Focus on the following scenes: Act I scenes 3, and 7, Act 2 scene 1, Act 3 scene 4, Act 4 scene 1 and Act 5 scene 5.

Make sure you comment upon:

• How Shakespeare uses language - why does he make the characters use the words that they do? What is it revealing about the way that they think / the themes of the play / the essay question?
• Write about staging (reference to the stage directions)
• Contextual facts - James I
• Briefly define fate and ambition - but not at the same time in the same paragraph
• Impact on audiences
• Contemporary relevance
• PEE paragraphs

Website with complete play

DO NOT

• Write too much about the other characters - this essay is about Macbeth
• Waffle - assume your audience knows the plot of Macbeth - instead you are giving them insight into the symbolism of significance of aspects of the play - Macbeth in particular
• Write about the witches too much - we are not writing about superstition and Shakespearean people's beliefs about witches, instead we are writing about how the supernatural influences Macbeth through their predictions - so it can only really have one ending.
• moral, social, philosophical significance (what are the messages / warnings given about human nature?)

Essay plan in detail:

Do not write about everything under the scene heading - instead pick something you can analyse with reference to the point above

Introduction:
Fate is - if the witches had not predicted Macbeth's rise to the throne would he have done it anyway?

Act I scene 3
"So foul and fair a day I have not seen" - Macbeth says this - why? How is this fate? "[Aside] Glamis, and thane of Cawdor! The greatest is behind."(this is a stage direction, because it is said as an aside) why doesn't Macbeth want Banquo to know he is starting to be ambitious? "[Aside] Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme" - another aside showing Macbeth's ambition because of his repeatedly mentioning the throne. "[Aside] If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir."- here Macbeth decides to not interfere with fate.

Act 1 scene 7
Focus on the language in Macbeth's soliloquy - how he convinces himself in and out of killing Duncan. "Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague the inventor" Macbeth mentions "I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on the other." what does Macbeth think of his own ambition? "Art thou afeard?" Look at the language Lady Macbeth uses to convince him - analyse why calling a soldier a coward is a shaming thing. Whose ambition is working now? How can you compare the power-hungry wife leading her leader husband along? Put a contemporary example in here.

Act 2 scene 1
"It is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eyes." - Macbeth's opinion of his dagger vision. Even though he knows what he's doing is treason, he still does it. "Nature seems dead" - Macbeth is subverting the natural order of things- he is not in line to the throne, and yet takes the crown. What does the dagger vision represent? Fear? Something to hold his ambition back? Doubt? Why does Shakespeare make Macbeth have this hallucination?

Act 3 scene 4
"I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confined, bound in To saucy doubts and fears" Macbeth says this upon learning of Fleance's escape - to keep the throne Macbeth has to perform more and more bloody deeds. "Thou canst not say I did it: never shake Thy gory locks at me." Macbeth's second 'vision'  - it's almost as if by letting the supernatural influence him, he has become aware of the supernatural things all around him - like ghosts. "It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood:" Macbeth is becoming more aware of his end. "I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er:" ( Best quote!) Macbeth realises what he has to do to keep his reign - "We are yet but young in deed." Macbeth knows they've only just started, and must keep murdering to keep control.  Think of the contrast between Duncan and Macbeth - In Act 1 scene 3 Macbeth describes Duncan with angelic qualities (language focus) and yet he does not describe himself as thus - he knows he is not the same.

Act 4 scene 1
"I will be satisfied: deny me this, And an eternal curse fall on you!" Macbeth tries to command the apparitions to speak to him, but they will not.  - he even uses the language of the supernatural: 'curses'. He cannot have control over the supernatural - perhaps it is this that causes his demise: his reliance on the supernatural - and yet it's something he cannot murder to keep control of? "from this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand." - Macbeth decides to follow his ambition no matter what he has to do to get there. It is now that he chooses to kill the innocents - women and children - now he's taken a step which he knows will make him unpopular, but feels he has to do it - analyse why. - How would the audience feel knowing he now is going to do this? Do we no longer empathise with him, but feel sorry for his 'vaulting ambition'?

Act 5 scene 5
There is a great deal of imagery in Macbeth's soliloquy. This mostly relates to lights being extinguished - find a quote and explain the significance - also the line about life being a 'poor player' and how it 'signifies nothing' - what is Shakespeare saying about his own actors performing the play to the audience? How is this Macbeth coming to his fate?

Conclusion
The only part of the whole essay where you can use your own opinion. Remember you are summing up how you answered the essay question - think bigger picture. Why did Shakespeare write this play - who for, and why take the angle that he did (the Scots win). The play is a reflection of the political climate in Shakespeare's time - how? How about the links between Macbeth and Sadaam Hussain? "I am in blood stepped so far..." How is the play still relevant today?

What does Macbeth think about himself - think about the quote in the essay title - is he a fool?

EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH (DO NOT COPY!!!)

