Revision Library

revisionlibrary.co.uk

GCSE · English Literature

GE.T-Macbeth-Theme Literature: Macbeth - Themes in Depth

AQA 8702 · Calculators not allowed · about 110 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Six short quotations from Macbeth are given below. For each one, identify the single theme from this list that it relates to most strongly: ambition / guilt / the supernatural / kingship and order / appearance vs reality / gender.

(a)"Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 4)(1)

(b)"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)(1)

(c)"By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes." (Second Witch, Act 4 Scene 1)(1)

(d)"The king-becoming graces, / As justice, verity, temperance, stableness..." (Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3)(1)

(e)"Look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't." (Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5)(1)

(f)"Bring forth men-children only." (Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7)(1)

(Total for Question 1 is 6 marks)

For each theme below, explain in one or two sentences how Shakespeare first introduces it within Act 1 of the play.

(a)Ambition.(2)

(b)Guilt.(2)

(c)The supernatural.(2)

(d)Kingship and order.(2)

(e)Appearance vs reality.(2)

(f)Gender.(2)

(Total for Question 2 is 12 marks)

Ambition is not a single moment in Macbeth: Shakespeare develops it across the whole play.

(a)Identify three moments that trace the development of Macbeth's ambition: one from Act 1, one from Act 3 and one from Act 5. For each, give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference.(3)

(b)Using your three moments, explain how Shakespeare develops the theme of ambition across the play.(3)

(Total for Question 3 is 6 marks)

Guilt affects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth differently, and at different points in the play.

(a)Identify three moments that trace guilt in the play: one showing Macbeth's guilt straight after Duncan's murder, one showing guilt becoming visible to others, and one showing guilt overwhelming Lady Macbeth. Give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference for each.(3)

(b)Explain how Shakespeare uses these moments to show guilt working differently on Macbeth and on Lady Macbeth.(3)

(Total for Question 4 is 6 marks)

The supernatural becomes more direct and more dangerous as the play progresses.

(a)Identify three moments that trace the growing role of the supernatural: the witches' first appearance, a moment when the supernatural directly confronts Macbeth, and a moment when the witches deliver an elaborate but misleading prophecy. Give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference for each.(3)

(b)Explain how Shakespeare develops the supernatural across the play and how it affects the way an audience judges Macbeth's responsibility for his actions.(3)

(Total for Question 5 is 6 marks)

Duncan's murder disrupts both the political order and the natural world.

(a)Identify three moments that trace the theme of kingship and order: one showing the rightful order under Duncan, one showing nature disrupted after Duncan's murder, and one showing the definition of a true king. Give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference for each.(3)

(b)Explain how Shakespeare links disorder in nature to disorder in the state, and how order is eventually restored.(3)

(Total for Question 6 is 6 marks)

Deception in Macbeth operates on both a human level and a supernatural level.

(a)Identify three moments that trace appearance versus reality: one where a character openly plans to deceive, one showing Duncan's misplaced trust, and one where a prophecy seems safe but is dangerously misleading. Give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference for each.(3)

(b)Explain how Shakespeare uses appearance versus reality on both a human and a supernatural level, and why this makes the deception in the play so dangerous.(3)

(Total for Question 7 is 6 marks)

Ideas about masculinity and femininity are used and challenged throughout the play.

(a)Identify three moments that trace the theme of gender: one where Lady Macbeth rejects traditional femininity, one where masculinity is used as a challenge, and one where a character redefines what it means to be a man. Give the act and scene and a short quotation or clear reference for each.(3)

(b)Explain how Shakespeare uses the theme of gender to comment on ideas about masculinity and femininity in the play.(3)

(Total for Question 8 is 6 marks)

Write about how Shakespeare presents ambition as a destructive force across the whole play.

(Total for Question 9 is 18 marks)

Explore how Shakespeare presents the effects of guilt on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth across the play.

(Total for Question 10 is 18 marks)

Write about the importance of the supernatural in Macbeth and how Shakespeare uses it to shape the audience's response to Macbeth's actions.

(Total for Question 11 is 18 marks)

Explore how Shakespeare presents ideas about kingship and order across the play.

(Total for Question 12 is 18 marks)

Write about how Shakespeare explores the theme of appearance versus reality across the play.

