at our learning cycles now.

In today's lesson, we have two learning cycles.

In the first, we're going to be exploring the supernatural as a symbol of guilt.

So we'll be looking at all the instances of the supernatural in the play that could be seen to reflect Macbeth's guilt.

And in the second learning cycle, we'll be writing about the supernatural and guilt and how those two go hand in hand in the play "Macbeth".

So let's start off with exploring the supernatural as a symbol of guilt.

Perhaps this isn't something you've thought of before.

Perhaps you've never considered the supernatural as a symbol of guilt.

I'm really looking forward to unpicking this with you now.

So let's explore this timeline of events in "Macbeth".

In act one, scene three, Macbeth recognises that to commit regicide is to act against the use of nature.

In act two, scene one, before committing regicide, Macbeth is haunted by his hallucination of a bloody dagger.

In act two, scene two, Macbeth hears voices calling, "Sleep no more." In act three, scene four, after Banquo's murder, Macbeth is haunted by his hallucination of Banquo's ghost.

And in act five, scene one, Lady Macbeth is haunted by her hallucination of blood staining her hands.

So this timeline has outlined a few of the instances of the supernatural in the play.

Indeed, it has outlined the instances of the supernatural that are closely linked to the theme of guilt.

I want you to discuss, what is interesting about the consequences Macbeth and Lady Macbeth face for their crimes? Pause the video and discuss that now.

So you may have noticed that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer a fair few hallucinations throughout this play, so you could say that Macbeth's punishment for committing regicide is to hallucinate the bloody dagger before he even does it.

You could say he then has another hallucination after he's done it, and this is an auditory hallucination.

So this is him hearing voices.

Macbeth receives another consequence after he kills Banquo and he sees Banquo's ghost.

And again, Lady Macbeth, at the end of the play, she too hallucinates.

So what we may say is that the consequences Lady Macbeth and Macbeth receive for their crimes are always linked to the supernatural.

They are always quite unnatural punishments.

They're really haunting and really tormenting consequences for their crimes.

This phrase from the doctor in act five, scene one, is quite apt in explaining why the characters in Macbeth are haunted by supernatural elements.

The quote here is, "Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles." And that's said by the doctor in act five, scene one, when he's observing Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and hallucinating.

I want you to discuss and dissect your interpretation of this quote.

What do you think it means? Why do you think it's said? And how does it reflect the journey that the characters have gone on? Pause the video and discuss.

The quote from the doctor here highlights that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have committed unnatural deeds.

They have committed the worst sin possible.

They've gone against the natural order, they've gone against God in committing regicide.

And because of the extent of their crime, of their sin, they have now received unnatural troubles.

And the unnatural troubles are of course the hallucinations, the sleepwalking, seeing ghosts.

So essentially what that quote is saying is that, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are receiving severe unnatural consequences in the form of the supernatural because of the extent and magnitude of their deed, which was regicide, an unnatural act.

It is significant that Shakespeare repeatedly shows his characters as being haunted by supernatural elements after committing crimes.

We have to delve into that deeper, because Shakespeare's obviously establishing a pattern here.

This may reflect Renaissance beliefs about punishment and retribution.

In the Renaissance period when this play was written, people believed in the power of God's vengeance.

So people believed that God had a lot of power in making people pay for their crimes.

Another belief was that deeds worthy of retribution were deeds that God deemed worthy of punishment.

In other words, if God would disapprove of an act, then retribution would be needed for that act.

People would have to receive a consequence for that act if it displeased God.

God could call upon human, subhuman, nature, and the inanimate, to carry out retribution.

In other words, in order to make people receive what they deserve for committing their crimes, God could call upon anyone and anything to help him carry out that punishment or that consequence.

And indeed we see this throughout "Macbeth" because the characters are haunted by supernatural elements, and people may have believed that only God had the power to evoke that kind of punishment.

One of the instruments through which God was thought to evoke punishment was the conscience, which God placed in every human.

So the fact that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are tormented by guilt could be evidence of God's punishment, because it's their conscience that drives that feeling of guilt.

And if we go with the Renaissance belief that God gave everyone a conscience, indeed guilt could be God's punishment for Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.

Discuss now then, in your own words, how do you see this information linking to the play? Pause the video and discuss.

That information about Renaissance beliefs about punishment and retribution is really, really interesting, and I hope you'll be able to use it when analysing the theme of guilt in this play.

Let's check your understanding of what we've talked about so far in the lesson.

What was a common belief in Renaissance England? Pause the video and answer that question.

Off you go.

Well done if you said, "A common belief in Renaissance England was that God could punish people through a wide range of instruments and tools.

God could punish people through other humans, through nature, through the inanimate." So in Renaissance England, people believed there was no limit to God's vengeance and no limit to divine punishment and retribution.

Let's now read Macbeth's soliloquy from act two, scene one, where he sees the dagger before committing regicide.

You can find this brief extract in the additional materials.

Pause the video and get reading now.

