AQA English Literature Paper
1 Macbeth
Revision booklet
1
REMINDER
In the exam, you will be presented with a short extract from the play.
,There will only be ONE question on Macbeth – you MUST answer it!
The question will ask you to focus on the extract (examiners expect to see
close language analysis) and then relate it to elsewhere in the play, so you can
show your understanding of the whole play.
You are advised to spend 45 minutes writing your response to Macbeth and
then 5 minutes carefully proof-reading it for SPAG accuracy!
(You then spend the next 50 minutes in this exam writing your response
to the question on Dickens’ novel, ‘A Christmas Carol’.)
SPAG is marked for your Macbeth answer – so spend 5 minutes checking and
correcting any mistakes you might have made when writing against the clock!
2
Macbeth: ‘a chain of events’
,3
Macbeth: Some important historical, social and cultural contexts
Up until Henry VIII chose to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, England was a country where
people practised the Roman Catholic faith, under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. Henry wanted
to divorce Catherine of Aragon for several reasons: mainly, he had not fallen in love with her; in fact,
she was supposed to marry Henry’s brother, Arthur, but he died. Put simply, when Henry became
king of England, he appealed to the Pope in Rome to annul his marriage to Catherine but the Pope
refused, saying that marriage was a lifelong contract agreed in church in the presence of God.
, Henry decided to divorce himself and the English kingdom from the Catholic church. He established
the Church of England and, as the reigning monarch, installed himself as the head of the Church of
England. He set about dismantling the abbeys throughout his kingdom, seizing all the precious gold
and silver, jewel-encrusted ornaments for himself and his new branch of Christianity became known
as Protestantism (because of the protests made to Rome regarding his divorce).
This led to very deep divisions between people throughout England. In your own lifetime, a
comparable divide is the recent Brexit campaign and result, which is still on everyone’s lips and
which remains the cause of some social and political tension, unrest, and disagreement in our
society.
The unrest caused by Henry’s decision to split from the Catholic church continued long after his own
lifetime. When he died, his daughter became Queen Elizabeth I and, like her father, she was a
Protestant. During her lifetime there were several assassination attempts and plots to overthrow her
by Catholics who wished to return England to the supreme leadership of the Pope in Rome. Some of
those plots were led by Elizabeth’s own catholic cousin, Mary – Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth grew tired of Mary’s plots and eventually agreed to her execution. Following Mary’s
beheading, her son James became James VI of Scotland and when the childless Elizabeth I grew old
and died, James seized the throne of England and became the first King James of England.
King James I and the Gunpowder Plot
Before ascending to the throne of England, James has begun to build a trusting relationship with
Elizabeth I, although English Catholics hoped he would show them more tolerance than she had.
Despite this, James was as intolerant of Catholics as Elizabeth and consequently, Catholic plots to
assassinate King James formed. The most famous of these assassination attempts is known as The
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Interestingly, to commemorate King James’ lucky escape a medal was
commissioned showing a snake concealed by flowers. In the play, when plotting the regicide of King
Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells her husband: “Look like the innocent flower/But be the serpent
under’t.”
Above: the medal issued to commemorate the failed assassination of King James I
4
Also, one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot, Everard Digby, had been a close friend of King
James and in the play is probably mirrored by the treasonous thane of Cawdor. No wonder King
Duncan says of the thane of Cawdor: “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face./He
was a gentleman on whom I built/An absolute trust.” King James, sitting in the audience watching
the very first performance of ‘Macbeth’, knew only too well the sense of betrayal expressed by King
Duncan here.
1 Macbeth
Revision booklet
1
REMINDER
In the exam, you will be presented with a short extract from the play.
,There will only be ONE question on Macbeth – you MUST answer it!
The question will ask you to focus on the extract (examiners expect to see
close language analysis) and then relate it to elsewhere in the play, so you can
show your understanding of the whole play.
You are advised to spend 45 minutes writing your response to Macbeth and
then 5 minutes carefully proof-reading it for SPAG accuracy!
(You then spend the next 50 minutes in this exam writing your response
to the question on Dickens’ novel, ‘A Christmas Carol’.)
SPAG is marked for your Macbeth answer – so spend 5 minutes checking and
correcting any mistakes you might have made when writing against the clock!
2
Macbeth: ‘a chain of events’
,3
Macbeth: Some important historical, social and cultural contexts
Up until Henry VIII chose to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, England was a country where
people practised the Roman Catholic faith, under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. Henry wanted
to divorce Catherine of Aragon for several reasons: mainly, he had not fallen in love with her; in fact,
she was supposed to marry Henry’s brother, Arthur, but he died. Put simply, when Henry became
king of England, he appealed to the Pope in Rome to annul his marriage to Catherine but the Pope
refused, saying that marriage was a lifelong contract agreed in church in the presence of God.
, Henry decided to divorce himself and the English kingdom from the Catholic church. He established
the Church of England and, as the reigning monarch, installed himself as the head of the Church of
England. He set about dismantling the abbeys throughout his kingdom, seizing all the precious gold
and silver, jewel-encrusted ornaments for himself and his new branch of Christianity became known
as Protestantism (because of the protests made to Rome regarding his divorce).
This led to very deep divisions between people throughout England. In your own lifetime, a
comparable divide is the recent Brexit campaign and result, which is still on everyone’s lips and
which remains the cause of some social and political tension, unrest, and disagreement in our
society.
The unrest caused by Henry’s decision to split from the Catholic church continued long after his own
lifetime. When he died, his daughter became Queen Elizabeth I and, like her father, she was a
Protestant. During her lifetime there were several assassination attempts and plots to overthrow her
by Catholics who wished to return England to the supreme leadership of the Pope in Rome. Some of
those plots were led by Elizabeth’s own catholic cousin, Mary – Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth grew tired of Mary’s plots and eventually agreed to her execution. Following Mary’s
beheading, her son James became James VI of Scotland and when the childless Elizabeth I grew old
and died, James seized the throne of England and became the first King James of England.
King James I and the Gunpowder Plot
Before ascending to the throne of England, James has begun to build a trusting relationship with
Elizabeth I, although English Catholics hoped he would show them more tolerance than she had.
Despite this, James was as intolerant of Catholics as Elizabeth and consequently, Catholic plots to
assassinate King James formed. The most famous of these assassination attempts is known as The
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Interestingly, to commemorate King James’ lucky escape a medal was
commissioned showing a snake concealed by flowers. In the play, when plotting the regicide of King
Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells her husband: “Look like the innocent flower/But be the serpent
under’t.”
Above: the medal issued to commemorate the failed assassination of King James I
4
Also, one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot, Everard Digby, had been a close friend of King
James and in the play is probably mirrored by the treasonous thane of Cawdor. No wonder King
Duncan says of the thane of Cawdor: “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face./He
was a gentleman on whom I built/An absolute trust.” King James, sitting in the audience watching
the very first performance of ‘Macbeth’, knew only too well the sense of betrayal expressed by King
Duncan here.