(Total for Question 13 is 18 marks)

Explore how Shakespeare presents ideas about gender and expectations of men and women across the play.

(Total for Question 14 is 18 marks)

Choose two of the six themes you have studied in this pack: ambition, guilt, the supernatural, kingship and order, appearance vs reality, gender. Explore how Shakespeare interweaves your two chosen themes to build the tragedy of Macbeth across the whole play.

(Total for Question 15 is 24 marks)

Evaluate the view that Lady Macbeth's fate in Act 5 undermines everything she claims about gender and power earlier in the play. Use your knowledge of the whole play to support your view.

(Total for Question 16 is 12 marks)

Mark scheme · GE.T-Macbeth-Theme Literature: Macbeth - Themes in Depth

Question 1

(a) B1 ambition (oe) cao
(a) Answer: Ambition.
(b) B1 guilt (oe) cao
(b) Answer: Guilt.
(c) B1 the supernatural (oe) cao
(c) Answer: The supernatural.
(d) B1 kingship and order (oe) cao
(d) Answer: Kingship and order.
(e) B1 appearance vs reality (oe) cao
(e) Answer: Appearance vs reality.
(f) B1 gender (oe) cao
(f) Answer: Gender.

Question 2

(a) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth's disturbed aside after the witches' prophecy ("why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair") (oe)
(a) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. through a private aside that shows ambition sparked the instant Macbeth hears he could be king (oe)
(a) Answer: Ambition is first introduced in Act 1 Scene 3, when Macbeth's disturbed aside after the witches' prophecy shows the idea of kingship has already unsettled him, using the private form of the aside to reveal a desire he cannot yet admit openly.
(b) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth's soliloquy ("If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly") (oe)
(b) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. through soliloquy showing Macbeth's conscience troubling him before he has even committed the murder (oe)
(b) Answer: Guilt is first introduced in Act 1 Scene 7, where Macbeth's soliloquy weighing up reasons against the murder shows his conscience is already active before Duncan is killed, using the private form of soliloquy to reveal anticipatory guilt.
(c) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 1, the three witches meeting on the heath amid thunder and lightning ("Fair is foul, and foul is fair") (oe)
(c) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. the opening scene establishes an uncanny, disordered world before any human character appears (oe)
(c) Answer: The supernatural is introduced in the very first scene, Act 1 Scene 1, where the witches meet amid thunder and lightning and chant a paradox, immediately establishing a disordered, uncanny world before the human plot begins.
(d) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 2, the Captain's report and Duncan's praise of Macbeth ("O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!") (oe)
(d) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. through Duncan rewarding loyalty, establishing the rightful bond between king and thane before it is broken (oe)
(d) Answer: Kingship and order is introduced in Act 1 Scene 2, when Duncan praises Macbeth as a loyal, valiant subject, establishing the legitimate hierarchy and bond of loyalty between king and thane that Macbeth later destroys.
(e) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 4, Duncan's comment that "there's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face", followed by his trust in Macbeth (oe)
(e) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. through dramatic irony, since Duncan says this about the executed former Thane of Cawdor just before welcoming his next betrayer (oe)
(e) Answer: Appearance vs reality is introduced in Act 1 Scene 4, where Duncan reflects that faces cannot reveal true character, then immediately extends complete trust to Macbeth, creating dramatic irony that introduces the theme before any deliberate deception occurs.
(f) B1 accurate reference to Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth's soliloquy asking spirits to "unsex me here" (oe)
(f) B1 comment on how it is introduced, e.g. through Lady Macbeth deliberately rejecting conventional femininity to find the resolve to murder Duncan (oe)
(f) Answer: Gender is introduced in Act 1 Scene 5, when Lady Macbeth's soliloquy asks supernatural spirits to strip away her femininity, showing the theme through her deliberate rejection of what she sees as weak, feminine qualities.

