Macbeth resources

Here is a summary of some resources for study and revision of Macbeth, starting with our own.  

(Updated April 2019)

• Seven revision podcasts, including:-
  
  • The crucial moment : the soliloquy in Act I scene vii before the murder.
  • The real Lady Macbeth.
  • King Macbeth - law and order in Scotland.
  • Malcolm the hero?
  • The Witches and the Supernatural.
  • A quotation auto-test.
  • Macbeth's tragic end - 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow ...'
  • And all seven are also on Soundcloud here.  
• 6 Quizlet quotation tests for retrieval practice (the 6th one combines all five Acts). 
• A series of 20 ShowMe analyses of key moments in the play, using video and audio annotation. 
• A quotation auto-test [written] to prompt some thoughts. 
• The Swiss Army Knife technique for embedding quotations.
• The whole text of the play in a variety of formats - put it on your computer/tablet/e-reader for easy access.
• Notes from a thought-provoking talk on the play given by the playwright Frank McGuinness at the Abbey Theatre.
• BBC Bitesize microsite for revision (level - GCSE).
• Shakespeare Searched: a 'Google for Shakespeare' - terrific resource for looking up quotations, self-testing and so on.
• Royal Shakespeare Company Learning Zone on Macbeth, with resources at different levels.
• 'Macbeth in Monaghan' series on RTÉ radio [podcasts].

'Macbeth' revision: the end

The  last of seven discussions of key issues in Macbeth, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. Listen to the full series here. 

This recording deals with Macbeth's end, and in particular his crucial speech about that end.

• in what way is Macbeth numbed by his experiences?
• how does he react to news of his wife's death?
• how does Macbeth look at the future now?
• what impact does the 'tomorrow' speech have on us?

'Macbeth' revision: 10 key quotations

The sixth of seven discussions of key issues in Macbeth, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. Listen to the full series here. 

This podcast is a little difference: a series of quotations which you can test yourself on. Pause the recording after the quotation and write notes on the significance of these key lines.

Things to consider this time:

• what is the significance of fear in the play?
• in what way does blood permeate the whole story?
• how is the phrase 'unnatural troubles' central to the play?
• how is Macbeth conscious of the diseased nature of his own mind?
• how does Macbeth become steadily less free?
• why is Banquo a key figure in the way we look at Macbeth?
• what is the significance of the image of Duncan's horses? 

'Macbeth' revision: the supernatural

The fifth of seven discussions of key issues in Macbeth, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. Listen to the full series here. This podcast deals with the supernatural in the play, particularly as it influences Macbeth's own thoughts and actions. It concentrates on the witches' influence in the early part of the play.

Things to consider this time:

• in what way is the play distinctly 'theological'?
• just what is the relationship between the supernatural and the human?
• how are the witches 'catalysts'?
• what does Macbeth's 'start' at the witches' prophecy signify?
• what are Banquo's words that might be 'the most perceptive in the play'?
• how do we see the unnatural 'taking hold'?
• how does Macbeth become reckless and plunge further into a moral abyss?
• how much is Macbeth responsible, compared to the witches, for what happens?

'Macbeth' revision: Malcolm as hero?

The fourth of seven discussions of key issues in Macbeth, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. Listen to the full series here.

Things to think about this time:-

• Why does Shakespeare allow the scene in England with Malcolm and Macduff go on so long?
• What is the importance of speed in the play? How is it manifested?
• What do we learn of Malcolm in IV iii?
• In what way might we have mixed feelings about Malcolm?
• What is the importance of this for the central tragedy of Macbeth himself?

'Macbeth' revision: law and order in Scotland

The third of of seven discussions of key issues in Macbeth, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. Listen to the full series here.

Some things to look out for and think about:-

• how does Macbeth embody the views and values of Shakespeare's society?
• what was man's place in the 'great chain of being'?
• in what way was 'order' crucial?
• what was the nature and origin of the King's power?
• how is Scotland disordered at the start of the play?
• what sort of a King is Duncan?
• what is the importance of a new King?
• what kind of monarchy does Scotland have?

The real Lady Macbeth

As we start on Macbeth revision prior to the Leaving Certificate, here is the second of seven discussions of key issues in the play, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. More in the coming days. Listen to the full series here.

Here, Lady Macbeth is the subject. Things to listen out for and think about this time:-

• in what ways is Lady Macbeth complex and fragile?
• where do we see that she is very conscious of herself as a woman?
• how is she a 'moral being'?
• where do we see examples of her loneliness and isolation?
• what does Harriet Walter mean when she says Lady Macbeth tries to suppress her imagination?
• how does she become less and less important?
• what does the sleepwalking scene say about her state of mind?

'Macbeth' revision: the crucial moment

As we start on Macbeth revision prior to the Leaving Certificate, here is the first of seven discussions of key issues in the play, via SoundCloud. You can listen via the computer, but can also download the free app for iOS or Android and listen on your phone/tablet. More in the coming days. Listen to the full series here.

This talk deals with the crucial 'If it were done' soliloquy in Act I scene vii, and here are things to listen out for and think about.

• why is this the crucial turning point of the play?
• how is Macbeth's confusion expressed in the speech?
• what are the key words?
• how is the idea of 'jumping' or 'leaping' an important one here and elsewhere?
• what is the significance of the word 'But' on line 7?
• by the end of the speech, what is he very clear about?
• how can Lady Macbeth change his mind so apparently easily, given what he has said here?

