We can't get our head around Macbeth. Any advice?

[Macbethhelp]

I'm helping my son revise as he's not been very well over the previous months and we have some catching up. We seem to be doing well with the Christmas Carol but struggling with Macbeth. Can anyone recommend advice or resources that could help or any tips. I'm actually struggling trying to understand too.

Thanks so much 🙏

https://shop.rsc.org.uk/products/macbeth-rsc-dvd-2018 T
This version with Christopher Ecclestone was the best performance I've seen (and I have seen a fair few). Might be a bit late now for ordering.

We watched an adaptation with Judi Dench as lady M when I was at school.

The Michael Fassbender film is actually really good and parts of it relate quite well to the play. It’s certainly a good way to remember some of the important quotes.

David Tennant did a fab radio play of it a while back, I’ve just checked and it’s still on iplayer - 2 episodes an hour each ! Might help your son get a feel for the characters?

My kids grew up reading a kids anthology of Shakespeare so they knew the basic stories and themes before getting near the originals. Is it worth taking the pressure off and just reading some younger age versions to get the general idea straight. I think with Shakespeare we head to a lot of detail quite quickly, learning quotes, without a really solid framework - this is a play about power, about misogyny (Lady Macbeth can only acquire hard power through her husband), about betrayal, about magical thinking - (or whatever the current gcse thinking is, don't steer away from that) and the basically what happens is on the way back from battle etc etc
I did Shakespeare for a module at uni and love it but it's really inaccessible without a bit of basic stuff

https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/william-shakespeare/macbeth-the-graphic-novel/9781906332037?cqsrc=googleeads&cqcmp=18075688485&cqqcon=&cqmed=pla&cqqplac=&cqnet=x&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7-ObobbygIVwp7tCh1U2wipEAQYCCABEgIOrvDD_BwE#GOR001927849

Even something like this!

For a GCSE student I’d go with the McKellen production directed by Rupert Goold. It’s the one I use for my classes. Second Cliffs Notes for good summaries and analysis . A good audiobook also can help.

A while since I taught this, but isn’t there an extract from the play on the paper? You can use this as the key to your answer ~ use 2/3 quotations from the extract, comment in detail on the language, then bring in a couple of quotations from the rest of the play.

Work out the ‘power’ quotations ie those that have the most uses. This should get a 4/5.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj4v-PVwPL-AhXSVMAKHXLdBMsQFnoECBcQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhqK4atijt1Q&usg=AOvVaw18Z6C7gt4r9mdmS4ePjUX6

This might help. Honestly, it’s not as hard as you think to do ok on the Shakespeare.

The website shmoop is written for students. We've always found it very helpful (and fun). www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/macbeth

Didn't you have an identical thread last week except that it was for A Christmas Carol?

We have a Ukranian refugee staying with us. He's in year 10 and I found him in floods of tears towards the end of last term.. because Macbeth made no sense to him at all... unsurprising given he's still struggling to learn English let alone the 16th century version. Personally I think it was a bit mean of them to give it to him in the circumstances.

I bought him this book and he was at least able to get a grasp of the plot and some of the ideas in it. It is very simplified of course so it won't take long to read it at least. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1782260161/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I really recommend the manga Shakespeare series to get to grips with the story and themes:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manga-Shakespeare-Macbeth-Robert-Deas/dp/0955285666/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/260-9493856-0162401?pd_rd_w=hdcbo&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=RHCX8PGWZ3ER5GR0H22N&pd_rd_wg=Vglnd&pd_rd_r=6ac11a71-0b26-47b5-bfd5-df59766145e7&pd_rd_i=0955285666&psc=1

See the play. There's always a production on somewhere. If that's not possible, the RSC Eccleston version is pretty good.
Shakespeare is supposed to be seen, not read, and definitely not just pulled for quotations!

Agree the Fassbender version is a bit heavy going. With my DS we broke it down into the 5 main scenes and play acted those bits in the living room. My other bit of advice was to use the words 'because' and 'on the other hand'. He got a 4 which was enough for him never to have to do English again (his main objective).

Just in case you thing the manga isn’t ‘proper’ (I probably would), they had input and advice from Shakespeare scholars on that series & it shows. They are enjoyable, if you like graphic novels.

I wouldn't worry about the manga if the exam is on Wednesday!!

Learn the plot. Who are the characters? What happens to them? Lean on the extract for the bulk of your quotations and remember that the exam board are looking for "references", not exact quotations. Make some references to what happens elsewhere in the text and write your essay in chronological order, looking at the relevant moments.

And make sure that A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls and poetry are SOLID. Picking up a 4 isn't outside the realms of possibility if the Shakespeare is wobbly if the others are secure.

Macbeth on the estate was a good one for me when I studied it for gcse as an adult. Should be on YouTube. It's a more modern day version centered around gangs.

Definitely the you tube video resources as mentioned above

Thanks so much everyone!!

The Goodticklebrain link I put earlier is it in a comic version with a quick explanation scene by scene.
I use it if I'm going to see a Shakespeare play that I haven't seen before!

We watched this today. Its really good, we used the Macbeth study guide at the same time as watching it. Obviously its not a play but still very helpful to get the story line.

@Macbethhelp

Was going to add that the Almeida’s version (James McArdle and Saoirse Ronan) is about to start on BBC4.

Expect it will be on iPlayer too.

Macbeth is on now on BBC4

Does he have some example questions/past papers? How long is it to the exam? My DS1 is also sitting GCSE English Lit including Macbeth.

While I wouldn't start studying a text from the beginning by looking at recent past papers and the exam questions, at this point I think it's really important to look at the questions he is expected to try and answer and then to look at the text from that point of view. I think it's easier to try and understand and remember things about the play that way round at this stage than to attempt to rote learn things.

Also, look at the time available and mark breakdown for the exam, as he will probably get more marks for something on each question he needs to answer than if he misses out any question entirely. If he doesn't remember exact quotes he can refer to a description of a scene or behaviour or summarise what is in a speech.

Exam is Wed