Question 3

(a) B1 Act 1 (e.g. Scene 7, "vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself", or Scene 3, Macbeth's disturbed aside) (oe)
(a) B1 Act 3 (e.g. Scene 1, Macbeth's soliloquy fearing Banquo's 'royalty of nature' and a 'fruitless crown', or Scene 4, his open tyranny at the feast) (oe)
(a) B1 Act 5 (e.g. Scene 3, "I am sick at heart", Scene 5, "I 'gin to be aweary of the sun", or Scene 8, "Why should I play the Roman fool") (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 1 Scene 7 ("vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself"); Act 3 Scene 1 (fear of Banquo's 'royalty of nature' and a 'fruitless crown'); Act 5 Scene 5 ("I 'gin to be aweary of the sun").
(b) B1 identifies the shift from secret/hesitant ambition to open tyranny (oe)
(b) B1 reference to a method, e.g. soliloquy, the horse-riding/vaulting metaphor, or imagery of sickness/blood (oe)
(b) B1 links ambition to Macbeth's eventual isolation, exhaustion or downfall (oe)
(b) Answer: Ambition moves from a secret, hesitant desire revealed only in soliloquy and aside in Act 1, to open, violent tyranny once Macbeth is king in Act 3, and finally to numb exhaustion and defiance by Act 5, as unchecked ambition leaves him isolated and destroyed.

Question 4

(a) B1 Act 2 Scene 2 (e.g. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" or "Macbeth does murder sleep") (oe)
(a) B1 Act 3 Scene 4, Banquo's ghost appears at the banquet ("Never shake thy gory locks at me") (oe)
(a) B1 Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth sleepwalking ("Out, damned spot! Out, I say!") (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 2 Scene 2 ("Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"); Act 3 Scene 4 (Banquo's ghost, "Never shake thy gory locks at me"); Act 5 Scene 1 ("Out, damned spot! Out, I say!").
(b) B1 Macbeth's guilt is immediate and physical, expressed through hallucination and imagined voices (oe)
(b) B1 Lady Macbeth's guilt is delayed and psychological, surfacing only once her conscious control fails, in sleep (oe)
(b) B1 both are ultimately destroyed by guilt (Macbeth's growing numbness/isolation, Lady Macbeth's reported suicide, Act 5 Scene 5) (oe)
(b) Answer: Macbeth's guilt is instant, physical and vocal, shown through hallucinations straight after the murder, while Lady Macbeth appears controlled until her guilt resurfaces only in the unconscious sleepwalking scene; Shakespeare shows both are ultimately destroyed by it, since Lady Macbeth's death is reported soon after Act 5 Scene 1.

Question 5

(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 1, the witches on the heath ("Fair is foul, and foul is fair") (oe)
(a) B1 Act 3 Scene 4, Banquo's ghost appears at the feast, visible only to Macbeth (oe)
(a) B1 Act 4 Scene 1, the apparitions and the prophecy that "none of woman born" shall harm Macbeth (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 1 Scene 1 ("Fair is foul, and foul is fair"); Act 3 Scene 4 (Banquo's ghost at the feast); Act 4 Scene 1 (the apparitions, "none of woman born").
(b) B1 the supernatural grows from ambiguous prophecy to direct, terrifying confrontation, to a deliberately misleading show of apparitions (oe)
(b) B1 reference to equivocation: the witches tell partial truths that encourage Macbeth's overconfidence (oe)
(b) B1 discussion of fate versus free will: the witches may prompt Macbeth's ambition but do not force his choices, so he remains responsible (oe)
(b) Answer: The supernatural moves from ambiguous prophecy, to a direct haunting only Macbeth can see, to elaborate but technically misleading apparitions; because the witches never force Macbeth to act, an audience can still judge him as morally responsible for choosing to believe and act on what he is told.

Question 6

(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 2, Duncan praises Macbeth as "valiant cousin, worthy gentleman" (oe)
(a) B1 Act 2 Scene 4, Ross and the Old Man describe unnatural events, e.g. Duncan's horses eating each other and darkness at noon ("dark night strangles the travelling lamp") (oe)
(a) B1 Act 4 Scene 3, Malcolm lists the "king-becoming graces" while testing Macduff (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 1 Scene 2 ("O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!"); Act 2 Scene 4 (unnatural events after the murder, e.g. the horses eating each other); Act 4 Scene 3 (Malcolm's "king-becoming graces").
(b) B1 reference to the Great Chain of Being/Jacobean belief that regicide would cause chaos in both nature and the state (oe)
(b) B1 specific unnatural events (e.g. horses, darkness, an owl killing a falcon) as physical signs of the state's sickness under a usurper (oe)
(b) B1 order is restored when Malcolm, the rightful heir, defeats Macbeth and becomes king (oe)
(b) Answer: Shakespeare uses the Great Chain of Being to link regicide to chaos in nature, shown through the unnatural events reported by Ross and the Old Man; order is only restored at the end of the play when Malcolm, the legitimate heir, defeats Macbeth and is crowned.

