Predicted Question 2024
The question will be on the role of the witches or the supernatural in Macbeth.
The extract is likely to be on the prophecies:
APPARITION.
Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
[Descends.]
MACBETH.
Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?
But yet I’ll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live;
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder.
[Thunder. An Apparition of a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand, rises.]
What is this,
That rises like the issue of a king,
And wears upon his baby brow the round
And top of sovereignty?
ALL.
Listen, but speak not to’t.
APPARITION.
Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be, until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.
[Descends.]
MACBETH.
That will never be:
Who can impress the forest; bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements, good!
Rebellious head, rise never till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-plac’d Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time and mortal custom.—Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
Can tell so much, shall Banquo’s issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?
ALL.
Seek to know no more.
How likely is my prediction to come true?
Historically, about 50%.
Essay on the Supernatural from 2018 (22/30 Level 5)
(This is from my guide. The extract in 2018 was when Macbeth first meets the witches).
In this extract Macbeth is sceptical of the witches’ prophecies. He knows he should be cautious, as they are “instruments of darkness”. However, the witches used “supernatural soliciting” and planted his ambition and his desire to know further prophecies.
In CONTRAST, Shakespeare presents Banquo as not tempted by the witches. He recognises that they are both deceitful and wicked, and should therefore be resisted. He describes them as “instruments of darkness”. This acts SYMBOLICALLY. “Darkness” represents the horrors of evil. Banquo implies the witches are tools of Satan, used to manipulate people towards evil by deceiving them. This is why he cautions Macbeth that the supernatural try to “win us with honest trifles to betrays in deepest consequences”. Perhaps* Banquo is certain the prophecies are a supernatural trap for Macbeth. He might* believe that the witches will manipulate Macbeth so that he too becomes deceitful, and he might* foresee Macbeth’s tragedy.
We can see that Macbeth can’t resist them, and is curious: “this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given earnest of success”. Here he questions whether the prophecies are good or evil. He knows the witches are untrustworthy, just as the audience of 1606 would not trust them. They would be viewed as Satanic and witch hunters would burn them to death. Despite this, he focuses on the prophecies he likes. Alternatively, we might* argue that he remains a sceptic. He welcomes his good fortune, but he still knows they are untrustworthy.
Earlier, Banquo described the witches as inhuman, “so withered and wild in their attire that look not like the inhabitants of the earth”. Shakespeare may* do this to create an aura of fear for his audience who would already fear the supernatural in 1606. Also earlier, Macbeth pleads with the weird sisters to “stay, you imperfect speakers”. This reveals how he is being controlled by his ambition, as he is desperate to discover when and how he will become king. This went against Jacobean custom, where to try to rise above your station in life was to defy God. The Great Chain of Being meant that God chose your status for a reason. This ambition shows how Macbeth is stained with sin.
In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth so that the audience can see his true character and ambition in this extract. In CONTRAST, Banquo is portrayed as noble, suspicious of the supernatural, and concerned at Macbeth’s curiosity about the witches.
Original 561 words
22 marks
Thesis Statement No
Explanations 12
Quotes 5
Named Methods 3
Society/era/patriarchal/Jacobean/contemporary/ historical reference 5
Shakespeare 3
Exploratory Could, Might, May, Perhaps, Probably 4
Conclusion Yes
Paragraphs 5
Words per paragraph 112
My Comments
There it is again .The first 3 paragraphs are all about the extract. (In my guide I keep seeing students fail to get grades 7, 8 and 9 because they start with the extract). This one is better than most - you can get grades 7, 8 and 9 starting with the extract, it is just much harder.
The student does this very well, and in the third paragraph they also weave in relevant context to explore Shakespeare’s viewpoint.
The student deals with the later prophecies – ‘the prophecies he likes’ – very, very briefly. Imagine if they had dealt with a few more incidents of the supernatural in the play. This is a student who could have smashed this question.
Once again, it is an answer anchored by the extract. The ‘supernatural’ has meant only the witches because of this. But it could have involved:
The dagger of the mind
Lady Macbeth and her murdering ministers.
Banquo’s ghost!
All 3 of these could be linked to Shakespeare’s ideas about divine punishment, the psychology of guilt, the desire to flatter King James, the misogynistic, patriarchal view of women.
Easy marks!
