The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Full searchable text [ original with modern translation ]: Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Introductory Material
Synopsis of Macbeth
Introduction to Shakespeare (Rose)
An Introduction to Macbeth (Pearce)
How to Write a Literary Essay (Rose)
Vocabulary
Macbeth Vocabulary Lists #1-2
Macbeth Acts 1-2 flashcard deck at Dictionary.com (for test #1)
Macbeth Acts 3-5 flashcard deck at Dictionary.com (for test #2)
Assignments
LRJ Assignment #1: Why Read Shakespeare?
LRJ: Passage Analysis assignments
Motifs: Imagery in Macbeth (PDF)
eWorksheet for "Introduction to Macbeth by Joseph Pearce"
eWorksheet for Macbeth Act I
eWorksheet for Macbeth Act II
eWorksheet for Macbeth Act III
eWorksheet for Macbeth Act IV-V
Macbeth AP Exam Study Sheet
Required Articles
"Why Read Shakespeare? A Real Question and the Search for a Good Answer" (Mack)
"Macbeth on Film" (Bemis)
"Why Shakespeare Is For All Time" (Dalrymple)
William Shakespeare Resources
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT)
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet (Palomar)
How to Study Shakespeare
Shakespeare Online
Shakespeare's Monologues
Shakespeare's Birthplace: Stratford-Upon-Avon
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London
Shakespeare Resource Center (Bardweb)
AP Guiding Questions
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1889), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who conforms outwardly while questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.
Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.
From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling forces and explain how this conflict within one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
Select a novel or play and, focus on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot
Select a novel, play, or epic poem that features a character whose origins are unusual or mysterious. Then write an essay in which you analyze how these origins shape the character and that character’s relationships, and how the origins contribute to the work as a whole.