Question 7

(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth's instruction to "look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (oe)
(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 4, Duncan's comment that "there's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face", just before trusting Macbeth completely (oe)
(a) B1 Act 4 Scene 1, the witches' prophecies that Macbeth cannot be harmed by "none of woman born" and is safe until Birnam Wood moves (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 1 Scene 5 ("look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't"); Act 1 Scene 4 (Duncan's misplaced trust); Act 4 Scene 1 (the apparitions' misleading prophecies).
(b) B1 on the human level, the Macbeths deliberately disguise murderous intent behind hospitality and loyal appearances (oe)
(b) B1 on the supernatural level, the witches' equivocal prophecies appear to promise safety but are technically true and misleading, e.g. Macduff "from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd" (oe)
(b) B1 the combination of human and supernatural deception explains why Macbeth is repeatedly caught out, trusting appearances until it is too late (oe)
(b) Answer: Shakespeare shows deception operating on a human level, as the Macbeths hide murderous intent behind loyal appearances, and on a supernatural level, as the witches' equivocal prophecies appear to guarantee safety but are technically misleading; together these make Macbeth's downfall especially dangerous, since he trusts appearances at every level until it is too late to change course.

Question 8

(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth asks spirits to "unsex me here" and fill her with cruelty (oe)
(a) B1 Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth's "When you durst do it, then you were a man" and Macbeth's reply "I dare do all that may become a man" (oe)
(a) B1 Act 4 Scene 3, Macduff insists he "must also feel it as a man" on hearing of his family's murder (oe)
(a) Answer: Act 1 Scene 5 ("unsex me here"); Act 1 Scene 7 ("When you durst do it, then you were a man" / "I dare do all that may become a man"); Act 4 Scene 3 (Macduff, "I must also feel it as a man").
(b) B1 Lady Macbeth initially links masculinity to ruthlessness and femininity to weakness, which she wants to escape (oe)
(b) B1 Macbeth is repeatedly goaded into violence by having his manhood questioned, suggesting pressure around masculinity drives the tragedy (oe)
(b) B1 by the end, Lady Macbeth's collapse in Act 5 Scene 1 undermines her earlier rejection of femininity, while Macduff's grief offers an alternative model of manhood (oe)
(b) Answer: Shakespeare initially links masculinity to ruthless violence and femininity to weakness, shown by Lady Macbeth rejecting her own femininity and repeatedly challenging Macbeth's manhood to push him toward murder; by the end, her breakdown in the sleepwalking scene undermines this rejection, while Macduff's grief offers a more balanced model of masculinity that includes emotion.

Question 9

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general comments about Macbeth's ambition, with little textual reference or exploration of his character or other characters.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of ambition as a motive, with a few relevant references (e.g. the witches' prophecy, Lady Macbeth's persuasion) and straightforward comments on language.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how ambition drives Macbeth's actions across the play, supported by well-chosen quotation and some comment on Shakespeare's methods (e.g. imagery, soliloquy).
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of ambition as a destructive force, analysing language and structure closely and integrating relevant Jacobean context.
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of ambition across the whole play, with a convincing personal response, precise analysis of Shakespeare's methods and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- the witches' prophecy in Act 1 Scene 3 does not create ambition but awakens it, shown by Macbeth's disturbed aside ("why do I yield to that suggestion")
- Macbeth's own soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 7 admits he has "no spur" except "vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself", foreshadowing his downfall through the image of a rider falling from a horse
- Lady Macbeth's ambition for Macbeth, and her fear he is "too full o' th' milk of human kindness", shows ambition operating through their relationship as well as within Macbeth alone
- once Macbeth becomes king, ambition mutates into paranoid tyranny, seen in the murders of Banquo (Act 3) and Macduff's family (Act 4), so ambition escalates rather than being satisfied
- by Act 5, ambition has left Macbeth isolated and numb ("I 'gin to be aweary of the sun"), suggesting Shakespeare presents unchecked ambition as self-destructive as well as destructive to others
- Jacobean context: ambition that oversteps the natural, God-given order (the Great Chain of Being) would have been seen as both a political and a religious danger, reinforcing ambition's destructive presentation
- candidates might contrast Macbeth's ambition with Banquo's restraint, since Banquo also hears the prophecy but does not act on it, highlighting Macbeth's own choice

