Macbeth - Sample exam question

The question

Starting with this extract, | how does Lady Macbeth use language to manipulate her
husband in the play?

Keep mentioning ‘the author uses this tool’

‘Shakespeare makes us believe…. By ….’ She is ‘puppeteering’
eg. The author is trying to make us see how powerful she is and this shows his ideas
about feminism which were ahead of their time
ALMOST A SCIENTIFIC REPORT

Write about:

• how she persuades him to her point of view in this extract

• how she uses her powers of persuasion in the rest of the play - coerce
The extract

MACBETH
We will proceed no further in this business.
He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
LADY MACBETH
Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?
And wakes it now to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time,
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard - measuring how much do you love me
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting I dare not wait upon I would,
Like the poor cat i'th'adage?
MACBETH
Prithee, peace. (please, shush)
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.
LADY MACBETH
What beast was't then - makes him sound better, but again she’s talking about the past
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man.
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time, nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both.
They have made themselves and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: raises this breastfeeding to remind him of
all the work she did to rear his child and make him feel guilty
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn
As you have done to this.
MACBETH
If we should fail?
LADY MACBETH
We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.

Before you go on to the next page, make some notes about what you might write.

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Hints

• Think about the key words in the question ('how', 'language').

• Think about this extract – what is happening at this point? How does it affect Mac-
beth? Highlight some key points.
• Think about Lady Macbeth and her persuasiveness across the entire play.

As part of your answer you will need to analyse what the extract shows about Lady Mac-
beth's use of language at this point.

Look again at the extract below with some highlighted points that could you could write
about in an answer. Think about what Shakespeare is telling his audience and readers
about Lady Macbeth and how she affects her husband.

• (1) 'Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept
since? / And wakes it now to look so green and pale / At what it did so
freely?' - Lady Macbeth immediately goes on the attack by firing three rhetorical
 questions at Macbeth. She does not give him time to think or reply. She then goes
on to pose several other questions which would play on his emotions.
• (2) 'love' - Lady Macbeth reminds her husband of the bond between them
and suggests that if he does not carry out the murder then he clearly does not love
her anymore. She is emotionally blackmailing him.
• (3) 'coward' - Macbeth's bravery and courage are called into question. This
would hurt his pride. - his ego, required for success, hailed in other scenes as a
brave hero but there was foreboding, so we sensed maybe a future problem, which
reminds us again of the tragic hero like in Greek tragedies (they didn’t call them
plays, they called them tragedies)
• (4) 'When you durst do it, then you were a man. / And to be more than
what you were, you would / Be so much more the man.' - Now she attacks his
masculinity. This would hurt his pride even more. Challenge - you could be so
much more. Tempting him with the prize of being a better man.
• (5) 'They have made themselves' - She points out that the time for action
could not be better and that he needs to seize the opportunity.
• (6) 'dashed the brains out' - Lady Macbeth demonstrates the difference be-
tween herself and her husband by stating that she would be prepared to kill her own
child – a truly shocking idea for any mother to admit to. Shakespeare perhaps al-
luding again to paganism/ witchcraft and the idea of human sacrifice. Imagery
of an evil witch that would do anything so the writer is more like an evil witch
than the witches, the 3 witches are warning kind of on his side, but also not
on anyone’s side as just foretelling the future. They don’t care about the end
result they are just there like prophets. Whereas the wife is running the show
to her own ends.
• (7) 'sworn' - Lady Macbeth reminds her husband that he has made a vow to
carry out Duncan's murder. The author could be alluding to the vows also made in
marriage which would make Macbeth feel duty bound to his wife. It’s extra pressure.
You also swear allegiance to your ruler/ king etc.
• (8) 'We fail?' - Lady Macbeth picks up her husband's concern and dismisses
it.
• (9) 'we'll not fail' - She is absolutely convinced that they will succeed - as
long as Macbeth does not back down. This confidence may reassure him that if she
is sure it will be fine, he should do it. Most people trust their partner to want the best
for them.
•

Before beginning an answer, it is important that you plan it properly so that it is tailored
and structured to the question. The bullet points that go with the question will help you to
do this. You must also refer to the examiner's Assessment Objectives to ensure you
have met the criteria.

Below is a structure that you could use for your answer:

 • Introduction - what the Macbeths have planned to do and what we know of their
characters so far. What has happened to Macbeth to make him change his mind
about killing Duncan?
• How Lady Macbeth uses her powers of persuasion to change his mind back again.
• How her arguments affect Macbeth and the audience. Because clearly the
writer’s aim is to engage those watching or reading the play.
• Where else Lady Macbeth uses persuasive techniques in the play. Could discuss
Banquo scene.
• Conclusion - what happens as a result of Lady Macbeth persuading her husband.
Always have a beginning middle and end. Imagine someone reading your essay
knows nothing but has picked up a magazine and is reading an article about this
scene.

Sample answers

Point 2 from the above would form the main part of an answer and look in detail at the ex-
tract.

