a form of art that involves live performances by actors on a stage in front of an audience

a dramatic work originally intended for the stage

a ruler who holds supreme and hereditary power over a state or territory, often referred to as a king or queen

Understanding the context of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

English

In 'Macbeth', pupils learn about character, plot and theme in a Shakespearean play for the first time. In 'Shakespeare's ’Romeo and Juliet’: Diary and Narrative Writing', pupils will learn how Shakespeare explores multiple key themes throughout a single play.’

In 'The Highwayman: Narrative Writing', pupils developed their understanding of how to create atmosphere and engage the reader using figurative language. In 'Shakespeare's ’Macbeth’: Narrative and Soliloquy Writing', pupils will use figurative language to write a narrative based on Shakespearean tragedy and convey characters' thoughts and feelings through soliloquy writing.

In this unit, pupils have their first taste of Shakespearean play scripts. They analyse the witches' prologue of this iconic play as a starting point for writing a narrative opening. Pupils investigate the central character, writing a soliloquy based on Macbeth's famous dagger monologue.

Shakespeare's 'Macbeth': narrative and soliloquy writing

How many plays has William Shakespeare written?

‘The Great Fire of London’ occurred in 1666.

Put these significant events in order of chronology.

Men were allowed to portray women's roles in plays on stage.

Women were allowed to portray men’s roles in plays on stage.

Women were sometimes allowed to portray boy's roles in plays on stage.

Men were only allowed to portray men's roles in plays on stage.

Which of the following is true about plays in Shakespeare's time?

Which of the following is a play about a tragedy depicting the rise and fall of a Scottish general?

a love story of two young lovers from feuding families

a comedy with mistaken identities, love triangles and humour

Match the title of the play to their descriptions.

a piece of writing focused on poetry and sonnets

a dramatic work written for performance on stage

script memorisation and character portrayal

What is an important aspect of acting on stage?

for his innovations in industrial technology

 for his mastery of language and poetic expressions

Why was William Shakespeare popular during his era?

True or false? William Shakespeare's works continue to be studied, performed and adapted across the globe.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

To be or not to be: that is the question.

The sun peeked through the curtains, casting a warm glow.

Match the text types to example sentences that you might find in them.

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Understanding the context of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

Lesson outcome

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.