1. Macbeth
Literary Heritage

2. What will pupils be asked to do?
Pupils will write an essay up to 2000 words
comparing a Shakespeare play with another text.
It is worth 25% of GCSE English Literature.

3. Here are the Assessment Objectives
(specified by AQA)
AO1 Respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and
evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support
interpretations
AO2 Explain how language, structure and form contribute to
writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings
AO3 Make comparisons and explain links between
texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing
meaning and achieving effects
AO4 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical
contexts; explain how texts have been influential and
significant to self and other readers in different contexts at
different times

4. Put more simply, this means:
AO1: Write well with PEE+
AO2: explore how layers of meaning
impact upon reader and relevance
AO3: Compare how it’s similar or different
to your other text
AO4: Comment on the time it was written
and how it links to other books, plays etc.

5. Or the pupils may see it in class as
this...

6. Success Criteria
Skilled Writing 1. Identify, comment and compare the
will writers’ use of language, structure and
form contribute to effect.
2. Identify and comment on the historical
context.
3. Commentary embeds appropriate
quotations to support main idea
Excellent 1. Have an increasingly detailed explanation,
Writing with appropriate terminology, of how
language, structure and form create layers
will
of meaning
2. Comments develop increasingly precise,
perceptive comparison between texts
3. Commentary incorporates detailed
reference to the historical context

7. How does this look?
Pupils are familiar with PEE+
Point
Evidence
Explanation
+ Further Explanation (context in this case).
This is a structure we use in English to ensure that writing
remains analytical.
The most common error it storytelling. Pupils should not
tell the story; writing should analyse the quotations
selected.

8. Here is an example of PEE+ taken from
a lesson. It tells pupils what to include
and models how it should look.
It is not relevant to all the tasks pupils
cover, but gives detailed information
on how to use PEE+.

9. How does Shakespeare present the character of
Macbeth?
Introduce your line of argument
P Point that is relevant to the
question.
A skilled 1. Put forward a simple answer to the question that
point will… deals generally with how the character comes
across to the reader
e.g. Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful.
An excellent 1. Pick out a specific aspect of the way the
point will… character is presented
2. Identify the language used to create this
presentation
e.g. Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful by
portraying his desire to be King as damaging from the
start.

10. How does Shakespeare present the character of
Macbeth?
Select a short quotation from
E Evidence the text that supports your
argument.
Skilled 1. Pick out a quotation from the text that acts as an
evidence example of the point you have made
will…
e.g. ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood//Clean from
my hand?’
Excellent 1. Introduce the quotation to show the link to the
evidence point
will…
e.g. As soon as Macbeth has murdered Duncan, his language is
regretful: ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood //Clean
from my hand?’

11. How does Shakespeare present the character of
Macbeth?
Directly analyse your
E Explanation quotation to demonstrate how
it supports your argument.
A skilled 1. Give an overview of why your quotation proves your
explanation point
will…
e.g. Lots of bad things then go on to happen to Macbeth, proving that he was wrong to
kill the King as he was going against the Divine Right of Kings , which James the I (the
King at the time), believed in.
An excellent 1. Put forward more than one idea – and those ideas will be
explanation increasingly original (not the obvious ones)
will… 2. Refer to specific words within the quotation and explain
their impact on the reader (connotations)
e.g. Macbeth’s reference to ‘Neptune’ makes conveys a sense of prayer to the language
and the question mark suggests doubt at his actions. Neptune is the God of the sea, this
would have been known to the Jacobean audience. However, as this is not the Christian
god, the audience would have also viewed this with suspicion; Macbeth has also gone

12. How does Shakespeare present the character of
Macbeth?
Link your analysis to other ideas and
Further
+
quotations from the rest of the book
or its social/ historical context to
explanation conclude your argument.
Skilled further 1. Link the explanation very briefly to another part of the text, but without
reference to the text
explanation 2. Comment very briefly on what was going on in the world when the book
will… was written
e.g. This also shows that he is feels regretful because it suggests that this is something
that will not go away easily; all the water in the ocean will not make his hands clean.
Excellent 1. Bring in short quotations from elsewhere in the book to show how the
same idea is explored in different places
further 2. Put forward original alternative interpretations of the context
explanation 3. Explain in detail why the writer wrote in this way
will… immediacy of Macbeth’s guilt and regret is made apparent with a direct link to
e.g. The
the metaphor of having blood on your hands. The metaphor is used throughout the
play as Lady Macbeth sees an immovable ‘spot’ on her hand and, at the end of the play
when Macbeth’s downfall is imminent, it is said that ‘His secret murders [are]sticking
on his hands’. The tragic outcome is inevitable because Macbeth will not be able to
wash his hands clean and the audience know that this will end in his own death.

13. An Skilled PEE+ paragraph
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful: ‘Will
all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean
from my hand?’ Lots of bad things then go on to
happen to Macbeth, proving that he was wrong
to kill the King as he was going against the
Divine Right of Kings, which James the I (the
King at the time), believed in. This also shows
that he is feels regretful because it suggests that
this is something that will not go away easily;
all the water in the ocean will not make his
hands clean so his actions will have bad
consequences. This shows skill and is a quality paragraph.

14. An excellent PEE+ paragraph
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as regretful by portraying his desire to
be King as damaging from the start. As soon as Macbeth has murdered
Duncan, his language is regretful: ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash
this blood Clean from my hand?’ Macbeth’s reference to ‘Neptune’ makes
conveys a sense of prayer to the language and the question mark
suggests doubt at his actions. Neptune is the God of the sea, this would
have been known to the Jacobean audience. However, as this is not the
Christian god the audience would have also viewed this with suspicion;
Macbeth has also gone against the Christian god by going against the
Divine Right of Kings. The immediacy of Macbeth’s guilt and regret is
made apparent with a link to the metaphor of having blood on your
hands. The metaphor is used throughout the play as Lady Macbeth sees
an immovable ‘spot’ on her hand and, at the end of the play when
Macbeth’s downfall is imminent, it is said that ‘His secret murders
[are]sticking on his hands’. The tragic outcome is inevitable because
Macbeth will not be able to wash his hands clean and the audience know
that this will end in his own death creating drama and tension.

15. The essentials
Include quotes.
Do not tell the story.
Make links and compare with other text.
Comment on the historical context.