How to Write a Grade 9 Literary Heritage Essay (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)

How does Shakespeare present the relationship between Juliet and her father, Lord Capulet?

• Shakespeare initially presents the relationship between Juliet and her father as one of love

• He believes his daughter is too young to marry and he protects her

• Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris results in Lord Capulet’s threat to disown her

• He perceives her act of defiance as a sign of dishonour

• As the play progresses, Lord Capulet’s actions (in attempting to force his daughter to marry Paris) contribute to Juliet’s tragic demise

• He seeks to hasten the marriage of Juliet to Paris and sets a date “early next Thursday morn”

• Lord Capulet is distraught when he learns of Juliet’s death

• He immediately puts an end to the feud due to its devastating consequences

How does Shakespeare present the relationship between Juliet and her father, Lord Capulet?

The relationship between Juliet and her father changes dramatically  as the play progresses towards its tragic denouement. Although Shakespeare initially presents the relationship between Juliet and her father as one of love, as the play progresses, Lord Capulet’s relationship towards her shifts from being a protective, affectionate father to one which is authoritative and controlling. In Act 3, Scene 5, Lord Capulet declares his wish to hasten the marriage of Juliet to Paris and informs her that he has set a date “early next Thursday morn”. It could be interpreted that Lord Capulet brings the marriage date forward out of concern for Juliet, believing that a marriage would bring his daughter joy after the death of her cousin Tybalt. Alternatively, it could be as a result of his changed feelings towards her as she rejects his parental authority. Juliet defies her father and insists: “He shall not make me there a joyful bride”. This scene marks a turning point in their relationship and signals its fragmentation. As the patriarchal head of the family, Lord Capulet assumes that Juliet will obey his command without question. Her refusal results in his violent expression of his anger and indignation. He threatens to disown his daughter — her act of defiance is a sign of dishonour and his explosive language conveys the force of his feeling: “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch”. He further warns her: “I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday / Or never look me in the face”. Lord Capulet’s insistence on asserting his authority by forcing his daughter to marry Paris ultimately contributes to Juliet’s tragic demise. His unwillingness to consider her feelings and his aggressive and threatening behaviour at this point in the play is in sharp contrast with his protective and affectionate wishes for her happiness in Act 1.

Structural techniques

openings

endings

foreshadowing

juxtaposition

chronological structure 

flashback / flash forward

cyclical

parallelism

Key questions for analysing form and structure

1. When you first start to read the text, what is the writer focusing your attention on?

2. How is this being developed?

3. What structural feature is evident at this point?

4. Why might the writer have deliberately chosen to begin the text with this focus and make use of this particular structural feature?

5. What main points of focus does the writer develop in sequence after the starting point?

6. How is each point being developed?

7. Why is the writer taking you through this particular sequence?

8. How does this particular  sequence relate to the intended meaning(s) of your text?

9. What does the writer focus your attention on at the end of the text?

10. How is this developed as a structural feature?

11. How are you left feeling at the end of the text?

12. Why might the writer have sought to bring you to this point of interest or understanding?

Form and structure

• novel

• originally serialised

• chronological structure

• divided into three volumes

• flashbacks

• Bildungsroman genre

• parallelism

• circular structure

How does Dickens present Pip’s development in Great Expectations?

Dickens presents Pip’s development in this celebrated novel through the structure of the text. Great Expectations is a novel which is divided into three volumes of approximately equal length, each depicting the different stages in Pip’s spiritual, emotional and intellectual development as a character. The narrative has a circular structure and begins and ends at Joe’s forge, symbolically leading Pip back to his childhood origins, although at the end he is revealed as a responsible, mature adult. The novel largely follows a chronological narrative order but Dickens exploits the technique of flashback when the adult Pip recounts the events of his early life. Great Expectations belongs to the genre of Bildungsroman which typically depicts the progression and maturation of a protagonist who develops both morally and psychologically. Dickens therefore uses this genre to present the development of Pip throughout the novel, from his humble beginnings in the marshes, to his encounters with wealth and society in London and his final transformation and maturation as an adult. Dickens also uses parallelism and repetition of scenes and characters to depict Pip’s development. For example, the first 6 chapters of Volume I parallels and contrasts with the first 6 chapters of Volume III. In both of these sections, Pip encounters Magwitch: firstly, as a terrified boy on the marshes; then as a prosperous gentleman in London. Dickens deliberately parallels these scenes to illustrate the differences in Pip’s situation and maturity, and his attitude towards the convict when he meets Magwitch a second time. Pip's innate moral compass becomes his guiding force in the final part of the novel and he now exhibits kindness towards Magwitch, signalling his maturation as a character.

LADY MACBETH Yet here’s a spot.

 DOCTOR Hark! She speaks. I will set down what comes from her,

to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly.

 LADY MACBETH Out, damned spot! Out, I say! – One, two. Why, then

’tis time to do it. – Hell is murky. – Fie, my lord, fie! –

a soldier, and afeard? – What need we fear who knows it,

when none can call our power to account? – Yet who

would have thought the old man to have had so much

blood in him?

 DOCTOR Do you mark that?

 LADY MACBETH The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? –

What, will these hands ne’er be clean? – No more

o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that: you mar all with this

starting.