They wrote fewer than 600 words, at least 200 fewer than they could have written in the time limit.
Lazy? Or, are they just having to spend too much time thinking about the extract, rather than simply picking on knowledge they already have, which is quick and easy.
Examiner Comments
This answer is Level 5 because of the overall approach to the essay, writing about the witches in the whole play, and linking this to relevant context about how Jacobeans perceived witches.
To improve, the student should focus more on Shakespeare’s ideas, and how he presents them.
You can read this guide, and 24 more, entirely for FREE here: click.
I wrote a full grade 9, 30/30 answer to my 2024 prediction, and asked Gemini to shorten it for you. Here it is:
Thesis:
Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth serve a dual purpose: flattering King James' fascination with demonology and exploring the interplay between free will and fate in Macbeth's tragic downfall.
The Witches' Duality
Shakespeare introduces the witches in Macbeth to cater to King James' interest in witchcraft. Their unsettling presence and cryptic pronouncements resonate with James' writings on demonology, like "Daemonologie." However, Shakespeare also uses them to explore a deeper theme: the conflict between free will and fate. They tempt Macbeth with prophecies, but it's his ambition that drives him to regicide (e.g., "why do I yield to that suggestion").
Banquo as a Foil
Banquo's contrasting perspective on the witches reinforces the ambiguity surrounding their role. Unlike Macbeth, who sees them as instruments of fate, Banquo views them with suspicion, calling them "instruments of darkness" (foreshadowing the internal darkness that consumes Macbeth). This contrast highlights the witches' ability to manipulate individuals based on their vulnerabilities.
Shifting Blame
Macbeth's soliloquies reveal a struggle between his ambition and his conscience. Initially, he contemplates leaving things to "chance," suggesting a belief in free will. However, the witches' prophecies awaken his ambition, leading him to see them as a justification for his actions. The dagger vision further blurs the lines, leaving him unsure if it's an external force or a manifestation of his own guilt ("a dagger of the mind").
The Witches' Power
While the witches offer prophecies, they don't control Macbeth's actions. Their pronouncements are riddled with ambiguity, like the prophecy of "none of woman born" that ultimately misleads Macbeth. Shakespeare emphasizes this through the witches' childlike pronouncements delivered in trochaic tetrameter ("By the pricking of my thumbs"). Unlike Mephistopheles in Marlowe's Faustus, they lack the power to directly influence events.
Macbeth's Downfall
As Macbeth descends into tyranny, he becomes increasingly isolated. His nihilistic final speech reflects his acceptance of his fate, but there's no blame directed at the witches. He sees himself as a "poor player" trapped in a meaningless existence ("a tale told by an idiot"). This underscores that his downfall is a consequence of his own choices, not external manipulation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the witches in Macbeth are a multifaceted element. They appease King James' fascination with the supernatural while serving as a catalyst for exploring the complexities of free will and fate. Ultimately, the play emphasizes personal responsibility for one's actions, with Macbeth's tragic downfall serving as a cautionary tale.
Video Version
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My Grade 9 Answer (30/30)
Shakespeare includes the witches in Macbeth to flatter King James, and his belief in witchcraft. He uses them to warn of the terrible consequences of evil and regicide. However, he ultimately shows that men, not supernatural evil, are responsible for their own hamartia and downfall.
Shakespeare gives us alternative interpretations about the Weird Sisters’ power. To King James, they have the power to control the weather, so they decide whether to meet “in thunder, lightning or in rain”. But another possibility is that they have no control, only foresight of the future.
They plan “to meet with Macbeth” and appear to have picked him specifically. Shakespeare alludes to Greek Tragedy here, where the Weird Sisters represent the three Fates. In tragedy, the Fates pick on a hero and destroy him because of the major flaw in his character, his hamartia.
They don’t give Macbeth any instructions when they meet him. They simply prophesise that Macbeth will become “Thane of Cawdor” and then “king hereafter”, while Banquo “shall get kings” through Fleance.
Macbeth immediately begins thinking of regicide, a powerful sin because it attacks God, who has chosen the king to head The Great Chain of Being. Macbeth has been delighted to slaughter in battle, unseaming Macdonwald “from the nave to the chops, but murdering his king horrifies him. He asks, “why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair?” He also cannot understand what his hamartia is or “why” he has these thoughts so suddenly.
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