Macbeth Essay prompts
Short Essay Prompts
1. Write a one-and-a-half to two page essay about the break between truth and reality in the first three acts of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Be sure to use examples from the text, including quotes and paraphrased situations.
2. The three witches told Macbeth his fate. Did the events in Macbeth’s life occur because of the witches’ prophesy or because of the choices he made? Is it a bit of both? What caused Macbeth to fall: Fate or Free Will? Explain the role of free will in the play. Did Macbeth suffer because of his decisions? Explain the role of fate in the play.
3. Shakespeare makes good use of dramatic irony. An example is Macbeth's lack of awareness of his new title, Thane of Cawdor. Another is Duncan commenting on the pleasantness of Macbeth's castle while the audience knows the Macbeths have just planned his murder to take place there that very night (1.6). Compose an expository essay that discusses the effects of this element on the audience or the reader.
1. Pick a theme—such as “appearances can be deceiving”, “the corrupting force of power” or “the effects of the supernatural on human behavior”—and compose an essay that discusses how Shakespeare uses literary elements such as imagery, symbol, or diction, to illustrate this theme.
2. Pick a recurring device (motif) in the play, such as the use of the word “hands”, “blood”, “sleep” or “Hell”, or the use of weather, washing and water, birds, or animals and compose an essay that examines the reason Shakespeare employed this motif throughout the play.
3. Read the following famous quote from Act 5, Scene 5: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow/Creeps in this petty pace from day to day/To the last syllable of recorded time/All all our yesterdays have lighted fools/The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!/Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more. It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing.” What theme is Shakespeare exploring here, and how does he further develop this theme through the use of literary elements in the play?
3. Macbeth is about various kinds of murder (among other things). Does the play distinguish between honourable and dishonourable violence? Can this very bloody play be seen as a plea for peace and human harmony?
4. Discuss the nature of the three supernatural beings who foretell Macbeth’s future. What might they be, what clues does Shakespeare provide, and what conclusion (if any) does he allow his audience to come to? Is it possible that the ambiguity was necessary to his plot and themes?
5. Discuss the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. How does it change and why? To what extent is their relationship the engine that drives the tragedy?
6. What is the image of manhood that Macbeth presents? What questions does the play raise about the soldier as hero?
Controversial Issue Essay
Prompt: How Guilty is Macbeth?
What do you think would happen if Macbeth were arrested and tried for
the murder of Duncan in twentieth century America? Would he be given
the death penalty? Life in prison? Could a skillful attorney plead to a
lesser charge because of mitigating circumstances or get him off with an
insanity plea? To what degree, if any, might his wealth and status
influence the outcome of a trial?
Closely analyze Macbeth’s actions in the play and decide to what extent
you believe he is responsible for and should or should not be punished for
the murder of Duncan. Then, write an essay justifying your decision.
Your essay should:
• Begin with a brief synopsis of his crime to create a context for your
argument.
• Decide whether Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder. If he is not
guilty of first degree murder, then how would you classify the crime:
second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary
manslaughter, or not guilty by reason of insanity?
• Cite ample evidence from the text about Macbeth’s motivation and his
actions to support your classification of murder (or insanity), including
direct quotations, where appropriate. (Note: You may refer to
Macbeth’s actions later in the play as part of your argument but your
focus must be on how this evidence supports your assessment of how
Macbeth should be charged for the murder of Duncan.)
• Acknowledge opposing points of view and overcome those points of
view with logical reasons.
• Close by stating what type of sentence Macbeth should receive based
on the charge you have determined and explain why that sentence is
appropriate.
Your paper should be written in standard expository form. Follow the
conventions of standard written English, including correct paragraphing,
150
punctuation, grammar, and spelling throughout, as well as quoting from
the text accurately.
1. Macbeth is often cited as a famous example of what the American sociologist Robert Merton called a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Discuss how the mechanism of the witches’ prophecy works in terms of its self-fulfillment.
Suggested Answer
The question may be approached by examining the psychology behind Macbeth’s character and his relationship with Lady Macbeth (e.g. his easily-tempted character becomes his fate). It may also be fruitful to perform a close reading of the passage around Banquo’s famous lines “If you can look into the seeds of time / And say which grain will grow and which will not, / Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear / Your favours nor your hate” (I iii 55-59). An ambitious essay might also consider a comparison to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex or another play containing a self-fulfilling prophecy.
1. Macbeth is the one to express doubts over murdering Duncan but it is Lady Macbeth on whom the burden of crime takes its toll. How do the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop differently over the course of the play?
Suggested Answer
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be considered to have switched characters, in a broad sense, over the course of the play. Lady Macbeth goes from proclaiming “unsex me here” to “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (I v 39; V i 42-43), Macbeth becomes more resolute and tyrannical as the play progresses. And yet Lady Macbeth also shows a morsel of humanity early on in the play. After she has intoxicated Duncan’s two guards, she remarks: “I laid their daggers ready; / He could not miss’em. Had he [Duncan] not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t” (II ii 11-13). The question lies in the judgment of whether a coherent psychological picture underlies the two characters, or whether they serve to illustrate some more or less formulaic “meaning.”