Off you go.

Excellent.

We have now some discussion questions to unpick to help guide our interpretation of the scene.

Here are your four questions to discuss.

Number one, what or who do you think is responsible for the floating dagger to appear before Macbeth? Which lines or imagery or phrases suggest the dagger could be symbolic of Macbeth's guilt? Why is it significant that Macbeth feels guilty even before committing regicide? And zoom in to line 39.

How does Shakespeare present guilt here? Pause the video and discuss those four questions now.

So let's go, let's unpick some of these questions.

Number one.

Many people have different opinions on what or who is responsible for the floating dagger.

Based on our reading, you may have said that God is responsible for that floating dagger, because God, there was no limit to God's vengeance and retribution, so God indeed could have planted this dagger in front of Macbeth.

But also, you could say that Macbeth's conscience is responsible for the floating dagger to appear before Macbeth.

And that this floating dagger is a manifestation of his guilt and it's projected from his inner conscience and moral compass.

And remember, if Macbeth's conscience was indeed responsible for the floating dagger, the Renaissance belief was that God gave everyone a conscience.

So again, this hallucination links back to God's divine retribution.

Now, which lines or imagery suggest the dagger could be symbolic of Macbeth's guilt? You may have read the line, "It is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eyes." This quote could be a suggestion that the dagger is symbolic of Macbeth's guilt, especially because you've got the idea of the "bloody business", which is his guilt over regicide, informing this vision to Macbeth's eyes, basically creating this hallucination.

Number three.

Why is it significant that Macbeth feels guilty even before committing regicide? We could say that Macbeth's guilt prior to the regicide reflects the extent of the crime he's about to commit, reflects the magnitude of the crime he is about to commit.

He feels so much guilt, even before committing it, because to do so, to carry through with this crime, would be to reject God and to reject the natural order and to reject Macbeth's own conscience.

Now, zoom into line 39.

How does Shakespeare present guilt here? Line 39 is about the dagger proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain.

Now, in this line, if we really unpick "heat-oppressed", we can gather that Shakespeare is presenting guilt as a disease.

He's presenting guilt as almost like a fever.

And potentially that is significant because of the way guilt eventually destroys Macbeth, and it spreads.

And perhaps that's why Shakespeare presents guilt in this way, because he's trying to really show the damaging effects of guilt.

Now I want you to read act three, scene four, independently, where Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.

I want you to answer the following four questions to analyse how Shakespeare presents the ghost.

Number one, how do lines 50 to 51 support a reading of the ghost as a symbol of guilt? Number two, what is Macbeth's main emotion upon seeing Banquo's ghost? Find a quote that summarises his reaction.

How might this reaction support a reading of the ghost as a symbol of guilt? How is line 106 significant in relation to the theme of guilt? And how does Lady Macbeth's reaction support the idea that the ghost is a symbol of Macbeth's guilt? There are your four questions to answer as you read along this scene.

Pause the video and enjoy your reading.

Off you go.

Excellent focus there.

Here's what you may have said.

Number one, how do lines 50 to 51 support a reading of the ghost as a symbol of guilt? Macbeth tells the ghost, "Thou can't say I did it." This suggests that Macbeth cannot face the ghost because he wants to avoid blame and accountability.

Specifically, he wants to avoid confronting his own guilt and conscience.

So the fact that Macbeth can't stand to look at Banquo's ghost suggests that he can't stand to look at what he's done.

He can't stand to look at hi at his own conscience.

Number two, what is Macbeth's main emotion upon seeing Banquo's ghost? Find a quote that summarises his reaction? How might this reaction support a reading of the ghost as a symbol of guilt? Macbeth is terrified of Banquo's ghost.

He says, "Take any shape but that." Macbeth is adamant that he would be absolutely fine in the face of any threat, but he cannot stand Banquo's ghost.

Macbeth may be terrified of acknowledging his sin and guilt.

If we consider the Renaissance belief that conscience was a way for God to inflict punishment, this hallucination may reflect the punitive nature of conscience.

So Macbeth is so terrified of this ghost, perhaps it also reflects Macbeth being terrified of God's judgement for his sin.

Number three, how is line 106 significant in relation to the theme of guilt? On line 106, Macbeth calls the ghost a "horrible shadow".

This imagery may reflect the ghost as a symbol of Macbeth's dark inner world and tainted psyche.

He cannot confront the ghost because he fears the brutality and sin.

In other words, the shadow within himself.

And number four, how does Lady Macbeth's reaction support the idea that the ghost is a symbol of Macbeth's guilt? Since only Macbeth sees the dagger and Banquo's ghost, they could be conjurings of his own mind.

They could be creations of his own mind.

That could be something that his mind has rustled up.

Considering he was the one that murdered Duncan and ordered Banquo to be killed, it is plausible that his hallucinations reflect his guilt.

Now let's move on to writing about the supernatural as a symbol of guilt.

We are going to write about our analysis of the supernatural and guilt in the play.