In Act 1 scene 3 Shakespeare gives Macbeth asides so the audience can see his true thoughts without the other characters seeing. "[Aside] Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme". Macbeth’s ambition to become king has been ignited. He is aware that the witches’ predictions are the beginning of something larger he must carry out on his own. At this moment his is delighted to think he could be king; his “swelling” pride over-shadows his reason. Macbeth is happy to be led by the witches if the end is as glorious as they predict, but an audience at the time would know that the supernatural cannot be trusted. James I ordered many hundreds of witch burnings in the sixteenth century: the audience would have felt sorry for Macbeth as they would know his pride and ambition would lead to his downfall.

HELPFUL HINTS

Remember to include - staging (refer to stage directions at some point), a contemporary production (Macbeth on the esatate or Polanski) Contemporary relevence - i.e. Themes of amibition with modern politicians - PEE paragraphs - spiritual / moral / philosophical significance (A*)

EXTRA!!! Phrases to use when writing about EFFECT (POINT, EVIDENCE, EFFECT)

• This implies that
• This quotation suggest that
• This makes the audience feel
• This gives the reader the impression that
• This reflects the idea that
• This echoes the suggestion that
• I think the writer is trying to tell us that

REVIEW PLAN:
1. An introductory paragraph introducing the film - making it sound great and like people would want to watch it.
2. Focus on the beginning coming down the lift shaft - camera angles - light levels - sound effects - music - effect on audience. Use media terminology.

These paragraphs in no particular order:

• The hero - who is he and what he does that makes him heroic - make him sound cool and like women could fancy him (e.g. heart-throb)
• The villain - who he is and why he is doing what he is - telling a bit about his catch phrases / tag lines (you don't have to write that they are tag lines - just say he says "...") - you can put a bit of the plot here - without giving it away (no rubbish cliff-hangers)
• Reviews
• The romance sub-plot - to prove that it's not all about the explosions!
• The sidekick - and other things that make it a traditional police thriller

The last paragraph
This should leave the reader with more descriptions of what is great about the film - making is sound action packed. PLUS  an end sentence that makes them want to go and see the film.

Remember to:

• Make sure you use action-genre suitable adjectives to describe the characters, e.g. super-stud Keanu Reeves plays Jack Traven, L.A. cop who goes beyond the call of duty.
  
• Make your descriptions of the characters really interesting - think about what they want, what they do, and what they say, that should give you some inspiration.
  
• Don't just list the characters and actors, find a way of subtly writing them throughout the review.
• Make sure your cliff hanger lines really are cliff hangers
  
• make the director sound intelligent - the film is clever and stunning and etc
• Los Angeles
• must mention the romance - this appeals to a different audience section therefore making sure that the film appeals to as many people as possible.
• Rhetorical questions
  
• newspaper names in capitals
• A catchy heading / title for your review
• You can use some slang and colloquialisms
  

http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/olivertwist/

intro

female characters

male characters

country vs town

events

comtemporary relevance

families

conclusion

You should write about:

• what they say
• what they do
• Russell's stage directions
• Contextual relevance and references
• Audience's reaction / empathy

Focus on the following scenes:
Act 1 scene 1, Act 1 scene 7, Act 2 scene 1, Act 2 scene 5 and Act 2 scene 7.


You must include:

• comparison to Frank and Mary Shelley
• The significance of Frank throwing an apple to Rita, and Frank rejecting an offer of coca cola from Rita
• Pygmalian
• More metaphors / exploration of the theme of change
• Comparisons between Rita and Willy Russell's life
• What is the significance of only having these two characters on stage?

"I wanted to make a play which engaged and was relevant to those who considered themselves uneducated, those whose daily language is not the language of the university or the theatre. I wanted to write a play which would attract, and be as valid for, the Ritas in the audience as the Franks."

Willy Russell

In her attempts to appreciate literature, Rita challenges the attitudes of a traditional university, teaching Frank to question his own understanding of his work and himself. The play explores the relationship between student and tutor. ( www.willyrussell.com/rita1 )

www.litnotes.co.uk/educatin

Why is Frank a disillusioned Alcoholic?
Whose life is more 'real'?
Frank has stopped looking at things - Rita notices the painting when she comes in - because she wants to learn "everything"

Frank wants her to 'discipline' her mind, but what he means is find a less subjective (personal) way to look at literature. The irony is that this will make Rita less spontaneous and it might stifle her obvious passion for the truth and for life.

He knows this, but has to insist on the 'rules'. Literature essays have to be written to a sort of formula. 'There is a way of answering examination questions that is expected, it's a game, with rules. And you must observe the rules.' (p193) Important point. Franks 'game' of university education is just that - a game. It has little to do with 'real' life, but ironically it is the way many people qualify for a place in life. You might like to explore the idea of whether or not University qualifies anyone for anything in the 'real' world?

Note the irony - Rita wants 'meaning' and has no 'learning' yet - Frank has loads of ''learning' and has little 'meaning' in his life.

As Rita progresses she changes - note how Denny reacts and how she says of herself 'she's gone (her former self) and I've taken her place'. As she says the course is 'providing her with life', but ironically it is also taking her old life away from her. Who suffers as a result of this?

Frank says he has 'done a fine job on you' when Rita writes the criticism of his poetry. He thinks it is a 'heap of shit' because it is stylised and not true to 'real' life - an exercise in literature, only.Now he cannot bear Rita and sees her as pretentious. All she has found is a 'different song' to sing.