Podcasts

Our podcasting started in March; there have been over 1000 'listens' since then, and increasing numbers have been 'tuning in' to our Macbeth revision sessions in particular. If you're spending this sunny weekend nervously preparing for your English Literature paper in the Leaving Certificate, you might find them helpful; they're each between 10 and 15 minutes long, and are listed below. Click here for all seven together.

1: The crucial moment : the soliloquy in Act I scene vii before the murder.
2: The real Lady Macbeth.
3: King Macbeth - law and order in Scotland.
4: Malcolm the hero?
5: The Witches and the Supernatural.
6: A quotation auto-test.
7: Macbeth's tragic end - 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow ...'

Tomorrow we have our St Columba's Day celebrations, and prize-giving. The blog will resume on Wednesday with a busy week catching up with lots of pupils' work that's built up recently, particularly poems and TY Work Portfolio material. We'll also have a new podcast on Tom MacIntyre's The Great Hunger, with colleague Evan Jameson.

And of course on Wednesday the Leaving and Junior Cert candidates start their exams with English. Good luck to all...

Podcast 11: Macbeth revision VII - Macbeth's tragic end

The last of our seven Macbeth revision podcasts deals with Macbeth as he faces his end in Act V, and analyses the crucial speech in Act V scene v, 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrrow...' It considers why we consider his story tragic, given the horrendous deeds he has committed.

Listen to the podcast via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 10: Macbeth revision VI - a quotation auto-test

Our penultimate Macbeth revision podcast is a little different. Here are ten quotations from the play; you can pause your computer or MP3 player after each, and guess who spoke the words, and the context, and then listen to the answers and a commentary on the quotation. These commentaries examine the quotations as key moments in the play, linking them to the rest of the text, and again trying to prompt fresh reflection on the themes and characters.

Two useful online tools for revision:-

• the excellent Shakespeare search engine, Clusty. You can search the entire text of his works, or narrow your search to Macbeth (such as this one on 'blood').
• word frequency lists for all Shakespeare's plays, courtesy of Mount Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine. Compare key words in Macbeth with how often they appear in other plays.

Listen to the podcast via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 8: Macbeth revision V - The Witches and the supernatural

Our 5th Macbeth revision podcast, leading up to the Leaving Certificate, examines the influence of the 'weird sisters' and the supernatural on the events of the play, particularly on Macbeth's own thoughts and actions. It concentrates on the witches' influence in the early part of the play.

References from the podcast:-

• Tony Nuttall's 2007 book is Shakespeare the Thinker.
• Edmund Blackadder visits the Young Crone of Putney looking for the 'Wise Woman' here.
  

Listen to the podcast via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 7: Macbeth revision IV - Malcolm the hero?

Our fourth Macbeth revision podcast in a series leading up to the Leaving Certificate looks primarily at the latter part of the play. It leads on from last week's session, which examined the nature of order and law in the early part of the play. This week, we consider the end of the story, looking particularly at Malcolm and Macduff in the long scene set in England, the English King Edward, and our feelings as an audience as we watch Macbeth vanquished by the forces of decency.

Here are the statistics quoted in the podcast, comparing Macbeth to Hamlet (note that counting depends on which edition you're using):-

• There are 27 scenes in Macbeth, with an average of 63 lines per scene.
• There are 20 scenes in Hamlet, with an average of 193 lines per scene.
• Macbeth is 1755 lines long; Hamlet is 3856 lines long (so Macbeth is 45% the length of Hamlet)
• The English scene (240 lines) is the much the longest in Macbeth; it would be 6th longest in Hamlet, which has one of 612 lines (II ii).
  

Listen to the episode via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 6: Macbeth revision III - King Macbeth

Our third Macbeth revision podcast is called 'King Macbeth - law and order in Scotland', and deals with the importance of kingship and order in the play, as these ideas reflect thinking in Shakespeare's England. The 'cultural context' of the play, especially as seen through Duncan's rule in the first part of the drama, is discussed.

Two links to references in the podcast :-

• a definition of 'tanistry' here
• an family tree of James I, and characters in the play, here

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 4: Macbeth revision II - the Real Lady Macbeth

The second in our series of weekly revision podcasts leading up to the Leaving Certificate in June deals with Lady Macbeth, a character who too often is seen in black and white, simplistic terms. This 16-minute analysis deals with each of the nine times she appears in the play, and suggests how she is not a 'fiend-like' character, but a more complex woman, fragile and even pathetic.

Listen to this podcast via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).

Podcast 3 : Macbeth revision I - the crucial moment

Today we're starting weekly revision podcasts on Macbeth, leading up to the Leaving Cert in early June. These short programmes will focus on key moments, characters and ideas in the play, and are designed to give you a few minutes in the week when you can freshen up your thinking about the play. It's easy to become stale after two years studying a text...

The first podcast deals with Macbeth's soliloquy which starts Act I scene vii, 'If it were done ...', analysing the speech and suggesting why this is the most important moment in the whole play. (The Wordle at the top of this post is composed from the words of the speech - since we've used Wordle a lot over recent months, we'd like to recommend voting for it in the Webby Awards - register here). Next week's podcast will be on Lady Macbeth.

Listen to the podcast via the player below:-

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also listen to our podcasts via the 'widget' on the sidebar to the right, or by visiting our podcast page here (if you have iTunes on your computer you can also subscribe by clicking here, and so download our episodes to your MP3 player, or by searching for 'SCC English' in the iTunes Store).