Let's consider this question.

Starting with act two, scene one, explore how Shakespeare uses the supernatural to present the theme of guilt.

So in order to this question successfully, we must analyse this scene, act two, scene one, and other scenes in the play.

We must also analyse the writer's methods.

So anything that Shakespeare has done to convey meaning.

We must also focus on the elements of the supernatural in the play.

For example, the hallucinations, because that's what the question's asking us to look for.

And we must explore the supernatural as a representation of guilt and inner conflict.

So we must do all of these things to ensure a successful response.

What could you include in an essay like this, then? Let's go through some ideas.

So let's start off with act two, scene one.

We could talk about how Macbeth hallucinates the dagger, which is not visible by his wife, suggesting it is conjured by his own imagination as a manifestation of his guilty conscience.

We could talk about how the extent of the sin justifies Macbeth's strong guilt even before committing the crime.

And we could discuss how the Renaissance belief that conscience was a tool implanted by God, and this was Macbeth's warning not to carry out the murder.

What could we talk about for the rest of the play, then? We could use act two, scene two.

We could talk about the auditory hallucination where Macbeth hears voices cry, "Sleep no more." This could suggest that the hallucination is an echo of Macbeth's own guilty conscience, and it could indeed be the voice of God saying, "Sleep no more." So therefore, it could be an example of divine retribution, of God punishing Macbeth and telling him he shall sleep no more.

He shall have no more peace.

And we could also discuss act three, scene four, when answering this question.

We could discuss Banquo's ghost and how that ghost makes Macbeth confront his crimes.

Perhaps Macbeth fears the ghost because he cannot face his tainted conscience.

So has Banquo been used as an agent of God to carry out punishment? Because remember the Renaissance belief that God could use human, subhuman, inanimate, nature, and the supernatural to carry out his punishment.

So there are quite a few ideas that we could talk about when answering this essay question.

What else do you think you could include in this question? Pause the video and discuss.

Perhaps some of you said that you could also talk about act five, scene one, where we see Lady Macbeth sleepwalk and suffer with hallucinations, and how that's reflective of her guilt.

Now I want you to read the sample response to the question, starting with act two, scene one.

Explore how Shakespeare uses the supernatural to present the theme of guilt.

It is in your additional materials.

As you read, I want you to highlight evidence that the response analyses other scenes in the play other than act two, scene one, analyses the writer's methods, focuses on elements of supernatural, explores the supernatural as a representation of inner conflict, and links to Renaissance beliefs.

Pause the video and get reading that sample answer now.

Off you go.

I hope that answer has been helpful in giving you an idea of what your writing should look like.

Now let's check your understanding of what we've been talking about.

Which of the below provides an interesting structural point that could be included in an essay on guilt in "Macbeth"? Pause the video and answer that question now.

Answer B, Macbeth's hallucinations are persistent from act one, whereas Lady Macbeth only suffers them in act five is an interesting structural point regarding the supernatural and guilt in "Macbeth".

This is because we're looking at what happens at the beginning of the play versus what happens at the end, and how Macbeth's guilt starts from the very beginning, whereas Lady Macbeth's only surfaces by the end.

And that's a really interesting thing to unpick.

Why do they experience guilt at different stages? Now, I want you to plan and write a paragraph in response to the essay question, starting with act two, scene one.

Explore how Shakespeare uses the supernatural to present the theme of guilt.

So your success criteria is to make sure your paragraph includes a topic sentence, supporting detail, and a concluding sentence.

Make sure you use that single paragraph outline that's on the screen there to help you plan.

I then want you to make sure your topic sentence links to your question and your thesis statement, that you analyse the writer's method throughout your paragraph, that your context is woven through your response.

So that would be where you link the Renaissance beliefs.

And make sure your quotations are used judiciously and embedded in your writing.

Lastly, make sure your writing has a sharp focus on the supernatural and guilt.

Make sure you are answering that question accurately.

Pause the video and get writing.

Off you go.

Brilliant effort there.

Now I want you to assess your work by identifying the following.

Where have you planned your work before writing? Where is your topic sentence, which is closely linked to the question? Where does your paragraph include analysis of the writer's methods? Where do you use context to support your inferences? Where have quotations been used judiciously and are they properly embedded? And where does your response have a tight focus on the question? Pause the video, reread your work, and self-assess using the checklist.

Off you go.

Brilliant effort there, everyone.

I hope you're proud of your written work today.

Here's what we've learned in today's lesson.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are haunted by supernatural phenomena after committing crimes.

Perhaps Lady Macbeth and Macbeth suffer such supernatural punishment due to the extent of their unnatural deeds.

A common Renaissance belief was that there were no limits to God's vengeance.

In the Renaissance, people believed the biblical belief that the conscience was a tool imposed by God to inflict punishment.

And Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's hallucinations can be read as a symbol of their guilt as well as divine retribution.

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

I hope to see you in another lesson soon.