Free teaching resource for Macbeth by Shakespeare. Suitable for KS3 and GCSE. Printable using Ctrl+P.
One pupil sits in the hot seat as a named character. The class asks questions in character. Focus on motivation: why did you do what you did? Do you regret it? What would you do differently?
Give pupils three key quotations from the play. For each one, pupils: (1) identify the speaker and context, (2) explain what it means in plain English, (3) analyse one specific word or phrase and its effect, (4) link to a theme.
Pupils choose a key scene and decide: where is it set? How are the actors arranged? What is the lighting? What tone of voice does each character use? Pupils present their decisions and justify them with reference to the text.
Ask pupils to research one aspect of Shakespeare's context relevant to this play. What did the original audience believe about the themes? How has understanding of the play changed since then?