Question 10

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general comments about guilt, with limited reference to specific moments.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of guilt affecting Macbeth and/or Lady Macbeth, with a few relevant references and straightforward comment on language.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how guilt is shown to affect both characters, supported by well-chosen quotation and some comment on dramatic method (e.g. hallucination, soliloquy).
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of guilt's effects, analysing language, imagery and structure with relevant context.
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of guilt across the whole play, contrasting its effect on both characters, with precise analysis of method and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- immediately after the murder, Macbeth is tormented by imagined blood and voices ("Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?", "Macbeth does murder sleep"), showing guilt as instant and overwhelming
- Lady Macbeth initially appears far less troubled, dismissing guilt with practical reassurance ("a little water clears us of this deed"), creating a contrast Shakespeare later reverses
- Banquo's ghost, visible only to Macbeth at the feast (Act 3 Scene 4), externalises his guilt on stage, making his private conscience a public spectacle
- by contrast, Lady Macbeth's guilt surfaces only once, in the sleepwalking scene (Act 5 Scene 1), when her unconscious mind betrays what her conscious will had suppressed, "Out, damned spot!"
- her eventual, unstaged suicide (reported in Act 5 Scene 5) suggests guilt is ultimately as destructive for her as violent hallucination is for Macbeth, even though it appears later and differently
- Jacobean audiences, in a strongly Christian culture, would read guilt as evidence of conscience and a sign that divine justice cannot be evaded, however successfully a crime is hidden
- candidates might argue Shakespeare uses the contrast between the two characters' guilt to explore whether guilt is a moral safeguard or simply a psychological weakness

Question 11

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general awareness that supernatural elements appear in the play, with limited reference.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of the witches' or ghost's role, with a few relevant references and straightforward comment.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how the supernatural influences events and audience response, supported by well-chosen quotation.
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of the supernatural's dramatic function, analysing language and stagecraft with relevant context.
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of the supernatural across the play, evaluating its effect on audience judgement of Macbeth, with precise analysis and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- the witches open the play (Act 1 Scene 1) with "Fair is foul, and foul is fair", immediately establishing a disordered, uncanny world that frames everything that follows
- their prophecy gives Macbeth's ambition a starting point, but Shakespeare is careful to show Macbeth choosing to act rather than being forced, so the supernatural does not remove his responsibility
- Banquo's ghost (Act 3 Scene 4) makes Macbeth's guilt visible on stage and to the audience, while other characters see nothing, increasing dramatic tension
- the apparitions in Act 4 Scene 1 (an armed head, a bloody child, a crowned child holding a tree) deliver prophecies that are literally true but practically misleading, showing the supernatural as deceptive rather than simply predictive
- a Jacobean audience, aware of King James I's own writing on witchcraft (Daemonologie, 1597) and recent witch trials, would have found the witches genuinely threatening rather than merely theatrical
- the supernatural encourages the audience to judge Macbeth as both a victim of temptation and an agent who freely chooses evil, since he consults the witches a second time of his own accord (Act 4 Scene 1)
- candidates might discuss how the fading of supernatural intervention in the final act, with no witches appearing at Dunsinane, coincides with Macbeth's growing isolation, suggesting the supernatural's power is ultimately psychological as well as literal

