How to Write a GCSE English Literature Essay

The previous three posts in this series have looked at how you can get an overview of the character of Lady Macbeth in just 3 quotations.  As an English tutor, I am always looking for ways to develop students’ confidence and performance in my favourite subject!  You can read the previous posts here (1), here (2) and here (3).

This post shows how to take the three quotes and turn them into a short essay.  You could write something like this:

In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth shows how evil she is in her soliloquy which appeals to “spirits”. Shakespeare’s audience would have understood how she is being connected to the evil of the witches because they, and even King James I, had a strong belief in the evil power of witchcraft.  When she prays “unsex me here”, her shocking word “unsex” suggests she is unnatural for the patriarchal culture of Shakespeare’s day.

Several times in the play she takes a leading role in persuading Macbeth to murder Duncan.  She uses the word “coward” in Act 1 Scene 7 to challenge Macbeth’s lack of bravery, an important masculine value in Shakespeare’s day, even suggesting she is more masculine than he is.

In her final scene, though, Shakespeare shows that like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is vulnerable to feeling guilt and remorse as she repeatedly talks aloud about the metaphorical blood on her hands: “Out damned spot!”  Typically, her language is related to evil (“damned”) and Shakespeare shows that the crime of murder that she and Macbeth planned has tragic moral, psychological and spiritual consequences.

This is an example of my teaching approach which I have developed over 25 years as teacher, Head of English, headteacher and Associate of NACE (National Association of Able Children in Education). I aim to be accessible but I also stretch and challenge students to make excellent progress.  You can book a free 30 minute consultation with me via the Contact Form, and find out more about my teaching and tutoring experience on the About page.