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By A for Anonymous (thank you!)

This is a great topic to revise, because it covers many of the main themes and both main characters of the play.

MACBETH.

Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep,”—the innocent sleep;

Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care,

The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,

Chief nourisher in life’s feast.

LADY MACBETH.

What do you mean?

MACBETH.

Still it cried, “Sleep no more!” to all the house:

“Glamis hath murder’d sleep, and therefore Cawdor

Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more!”

LADY MACBETH.

Who was it that thus cried? Why, worthy thane,

You do unbend your noble strength to think

So brainsickly of things. Go get some water,

And wash this filthy witness from your hand.—

Why did you bring these daggers from the place?

They must lie there: go carry them, and smear

The sleepy grooms with blood.

MACBETH.

I’ll go no more:

I am afraid to think what I have done;

Look on’t again I dare not.

LADY MACBETH.

Infirm of purpose!

Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead

Are but as pictures. ’Tis the eye of childhood

That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,

I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal,

For it must seem their guilt.

Shakespeare presents the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a loving but domineering relationship in order to criticise the Jacobean patriarchal society.

Although just a sentence long, this is a three part thesis statement, setting out what A. is going to prove in the essay. It also includes the author’s purpose, so it tells the examiner that this is bound to be a ‘thoughtful’ answer. This means that the examiner is already primed to want to award at least Level 5.

Firstly, Shakespeare presents the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as loving but domineering. For example, in Macbeth’s letter to Lady Macbeth, he writes to “my dearest partner in greatness”. The use of “partner” suggests equality between the two individuals, which shows how they are deeply in love. Shakespeare also employs “greatness” for Macbeth to describe his wife which almost puts her at a higher status than himself, who is a warrior and a true soldier. This would have been extremely absurd and shocking to the Jacobean audience as patriarchal society treated males as more powerful than females.

Analysing a longer quotation by focusing on individual words to explore an interpretation. A. links this to the context of Jacobean society. At this stage, it suggests ‘clear understanding’, which is Level 4.

Therefore, it would have been further evidence to the audience that women shouldn’t be given power as their actions end in regicide. The Jacobean audience would have seen Lady Macbeth as “the spur that breaks the sides of his intent” and suggests that the Macbeths’ relationship shouldn’t have been this loving as it ultimately ended in the heinous, most punishable act of regicide.

The context has now been developed. It scores marks because it is still linked to an interpretation, that Shakespeare has constructed Lady Macbeth as a warning about the dangers of female power and influence. This shows at least ‘clear understanding’ so it is awarded Level 4 AO3.

This almost makes Macbeth a martyr. This would also have reminded the audience about the theme of Christianity from the story of Adam and Eve, where Eve is more evil than Adam as she eats the forbidden fruit, which would’ve highlighted the fact that Lady Macbeth is more evil than Macbeth himself.

The idea that Macbeth is made into a martyr by Lady Macbeth’s evil control, much like Adam is a victim of Eve’s evil is an interesting one, and moves from ‘understanding’ to ‘thoughtful’. This is Level 5. An examiner will probably wait for another example, because this level also needs to be ‘developed’.

However, Shakespeare appears to subtly undermine this view of society, and might be criticising this view, as he might be suggesting that the cause of the problem is that women are subservient, oppressed and victimised by the patriarchy and women aren’t seen as partners in society, which is why they rebel.

Ok, this introduces an alternative perspective – that Shakespeare sympathises with Lady Macbeth. If A. gives some evidence, then the idea is definitely ‘thoughtful’ and has the potential to be ‘exploratory’ in Level 6.

So because she has failed in her primary role to provide Macbeth with an heir, Lady Macbeth tries to gain power in order to be loved and valued by her subjects, not just by Macbeth. This suggests that, even though the relationship is loving, Lady Macbeth is most domineering in order to gain power.

Although this is not a quotation, the italics is a clear and relevant reference to the text. Now there is enough evidence to award Level 5 AO3.

Furthermore, this domineering relationship is also clearly visible in the extract when Macbeth is suffering from the psychological guilt of killing Duncan, as he claimed to have heard a voice cry “Macbeth shall sleep no more”. However, instead of being an ideal Jacobean wife, Lady Macbeth criticises him by saying that he does “unbend” his “noble strength” by thinking too much about these things. The use of “unbend” is deliberately employed by Shakespeare in order to remind the audience about the “unbended” [ing] of the Great Chain of Being, which further makes Macbeth more miserable as he is reminded of his act of regicide.

The last point looks good on paper, but is a made up point – chains are made to bend, and Macbeth has clearly broken its main link.

But the point about Lady Macbeth being domineering is well made. So, we have enough quotations now to decide that AO2 shows ‘clear understanding’ at Level 4.

We are waiting for A. to link this to his previous point that she feels forced to act this way in order to gain power in society. This would make the point ‘thoughtful’.

In addition, Shakespeare contrasts “unbend” and “noble” in order to suggest Macbeth’s cowardice in the eyes of Lady Macbeth. This echoes her previous soliloquy when she feared Macbeth was “too full o’th’milk of human kindness” and accused him of cowardice with “I shame to wear a heart so white”. The use of “milk” and “white” both suggest cowardice and surrender, even though Macbeth has just won a brave battle against the Norwegians. Shakespeare uses this domineering relationship in order to criticise patriarchal society. Shakespeare suggests her attitude is caused as a consequence of Jacobean society denying her power and love. She has to dominate her husband to influence him in order to gain that power and love.

Well, here it is that link in italics. So this now can be awarded Level 5 AO2.

Notice that A. has also linked the language of the extract to language Lady Macbeth used elsewhere in the text. This is definitely a ‘thoughtful’ use of ‘references’ to the text, for AO1 Level 5.

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