Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in ‘Macbeth’
I can write a well-structured and convincing analytical essay about how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain.
Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in ‘Macbeth’
I can write a well-structured and convincing analytical essay about how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- An introduction can start with a general statement about the text
- This can be followed by a more specific statement about the focus of the question, and finally your thesis
- A conclusion can move from a specific statement about the text to a more general statement at its continued relevance
- Analysis of writer’s methods and/or context helps develop a paragraph
Keywords
Machiavellian - Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets what they want in cunning, ruthless and immoral ways.
Thesis - A thesis is an argument, a powerful idea that you state at the beginning of an essay and prove throughout your essay.
Embedded quotation - An embedded quotation puts a quotation inside your own sentence. For example: Lady Macbeth wants to be filled with ‘direst cruelty’.
Methods - Methods are techniques a writer uses. These encompass everything: language, form, structure and characterisation.
Context - Context concerns the circumstances in which a text was written; context helps us to understand the writer’s intentions further.
Common misconception
Analysis can only include a language focus, especially single word analysis.
You should analyse a range of writer's methods; this analysis should support your thesis or topic sentence.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in ‘Macbeth’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in ‘Macbeth’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Macbeth: Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
outline your overarching argument for the whole essay
outline the main argument of your paragraph
summarise your argument; focus on the writer's intentions
evidence from the text that supports your topic sentence