MACBETH MAY 11TH 2017 DOLLY TSCHANZ, FLAVIA SCHNEIDER, IZABELLA KRAUS

Transcription

1 MACBETH FACHDIDAKTIK ENGLSICH II MAY 11TH 2017 DOLLY TSCHANZ, FLAVIA SCHNEIDER, IZABELLA KRAUS

2 LESSON ACTIVITY HOMEWORK 1 Introduction to Shakespearian language and the subject of monologue/soliloquy. A questionnaire in preparation for the story. Read Act 1, scene 1-4 Lesson aims: students understand the most commonly used words and familiarize themselves with the pronunciation. They understand the term and concept soliloquy. Students consider their attitude towards the main themes of the play prior to reading. Handling: Handout with a glossary containing the most common words in Shakespeare's language + translations and a questionnaire

3 2 Analysis of the prophecy Lesson aims: Students can describe the influence of the prophecy on Macbeth's ambition and the connection between the supernatural activity (witches, prophecy) and Macbeth's moral. Read Act 1, scene 5-7 Handling: a horoscope as a starter followed by a short discussion about superstitions. The psychological background of self-fulfilling prophecy.

4 3 Moral and loyalty to the king Lesson aims: Students recognize the implicit meaning of Macbeth's speech, are able to describe the moral aspects and relate them to contemporary politics. Handling: Dramatic activity in group work: Macbeth rarely speaks directly of killing Duncan. Instead, he uses less brutal language, or euphemisms. Read speech in and underline all words that refer to the murder of Duncan (at least 12!) Then, 1st group: Read speech as written; 2nd group: Every time one of the underlined words is said, whisper MURDER Write an argumentati ve essay: "Killing is justified in certain political situations"

5 LESSON ACTIVITY 3 Discussion - group work: arguments pro/con for internal fight of Macbeth's conscience à to kill or not to kill the king? Find one example from modern history to illustrate your point.

6 4 Lady Macbeth's manipulation of Macbeth, gender stereotypes. Lesson aims: Students are able to recognise the different persuasive techniques which Lady Macbeth uses to convince her husband to kill the king. They have analysed all occurring gender stereotypes in the play and related them to their own life and modern times.they understand and realize how the women in the play influence the storyline. Read Act 2, scene 1-4 Handling: Activity sheet done in pairs followed by a roleplay. Discussion of the gender issues in plenum.

7 LESSON ACTIVITY 4 Handout with extracts 1 4: Which persuasive techniques (a-d) is she using here? 1. I have given suck, and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this. 2. Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now to look so green and pale on what it did so freely? 3. When you durst do it then you were a man. 4. But screw your courage to the sticking place and we ll not fail. a. Flattery b. Reassurance c. Putting someone down d. Emphasizing determination

8 LESSON ACTIVITY 4 Handout with roleplay prompts. Teacher gives students a role play card. It will be students duty to persuade someone to do something they want them to do, using the persuasive techniques they have identified above. How successful are they?

9 LESSON ACTIVITY 5 The theme of blood Lesson aims: Students are able to explain the symbolism of blood (cannot be cleaned as it is connected to guilt and bad conscience, Lady Macbeth thinks it is enough to wash the king's blood away (à later connected to act 3 and act 5: no closure and no cleaning) Handling: Dramatic activity: Student(s) reads the porter scene aloud. Other students incorporate the sound effects as they are called in the Porter s speech. How does this help to the meaning of the Porter s lines? Pair work: Analyze knocking scene act 2, scene 3: How does it show Macbeth's declining morals?

10 6 Characters and historical background of the play: Who is who? What is their respective title? What are their goals? How do they react to Duncan's death? Act 3, scene 1-3 Lesson aims: Students are able to name the characters of the play. They know their names, titles, goals, reactions to Duncan's death and can compare their role in the play to the role they had played in the real history (if they existed). Handling: In small groups students choose (or get assigned) one of the characters and gather information about him/her. Task: Biopoem à Link to the handout. Link to the documents "The Real Macbeth and His Times" and "Tartans".

11 7 Analysis of Banquo's Role in the play Lesson aims: Students are aware that Banquo would also profit from Duncan's death but that in Shakespeare's play, he is the moral pillar of the story à different in Holinshed s Chronicles: Act 3, scene Handling: Individual work reading the original text of the Holinshed's Chronicles, discussing the role of Banquo in the play. Can be followed by designing a chart of "good guys" and "bad guys" in the play and in real life. Is the real life choice as clear and black-and-white as in the play?