 DOCTOR Go to, go to: you have known what you should not.

 GENTLEWOMAN She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of

that. Heaven knows what she has known.

 LADY MACBETH Here’s the smell of the blood still! All the perfumes of

Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O! Oh, oh –

exclamations, imperatives, questions, repetition, motif of blood, prose

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

 “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” 

“The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?”

• exclamations and questions convey her emotional stress, desperation and confusion

• imperatives and repetition reflect her urgency and determination

• blood motif is a haunting reminder of Duncan’s murder

Question focus

Analysis of language (AO2)

Explore how Shakespeare presents the character of Lady Macbeth

In the final act of the play, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth’s mental deterioration as a consequence of her profound sense of guilt. In Act 5, Scene 1 the audience witnesses Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and Shakespeare presents this as a manifestation of her distress. She obsessively attempts to wash away imaginary bloodstains from her hands: “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” The image of blood is a recurring motif throughout the play and it becomes a haunting reminder of her involvement in Duncan’s murder. It reflects Lady Macbeth’s inability to cleanse herself of the moral transgressions she and Macbeth have committed. Shakespeare uses her language to reveal her troubled conscience and deteriorating mental state. Her speech is erratic and is repeatedly punctuated by exclamations and questions which convey her emotional stress, desperation and confusion. Additionally, Shakespeare’s use of imperatives illustrates her urgent desire to rid herself of guilt. The sentiments expressed in this scene, “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?”, are in stark contrast to her previous assertion after Duncan’s death, that “A little water clears us of this deed”. Her fragmented speech also implies a sense of responsibility for Macbeth’s actions following Duncan’s murder, as evidenced by her lament: “The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now?” Moreover, in this scene, Lady Macbeth speaks in prose rather than verse, further signifying her declining mental state. 

Question focus

Relationship between a text and its context (AO4)

How does Dickens present Pip’s development in Great Expectations?

Dickens also presents Pip’s character development or transformation through his language, behaviour and the contextual details he foregrounds to the reader. As Pip’s character becomes more affluent, he adopts a completely different persona and learns refined mannerisms including changing his speech, attire, and dining etiquette to assume the identity of an upper-class gentleman. During the period in which Great Expectations is set, social class could be easily distinguished by a person’s manner of speaking and their appearance. When Estella first meets Pip in the novel, she is quick to criticise him for using the term “Jacks” instead of “knaves”. Furthermore, Pip himself is conscious of his clothing while at Satis House and he acknowledges that Joe looks presentable in his work clothes but appears dishevelled in his "best" outfit. Great Expectations takes place during the Industrial Revolution, a period characterised by technological advancements and upward social mobility, and Dickens depicts this new world in the novel as it follows Pip's advancement from humble beginnings through the class system. 

Lady Macbeth: “The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? – What, will these hands ne’er be clean?”

 In what ways does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth’s conscience in the play?

 You must consider language, form and structure and refer to the context of the play in your answer

Her first soliloquy shows her murderous intent

She uses violent imagery to contrast her evil strength with Macbeth's weakness

She disrupts the established order and belief in the Great Chain of Being and rightful hierarchy

Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to reconsider his decision

The use of metaphor suggests Lady Macbeth’s concern about Macbeth’s compassion

She initially disregards the moral consequences of their actions

In her soliloquy, she opts to embody evil and adopt masculine traits

She subverts the conventional gender role of women 

She is presented as deranged in the sleepwalking scene

The structure of the play reveals Lady Macbeth's malevolence and power is stronger at the beginning

In the initial scenes of the play, Lady Macbeth is presented as lacking a conscience as she exhibits no signs of guilt or remorse. The audience first encounter Lady Macbeth reading a letter from Macbeth and her subsequent soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5, conveys her murderous intent as she expresses concern for his humanity: “Yet do I fear thy nature. / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness”. Shakespeare’s use of the metaphor “too full o’ the milk of human kindness” suggests Lady Macbeth’s concern that Macbeth’s compassion may hinder his willingness to commit murder. Her reference to Macbeth’s “human kindness” suggests that she is perhaps aware of the moral implications of their plan to commit regicide, foreshadowing her later struggles with guilt and her conscience. In her soliloquy she opts to embody evil and adopt masculine traits: “Come you spirits…Unsex me here”. This reflects her desire to suppress her conscience in pursuit of her ambition. Her use of imperatives and commanding tone reflects her assertiveness and determination in distancing herself from qualities that might deter her from committing immoral acts. The use of the word “unsex” reveals her desire to be stripped of her feminine qualities, which signifies her rejection and subversion of traditional gender roles. As Jacobeans believed in the Great Chain of Being, which asserted a rightful hierarchy of all things in the universe as set out by God, her plans to usurp the throne and her ability to control her husband, a man, can be seen as disrupting this established order. Despite Lady Macbeth’s efforts to cast aside her femininity, she is unable to escape the moral repercussions of her deeds. In Act 2, Scene 2, Lady Macbeth suggests that their consciences could be easily cleansed: “A little water clears us of this deed”. Water is often associated with purification and cleansing and this conveys her belief that guilt can be easily washed away. It thus indicates her initial disregard for the moral consequences of their actions.