Lady Macbeth PowerPoint: GCSE English Literature Lesson

A complete GCSE English Literature lesson on Lady Macbeth, following her from the most powerful character in the play in Act 1 to a woman broken by guilt in Act 5. It covers the key quotations act by act, Jacobean context, close language analysis and an exam style extract question with a mark scheme.

• 32 slides
• GCSE English Literature
• Macbeth
• Key quotations
• Exam question and mark scheme
• Teacher notes
• Fully editable

Download this PowerPoint free (.pptx)

What the lesson covers

1. Starter and key words: a plot recap quiz, eight key terms and a timeline of Lady Macbeth’s journey through the play.
2. Context: the expectations placed on Jacobean women, the divine right of kings, the Gunpowder Plot, witchcraft and the Great Chain of Being.
3. Act 1, the persuader: the letter scene, a close look at “unsex me here” and the four tactics she uses to persuade Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 7.
4. Acts 2 and 3, the first cracks: the murder of Duncan, “A little water clears us of this deed” and the shift in power between husband and wife.
5. Act 5, the collapse: the sleepwalking scene, an Act 1 and Act 5 comparison, and the debate over whether she is a villain or a victim.
6. Tasks and exam practice: quotation quizzes with answers, an AQA style extract question, a six level mark scheme, a model paragraph and common mistakes.
7. Plenary: an exit ticket with answers and a key points summary.

Who it is for

GCSE English Literature teachers and students studying Macbeth. The exam question is written in the style of AQA Paper 1, and the lesson works just as well for Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas Shakespeare questions. Every slide has teacher notes, and quiz answers are on the slides that follow each task.

Download this PowerPoint free (.pptx)