Macbeth: Overview (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Macbeth: Overview

The Macbeth question is part of Paper 1, Section A of your GCSE. You must write one response to one set question. This page offers some helpful information and links to other sections with more in-depth revision notes, allowing you to aim for the highest grade. This page includes:

• A summary of Macbeth

• A brief overview of what is required in the exam

• Macbeth characters

• Macbeth context

• Macbeth themes

• Macbeth quotes

• Top tips for the highest grade

Macbeth summary

Macbeth is a play written by English playwright William Shakespeare in approximately 1606. It is a classic Shakespearean tragedy, which typically depicts a tragic character and a fatal flaw which ultimately results in conflict and a final restoration of the status quo. Macbeth is renowned for being Shakespeare's only tragedy in which the villain is also the hero. For more on the conventions of tragedy, see our Macbeth: Writer’s Methods and Techniques page.

Macbeth takes place in medieval Scotland and tells the story of Macbeth, a valiant warrior who is told by three witches that he will become King of Scotland. Spurred on by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's ambition becomes overpowering and he assassinates King Duncan and ascends to the throne. As a result of his treacherous acts, Macbeth and his wife become increasingly paranoid, resulting in further murders and Lady Macbeth's suicide.  Eventually, civil conflict breaks out, and Macbeth is overthrown. For a more detailed summary of the play, please see the Macbeth: Plot Summary page.

How is Macbeth assessed in the exam?

• Your GCSE Paper 1 requires you to answer two questions in 1hr 45min. That means you have approximately 52 minutes to plan, write and check your Macbeth essay

• Paper 1 is worth 64 marks and accounts for 40% of your overall GCSE grade

• The Macbeth essay is worth 34 marks in total, because it also includes 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar

• Section A of Paper 1 contains the Macbeth question and you are required to answer the one available question on the play

• Your question will also include a printed extract of about 25 lines from the play

• It is a closed-book exam, which means you will not have access to a copy of the text (other than the printed extract) in your exam

• You will be asked a question that asks you to analyse and write in detail about an aspect of Macbeth

• Your answer will need to address both the extract from the play that you will be given, and the play as a whole

For a much more detailed guide on answering the Macbeth question, please see our revision notes on How to Answer the Shakespeare Essay Question.

Macbeth characters

Although Shakespeare plays often have a huge number of characters, the characters you should focus on when revising Macbeth are:

• Macbeth

• Lady Macbeth

• Banquo

• Macduff

There are also other minor characters in Macbeth who play a significant role in the play, such as the Three Witches and Malcolm.

When studying a Shakespeare play or any other text, it is crucial to understand that characters are deliberate inventions made by the writer for a specific purpose. These characters frequently represent concepts or ideas, and writers such as Shakespeare use them to explore these ideas and beliefs. For more details on how Shakespeare uses his characters in Macbeth, please see the Macbeth: Characters revision notes page.

Macbeth context

Understanding what context is can sometimes be difficult at GCSE. Examiners define context as the ideas and perspectives addressed by a writer through their text, not as historical information or biographical facts about the writer. Therefore, the Macbeth context you should explore in your essay response is not information about medieval Scotland, or facts about William Shakespeare, but ideas about:

• James I

• Witchcraft

• Gender Roles

• God and the Great Chain of Being

Some of these ideas and perspectives are universal, so your own opinions of them are valid, and will be rewarded in an exam. For a detailed breakdown of the contextual topics listed above, see the Macbeth: Context page.

Macbeth themes

Understanding the themes that Shakespeare explores in Macbeth is one of the best approaches any student can take when revising the play. This is because to get the highest mark on your exam, you need to take what examiners call a “conceptualised approach”: a detailed and perceptive exploration of Shakespeare’s ideas and intentions. The main themes explored by Shakespeare in Macbeth are:

• Ambition and Power

• The Supernatural

• Appearance versus Reality

• Corruption of Nature

There are many more themes and ideas explored by Shakespeare in Macbeth than those listed above, and you are encouraged to investigate these as well. However, the list above is a good place to start and detailed breakdowns of each of these themes can be found on our Macbeth: Themes page.

Macbeth quotes

Although you are given credit for including quotations from Macbeth in your answer, it is not a requirement of the exam. In fact, examiners say that “references” to the rest of the play are just as valid as direct quotations: this is when students pinpoint individual moments in the play, rather than quoting what the characters say. In order to select references really successfully, it is extremely important that you know the play itself very well, including the order of the events that take place in the play. This detailed act-by-act breakdown of the plot will help you to revise the chronology of Macbeth.

However, it can also be beneficial to go over a few - carefully chosen - lines from the play that can be used on various themes and characters. For a comprehensive analysis of each of these quotations, see our Macbeth: Key Quotations page.

Top tips for the highest grade

Please see our revision pages on the Shakespeare exam for guides on:

• Structuring the Macbeth essay

• Macbeth methods and techniques

• How to include context in a Macbeth essay

• Understanding the Macbeth mark scheme

• A Macbeth model answer