12 8 Analysis of Macbeth's new behavior Lesson aims: Students are aware of Macbeth's change in behavior: he is now the one who manipulates and pushes other people into killing by questioning their manhood (act 3, scene 1) Act 3, scene 4-6 Handling: Dramatic activity in group work (2): Macbeth is questioning Banquo about his agenda, knowing that he himself has ordered Banquo and his son to be killed. Underline every word or phrase where Macbeth is being insecure or lying (e.g. Fail not our feast etc.). Group 1 reads lines one-to-one slowly. Group 2 allocates each of the underlined sections to different speakers à Group 1 reads and speakers of group 2 say what they think is really on Macbeth s mind.

13 9 Analysis of the absence of closure Lesson aims: Students are aware that there will be no closure until Macbeth is dead. Despite being a king and getting what he wants, he has to keep on killing whereas in the 1st act, scene 7, the readers might think that he just has to kill Duncan and then everything is done. Act 4, scene 1-3 Handling: Compare Macbeth's conversation with Lady Macbeth in act 1,scene 7 with their conversation in act 3, scene 2.

14 ANALYZE AND DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING GRAPH

15 10 New prophecies act 4, scene 1 Lesson aims: Students are able to describe how the prophecies influence Macbeth's moral decline and see how prophecies influence the whole plot and lead to the end of the play. Act 5, scene 1-5 Handling: Analyse command to murder Macduff's family in order to see that it is the first senseless killing. Analyse historical connection the play creates by the use of a mirror. Activity: make predictions about how prophecies will manipulate the following events.

16 11 Loyalty theme (king/country) Lesson aims: Students have analyzed Macduff's and Malcolm's discussion of good kingship (act 4, scene 3) and compared it to Macbeth's kingship. Students can relate the elaborated values to the modern ideal of leadership. Act 5, scene 1-5 Handling: Group work: Examples from current politics what makes a good state leader / President? à each group chooses one current politician / leader who fulfills the criteria and describe which ones or one who doesn t and justify their choice.

17 12 Lady Macbeth's decline into madness and her suicide. Symbolism of blood and sleep Lesson aims: Students can describe how/why Lady Macbeth's role/attitude changed and understand the symbolism of blood and sleep in the play. Act 5, scene 6-11 Handling: Suggestion: one group looks for the relevant text passages in act 5, the other one in act 2 then the results are brought together on the board/ whiteboard / poster.

18 LESSON ACTIVITY 12 Macbeth's speech after Lady Macbeth's death (act 5, scene 5) Lesson aims: Students are able to describe Macbeths state of mind and feelings (hopelessness) in his famous soliloquy and the symbolism of the candle Handling: Performance group work (2): Each group chooses the actor who will be performing the speech. The other students are directors, helping the actor interpret the speech. Each group will be assigned with an expression (angry / sad/ defeated) that their actor will try to convey when performing in front of the class. Afterwards discuss: which performance was the most effective one? What is Macbeth s state of mind? Who is he talking to: himself? the audience? Sayton?), what is the symbolism of the candle?

19 13 The resolution of the play. Lesson aims: Students can describe how the prophecy came true + how the acceleration of tempo in the last act influences the action of the play. They understand how it shows the unstoppable decline of Macbeth. Act 5, scene 6-11 Handling: Group work: Design a graphical representation of the suspense and speed in the play. If you were a film director, how would you handle the last act? Write a screenplay. Which scenes would you explicitely show, and what length would they have? (Can be later compared with the film).

20 LESSON ACTIVITY Aftermaths: watch the movie and compare it to the book: what are the differences? Which scenes are included/not included? Why are there any differences? Look at the theme of elisions in play à deaths not shown, crowning of Macbeth not shown à why are such important events not shown? à antiquity, acceleration of tempo

21 LESSON ACTIVITY Book recommendations: Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth & Midsummer Night (Folger Shakespeare Library) Longman School Shakespeare (New edition for GCSE) "Macbeth". For a list of other Shakespeare's plays available in this format see www. pearsonschools.co.uk Also see link to a shortened script for a ca. 45 min. long performance which can be done with the class.