Shakespeare for the terminally terrified

You don't need to learn them all. Just choose the ones you understand and you'll know how to use. Themes Equivocation* Appearance and reality The nature of manhood Hubris** *Equivocation - the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth - links to the theme of appearance and reality **Hubris - Excessive pride or self confidence. IMO this is a better word to use than 'ambition', though I don't think AQA agrees with me!  Equivocation Macbeth : ... My dull brain was wrought/With things forgotten ( when he has been told he's Thane of Cawdor and has been imagining he can be king ) Lady Macbeth : He that's coming/Must be provided for ( on hearing that Duncan is coming to spend the night ) Porter : here’s an equivocator , that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven ( this is the key to the whole play - he is talking about Father Garnet, a Cathol...

May 15th 2019                        Afternoon AO1 : you know the play really well and you have your own ideas about it  AO2 : you can talk about language and structure and that this is a play written for a reason AO3 : you know this is a tragedy and what makes it a tragedy.  You can talk about what the play tells us about its context. AO4 : you can spell, punctuate and paragraph accurately.   Make sure you know who is who. Tragedies are always named for the main character/s - the protagonist/s.  Romeo and Juliet : no matter what the question is about, you need to talk about them.  It's their play. ( AO1 ) Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet The other main characters are:- Mercutio : neither a Montague nor a Capulet, but a friend to Romeo. His name tells you something about his character which is mercurial ( someone whose...

May 15th 2019                        Afternoon AO1 : you know the play really well and you have your own ideas about it  AO2 : you can talk about language and structure and that this is a play written for a reason AO3 : you know this is a tragedy and what makes it a tragedy.  You can talk about what the play tells us about its context. AO4 : you can spell, punctuate and paragraph accurately.   Make sure you know who is who. Tragedies are always named for the main character - the protagonist.  Macbeth : no matter what the question is about, you need to talk about Macbeth.  It's his play. ( AO1 ) The other main characters, all of whom are dead by the end of the play, are:- Lady Macbeth : you should develop some ideas about her. Apart from the sleep walking scene, she disappears at the end of Act 3. Why is that? ( AO1/2/3 ) Her death...