Question 12

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general comments about kings or order, with limited reference.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of kingship and disorder, with a few relevant references and straightforward comment.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how kingship and order are presented, supported by well-chosen quotation and some comment on Shakespeare's methods.
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of kingship and order, analysing language and structure with relevant context (Divine Right, the Great Chain of Being).
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of kingship and order across the whole play, with precise analysis of method and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- Duncan is presented as a legitimate, gracious king at the start, praising Macbeth as "valiant cousin, worthy gentleman" and rewarding loyalty, establishing the rightful order Macbeth later destroys
- Macbeth's murder of Duncan is followed immediately by unnatural events reported by Ross and the Old Man (Act 2 Scene 4), darkness at noon and horses "eating each other", showing nature itself reacting to the crime
- as king, Macbeth rules through fear and violence rather than the "king-becoming graces" (justice, mercy, temperance) that Malcolm later lists (Act 4 Scene 3), presenting him as a tyrant rather than a true king
- Scotland under Macbeth is described as wounded and bleeding (Act 4 Scene 3), a metaphor for the state's suffering under illegitimate rule
- Malcolm's testing of Macduff in Act 4 Scene 3, where he pretends to lack the qualities of a good king before revealing the truth, allows Shakespeare to define kingship explicitly, by contrast with Macbeth
- the play restores order when Malcolm, the rightful heir, defeats Macbeth and is crowned, reflecting the Jacobean belief that the God-given order, though disrupted, will ultimately be restored
- candidates might discuss the Divine Right of Kings and the Great Chain of Being as context that would make Macbeth's regicide especially shocking to a Jacobean audience

Question 13

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general comments about disguise or deception, with limited reference.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of characters hiding their true intentions, with a few relevant references and straightforward comment.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how appearance and reality are contrasted, supported by well-chosen quotation and some comment on Shakespeare's methods.
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of appearance versus reality, analysing language, imagery and structure with relevant context.
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of appearance versus reality across the whole play, with precise analysis of method and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- the witches' opening paradox, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (Act 1 Scene 1), announces that appearances will be unreliable throughout the play
- Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth to "look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (Act 1 Scene 5), making deliberate deception a conscious strategy
- Duncan's comment that "there's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face" (Act 1 Scene 4) is immediately undercut by dramatic irony, since he then extends his trust to Macbeth, his eventual murderer
- Macbeth himself resolves that "false face must hide what the false heart doth know" at the end of Act 1 Scene 7, showing him consciously adopting the same deceptive strategy as his wife
- the witches' prophecies in Act 4 Scene 1, that Macbeth cannot be harmed by "none of woman born" and is safe until Birnam Wood moves, appear to guarantee safety but are technically true and disastrously misleading, extending the theme to a supernatural level
- Macbeth's fatal overconfidence comes from trusting appearances, the apparent impossibility of the prophecies, rather than questioning the reality behind them
- candidates might link this theme to the post-Gunpowder Plot Jacobean anxiety about equivocation, deliberately misleading but technically true speech, which was a live political and religious issue when the play was first performed

Question 14

Level 1 (1-4): Simple, general comments about male or female characters, with limited reference.
Level 2 (5-8): Some understanding of how gender expectations are shown, with a few relevant references and straightforward comment.
Level 3 (9-12): Clear explanation of how gender is presented and challenged, supported by well-chosen quotation and some comment on Shakespeare's methods.
Level 4 (13-15): Detailed, well-structured exploration of gender across the play, analysing language and structure with relevant context.
Level 5 (16-18): Sophisticated, sustained exploration of gender across the whole play, with precise analysis of method and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- Lady Macbeth's soliloquy asking to be "unsexed" (Act 1 Scene 5) presents femininity as something she believes must be removed in order to commit violence, associating masculinity with ruthlessness from the outset
- in Act 1 Scene 7, she attacks Macbeth's masculinity directly ("When you durst do it, then you were a man") to pressure him into murder, showing how gender expectations are weaponised between the two characters
- Macbeth's reply, "I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none", shows him trying to define a limit to masculine action that Lady Macbeth then dismisses
- Macduff's grief on learning of his family's murder (Act 4 Scene 3), and his insistence that he "must also feel it as a man", offers an alternative model of masculinity that includes emotion rather than only violence
- Lady Macbeth's collapse into guilt-ridden sleepwalking (Act 5 Scene 1) undermines her earlier rejection of femininity, suggesting the "unsexing" she asked for was never fully possible
- Jacobean society was strongly patriarchal, so Lady Macbeth's early dominance over Macbeth, and her invocation of supernatural forces to change her sex, would have seemed especially unnatural and disturbing to the original audience
- candidates might argue Shakespeare ultimately reasserts conventional gender roles by having Lady Macbeth's resolve fail while Macduff's more openly emotional grief-turned-resolve succeeds, or might challenge this reading