Sample answer 1

In this scene, Macbeth wants to stop the murder and says "We will proceed no further".
Lady Macbeth makes sure that Macbeth will do exactly as she tells him. She has strong
ambitions to be Queen and uses different arguments to make sure that he does do what
she wants him to do. She uses a comparison to call him a coward but he tells her that he
is a real man. I think that she is right about him at this point. (bit too informal/ chatty). Bet-
ter = the author suggests to the audience that perhaps Lady Macbeth does have a point
as she is highlighting the fact that her husband seems weak-willed compared to her and
others.

She also says he does not love her if he does not carry out the murder. Macbeth's biggest
worry is about what will happen to them if they fail. Lady Macbeth says "We'll not fail"
which just dismisses the idea. By the end of the scene she has persuaded him back again
and the audience thinks that she is a stronger character than her husband.

Feedback comments – Not bad but room for improvement!

• This answer shows a reasonable level of understanding of the text and a de-
velopment of a personal response. (Demonstrates deeper personal understanding
or reaction to the plot). However, there is not enough supportive evidence quoted or
analysis of the language attempted. General rule 2-3 short quotes. These can be
just a few words, but use minimum 2.
• There is a limited attempt to analyse key vocabulary or literary devices. The
use of a simile is noted but it is not explained what it is, what it means or why it is
 being used. Hasn’t really mentioned the author or author’s intention. Eg. Is Shake-
speare trying to get us to see women as strong and controlling? Against the norm
for the time (Jacobean time). Bending gender rules of the time but also the author is
giving us behind the scenes access into their relationship. Private husband and wife
chats are played out on a stage. “Behind every great man is an even stronger
woman.” In the Bible the man is the head of the body, but the woman is the neck.
The neck moves the head around and the head relies on the neck.
• There is a reference to the effect on an audience but this needs develop-
ment.
• Sentences are correctly constructed and punctuated but not always phrased
well.

Sample answer 2

Macbeth starts this scene in a decisive mood but by the end of it has given in to his wife's
powers of persuasion. She asks him lots of (rhetorical) questions but does not give him
time to answer; (notice in the speech in the play the author has Lady M speaking much
more than the main hero, Macbeth so it’s as if she has so much more to say and he has
hardly a word to say - another tool of the author to show how words can make you more
important). …..this would unsettle him and make the audience aware of just how ambitious
she is. Lady Macbeth uses emotional blackmail when she says "From this time, / Such I
account thy love." She also calls him a coward using a simile (comparing one thing to a
different thing just to add emphasis to what they are saying eg. You are as brave as a lion
- would be more appropriate wording for a brave warrior) to compare him to a cat who
would like to get hold of some fish but which does not want to get its paws wet; this is an
example of one of the many animal images used in the play. I think her biggest insult is to
say that he is not acting like a man: "When you durst do it, then you were a man." The key
opposites used here are "when" and "then". For a woman to say this to a man in Shake-
speare's time would have been totally unacceptable and the original audience would prob-
ably have been shocked by it.

Extra marks for using English Literature terms, tools, techniques, styles eg:

1. Onomatopoeia - a word that sounds like what it is, eg. Cuckoo

2. Rhyme and rhythm - discuss how that’s used, for emphasis or making something more
memorable
3. Discuss use of long and short lines. Shorter often means making a statement / power/
emphasis.
4. Alliteration - repetition of words starting same letter eg. Fair is foul - for emphasis.
5. Metaphors or allegories, symbolism, analogies, allusion - describing something using
another thing. Eg. A rose by any other name.
6. Juxtoposition - places 2 or more dissimilar characters, themes, concepts etc side by
side, and the profound contrast highlights their differences. Very effective literary de-
vice because sometimes the best way for us to understand something is by under-
standing what it is NOT. The author juxtaposes Macbeth and his wife. Especially later
on in how they deal with guilt and putting on a facade.
7. Motifs - keep popping up throughout a play. eg. Blood and water. Symbols that keep
popping up and keeps a thread through the whole play.

Feedback comments – Much better!

• There is strong evidence here of a very good understanding of the text and
an informed personal response to Shakespeare's writing. References are skilfully
woven into the answer and are linked to the wider text as a whole. Justify your
opinion with more detail.
• There is clear evidence of language analysis and ability to use correct termi-
nology (simile, images). There could have been some comment on line structure to
further improve the answer. Eg. layout, long or short, how much is each character
talking, what is the environment/setting. Like the chaotic weather reflecting the
chaotic scene.
• There is a good attempt to recognise the effect of the scene on an audience.
• A well-written answer which uses correct spelling, grammar and punctuation
and which aims to develop complex written sentences and use advanced vocabu-
lary.

Objec-
What does it mean?
tive

AO1 Read and understand the texts.

Respond to the texts personally – developing your opinion and thoughts.

Use evidence to support your points.

AO2 Analyse the language Shakespeare has used – why has he done this?

Analyse how Shakespeare has created the play and how it is put together (the structure of
it) – why has he done this?

Analyse the form Shakespeare has used – why has he written the play in this way?

Understand the relationship between the play and the context in which it was written -
AO3
how has this affected Shakespeare's writing? Jacobean times.

AO4 Write accurately using correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.