1. What is the significance of Macbeth’s vision of the dagger and of Banquo’s ghost in the play?
Suggested Answer
Macbeth’s visions seem to be indicative of his guilty conscience. At the same time, they also seem to interact with the supernatural order that the witches have brought about - the three apparitions and their specific prophecies. It would also be interesting to consider different stagings of such visions.
2. Discuss the exchange between Malcolm and Macduff in Act V Scene iii. Is Malcolm really testing Macduff—and if so, why does he do it? What is the dramatic significance of the testing?
Suggested Answer
The scene immediately proceeds the murder of Lady Macduff and Macduff’s son. Given the dramatic irony that Macduff has yet to hear the news, the scene seems to heighten the sense of cruelty that pervades the play. It may also be worthwhile to consider a counterfactual alternative: what would have happened if Macduff had responded differently? Could he have responded differently?
3. Discuss the dramatic conclusion of Macbeth. The resolution to the problems presented by the later prophecies relies on a play of words. Macduff was not technically “born” of a woman, so to speak, and Birnam Wood only “comes” to Dunsinane Hill in a manner of speaking. For a play as grave as Macbeth, does not such a resolution seem strangely lacking in gravity?
Suggested Answer
The resolution of the play may attest to the power of words. The plot of the play—in all its terrible events of regicide and murders—are after all driven by nothing but a few words uttered by three weird sisters. These same words, of course, are powerful enough to overthrow a kingdom twice.
4. Why can Macbeth not bring himself to pronounce one “Amen” when Duncan’s guards say “God bless us” on their deathbeds (II ii 26-27)? Does this paint a coherent psychological picture? If not, what dramatic purpose does the scene serve?
Suggested Answer
Although Macbeth does not always act rationally, he is by no means an unintelligent character. On the contrary, his famous soliloquy beginning “She should have died hereafter” in Act V Scene v is testament to his perceptive worldview—if not his poetic sensibility. His inability to pronounce “Amen” may attest to the fact that he finds such a pronouncement overwhelmingly hypocritical.
Macbeth Essay Prompt
British Literature
Regardless of whether you believe in the conspiracy or not, one thing is for certain: an individual known as Shakespeare wrote plays and poems worthy of our—and countless others’—attention. And many claim that even though Shakespeare’s works, such as Macbeth, take place in another time (and language), they are still representative of a common human experience. In other words, Shakespeare’s literature is considered timeless. Your task is to either confirm or deny this argument, and, of course, to support your claim with evidence from Macbeth.
The Question: Does Macbeth relate to our society? If so, how? If not, why? (It is very difficult to argue that the text does not—in any way—relate to our society.)
The Thesis: Macbeth does/does not relate to our society, as demonstrated by the theme of ______.
· Do not hesitate to make this your own, and certainly expand upon it.
· Select ONE THEME and focus your entire paper/argument around this theme.
The Body: The body should be at least two paragraphs long, and it should include the meat of your paper (the discussion of the text and the connections to our society). Again, you should make the paper your own, but below please find a possible outline:
A. Introduction
a. Grab the reader’s attention!
b. Thesis
c. Preview the paper
B. Body Paragraph One
a. Explain the theme
b. Use at least one quote to support the theme
c. Interpret the quote
d. Connect it to our current society/your thesis
C. Body Paragraph Two
a. Explain how the theme either connects or does not connect to our own society.
b. Use specific examples from today. Consider current events, pop-culture, government, etc. Then link your example directly to the quote that you used in the previous paragraph.
D. Conclusion
a. Return to your thesis
b. Explore possible reasons for why Shakespeare is either timeless or not
c. Leave your reader dazzled by your rhetorical brilliance!
Due Dates: The rough draft is DUE on Wednesday, February 21st.
The final draft is DUE on Monday, February 26th.
· The final draft must be 12-point Times New Roman. It should also be 3-4 pages double-spaced.
Macbeth Essay Topics
Choose one of the following topics and write a 1 ½ to 2-page typed essay on that subject. Your essay should be double-spaced and in Times New Roman 12pt, or a comparable sized font. When you hand in your essay please include – in the following order: good copy, rough copy (with peer edit marks and name of peer editor), and outline.
1. How does Shakespeare use the ‘unnatural’ or ‘supernatural’ to develop one key theme of the play, Macbeth?
2. Show how the image/symbol of the blood-stained hand contributes to the character development of either Lady Macbeth or Macbeth.
3. Darkness and blackness are recurring images and motifs in Macbeth. Explain how darkness is used as a symbol in the play.
4. Discuss the role of “dramatic irony” in developing one key theme of the play Macbeth.
5. A tragic hero is a protagonist, usually of noble birth or high-standing, who brings about his own downfall by a choice brought on by a character flaw. Tragic heroes have several other common features: they undergo meaningful suffering, learn from their mistake somehow, and arouse pity or fear in the audience through their demise. Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Explain why or why not.
6. If you have an idea for a topic that is not listed, please okay it with the teacher before you start.
(1) Read the information under Theme 2 (above). Then write an essay about persons, places, things or ideas that appear "fair" when they are really "foul"–or appear "foul" when they are really "fair." (2) Lady Macbeth advises her husband to “Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under it” (Act I, Scene V, Lines 66-67). Write an essay about things in the modern world that present themselves as "innocent flowers" even though they are really "serpents."
After introducing the plot of Macbeth, discuss the themes of the play .* The four themes of most interest to students are: