Grade 9 Macbeth Essay (OCR GCSE English Literature)

Grade 9 Macbeth Essay

Component 2 of the OCR GCSE English Literature exam involves questions on poetry and Shakespeare. For the Shakespeare element, you will be asked to write one essay from a choice of two options:

• Question 1 is an essay based on an extract from the play you have studied

• Question 2 is what’s known as a “discursive” essay question, and you won’t have an extract to work from

This page includes an annotated model answer for Question 2, the discursive essay question. “Discursive” here means something involving a wide discussion, so examiners want to see that you have set out an argument and sustained it, that you cover a range of points, and that you are referring to multiple parts of the play throughout your answer.

How Am I Assessed?

You have 50 minutes to answer the question, and the essay is out of 40 marks. Here is how the marks are divided:

Grade 9 Macbeth Model Answer

Read this example answer for a past OCR GCSE Macbeth essay question. As a Macbeth model answer, it include annotations which show you where and how this answer has met the assessment objectives. It’s a sample answer to the following question:

To what extent does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a victim of Lady's Macbeth's ambition? Explore at least two moments from the play to support your ideas.

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Grade 9 Example Answer

While it is true that Lady Macbeth is a forceful influence on Macbeth, and that Shakespeare presents her as a commanding character from the play’s outset, it cannot be said that Macbeth is solely a victim of her ambition (AO1). As a man of his era, Macbeth still has enough agency to make his own choices, and it is arguably a combination of his own ambition, alongside the malign influence of the witches and his wife, that contributes to his downfall (AO1).

Although there are other factors at play, Lady Macbeth’s ambition certainly contributes to Macbeth becoming a victim since she encourages him to murder King Duncan (AO1). In Act 1, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a morally conflicted character who is concerned about going ahead with the cardinal sin of regicide. His long soliloquy at the start of Act 1, Scene 7 highlights his ambivalence: while he is clearly tempted to kill Duncan and take the Scottish crown for himself, he describes King Duncan’s virtuous nature and worries about the religious consequences of committing such a heinous act (AO1). Indeed, he says “we will proceed no further in this business”. However, in the same scene Lady Macbeth – via emotional manipulation and force of will – manages to persuade Macbeth to go ahead with their plan. She challenges Macbeth’s masculinity and bravery by suggesting that only after he kills Duncan can he be considered “a man”, and she calls him a “coward” who is “drunk” (AO1). For a noble warrior such as Macbeth, this is an effective ploy since his reputation was vitally important to his identity. Therefore, Lady Macbeth’s plea for him to “screw your courage to the sticking place” works because although Macbeth continues to have doubts, just two scenes later he commits regicide, which is the catalyst to his ultimate downfall.

However, Macbeth’s own ambition is as much to blame for his ultimate demise. In the same long soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as conflicted, but also self-aware enough to recognise that his own “vaulting ambition” could “o’erleap” itself and lead to his ultimate downfall. Indeed, it must be said that – despite Lady Macbeth’s effective persuasion – Macbeth is the one to stab Duncan with the daggers. At this point in the play, he is the thane of Cawdor, a powerful man in a patriarchal society, and as such has significant power and agency over his own actions, far more so than Lady Macbeth (AO3). Furthermore, the contrast between Macbeth’s and Banquo’s reactions to meeting the witches in Act 1, Scene 3 shows that Macbeth’s own flawed character, and his hamartia of ambition, are significant factors in his actions. Banquo, whom Shakespeare presents as a foil, represents the typical Jacobean attitudes towards the supernatural: he is deeply cautious and full of disbelief (AO2). In contrast, Macbeth is captivated by the witches and believes their prophecies, precisely because the ambition to become king is already part of his character. He believes them (and goes to see them a second time, alone) because his ambition makes him want to believe them, and therefore his victimhood can be seen as partly down to his flawed character (AO1). 

Furthermore, Macbeth is also a victim of the witches’ deception and manipulation. Although his own ambition, and Lady Macbeth’s ambition, are arguably more significant factors in his demise, Macbeth is certainly also a victim of the witches’ trickery. In Act 4, Scene 1, in his desperation, Macbeth returns to the witches (AO1). While the prophecies given earlier in the play can be seen as more straightforward, the set of prophecies given to Macbeth in this scene are deliberately misleading (AO2). While “beware Macduff” is a fairly clear instruction, their next claims (“for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”; “Macbeth shall never vanquished be” until Birnam Wood physically moves to his castle) give him a feeling of invincibility. Ultimately, it could be argued that these predictions give Macbeth a false sense of security, leading to his death at the hands of Macduff. However, Shakespeare could also be arguing that anyone blinded by their ambition enough to trust in supernatural agents (like the witches) is bound to face eternal consequences. Therefore, again, perhaps it is Macbeth’s own ambition that causes him to become a victim (AO1).

In conclusion, although Lady Macbeth’s influence on Macbeth is clear and contributes to Macbeth’s actions, it is overly simplistic to say that he is a victim of her ambition (AO1). Arguably, he is ultimately a victim of his own ambition, which blinds him to the dangers of the supernatural, his wife’s persuasion, and the terrible consequences of his crimes (AO1).

Check out this Question 1 model answer for guidance on how to answer the Macbeth extract question.

Sources

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Cedric Watts, Wordsworth Classics, 2005