Question 15

Level 1 (1-5): Simple, general comments about the chosen themes, treated largely separately, with limited reference.
Level 2 (6-10): Some understanding of both chosen themes, with a few relevant references, but limited discussion of how they connect.
Level 3 (11-15): Clear explanation of both themes, supported by well-chosen quotation, with some clear discussion of how they interact or reinforce one another.
Level 4 (16-20): Detailed, well-structured exploration of how the two chosen themes are interwoven across the play, analysing language and structure with relevant integrated context.
Level 5 (21-24): Sophisticated, critical, sustained exploration of how the two chosen themes work together to shape the tragedy, evaluating their relationship with a convincing personal response, precise analysis of method and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- ambition and the supernatural: the witches' prophecy in Act 1 Scene 3 does not create Macbeth's ambition but gives it a target, and the equivocal apparitions of Act 4 Scene 1 later encourage him to over-extend that ambition into reckless overconfidence
- ambition and guilt: Macbeth's soliloquy admitting only "vaulting ambition" (Act 1 Scene 7) is immediately followed, once the murder is done, by escalating guilt (Act 2 Scene 2), suggesting Shakespeare presents guilt as the direct, inescapable consequence of unchecked ambition
- kingship/order and the supernatural: the witches' disruption of the natural order in Act 1 Scene 1 anticipates the disorder in nature (Act 2 Scene 4) that follows Macbeth's regicide, linking supernatural and political disorder as two expressions of the same idea
- appearance/reality and gender: Lady Macbeth's instruction to "look like th' innocent flower" (Act 1 Scene 5) is itself bound up with her rejection of conventional femininity, since deceptive appearance and 'unsexed' resolve are presented as two sides of the same performance
- guilt and gender: Lady Macbeth's guilt surfaces only once her controlled, 'masculine' resolve collapses in the sleepwalking scene (Act 5 Scene 1), suggesting Shakespeare links the failure of her gender performance to the return of suppressed guilt
- candidates may choose any valid pairing of the six themes; credit should be given for a well-supported, clearly explained connection between the two chosen themes rather than for any specific pairing
- the strongest answers will evaluate which theme is presented as driving the other, for example whether ambition causes guilt or the supernatural enables ambition, rather than simply describing both themes side by side

Question 16

Level 1 (1-3): Simple, general agreement or disagreement, with limited reference to Act 5 or earlier scenes.
Level 2 (4-6): Some understanding of the view, with relevant reference to Lady Macbeth's earlier claims and her Act 5 fate, but limited evaluation.
Level 3 (7-9): Clear, well-supported evaluation of the view, referring to specific moments in Act 1 and Act 5, with some discussion of Shakespeare's methods.
Level 4 (10-12): Sophisticated, sustained evaluation, weighing the view judiciously against alternative readings, with precise textual support and skilfully integrated context.
Indicative content:
- Lady Macbeth's early claim to have rejected femininity ("unsex me here", Act 1 Scene 5) and her mockery of Macbeth's hesitation (Act 1 Scene 7) present her as consciously choosing ruthless, 'masculine' control
- her sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1, compulsively re-enacting the murder and unable to wash away imagined blood ("Out, damned spot!"), shows her resolve has failed completely, supporting the view that her earlier claims are undermined
- her reported, offstage suicide (Act 5 Scene 5) removes her from the action entirely, in contrast to her earlier dominance over the plot, which could support the idea that the play ultimately punishes her transgression of gender norms
- however, candidates might argue her fate does not simply undermine her earlier claims but shows the psychological cost of suppressing conscience, which is a comment on guilt as much as on gender
- some candidates may argue that Macbeth's own numb, exhausted reaction to her death ("she should have died hereafter") suggests the play is equally sceptical about his more conventional, still-violent masculinity, so gender is destabilised on both sides, not just undermined for Lady Macbeth
- strongest answers will reach a supported personal judgement rather than simply listing evidence for both sides

Literature: Macbeth - Themes in Depth - Worksheets, Questions and Revision