Video: The witches and the tragic hero

﻿Hello, Miss Power here. Welcome to today's lesson about the witches and the tragic hero. For today, all you need is a pen and paper or something to write on and with. Please take a moment now to clear away any distractions. Finally, if you can, try to find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed during the lesson. Okay, ready? Let's begin. On the board is the key question for today's lesson. Why does Shakespeare choose to begin "Macbeth" with the witches? This is a really interesting question, which I get asked a lot in class. Today's lesson will be in five parts. In part one, I will share with you some key vocabulary and terminology. In part two, you'll be provided with a summary and a short task. In part three, you'll be expected to read an extract and answer some questions on the extract to demonstrate your understanding of what you've just read. In part four, we apply our learning by completing a short writing task. And in part five, you complete the lesson by finishing off with a review quiz. Part one: key vocabulary. In this lesson, we will be learning the words foreshadow and ominous. I will give you a definition and then two examples so you know exactly how the word should be formed in a sentence. The definition of foreshadow is clues or an indication of future events. The first example is, the sale and profits dropped so low it's undoubtedly foreshadowed many employees losing their jobs. The second example is, the witches foreshadow future events in their paradoxical statements such as, "fair is foul and foul is fair". Now, hopefully you've learned a new word there, and now you've got the chance to put it into action. Below are two sentences. One sentence uses the word foreshadow or foreshadowed correctly. The other uses it incorrectly. It's down to you to identify, to spot the sentence, that has the word foreshadow or foreshadowed being used correctly. I will read the sentences out to you, and then please pause the slide to complete your task. Number one. Dark skies foreshadow stormy weather. Sentence number two. The boy foreshadowed his sister by pushing her over. Which one makes sense to you? Good luck. So there's the answer. I really hope that you did well. The answer is, dark skies foreshadow stormy weather. Remember, foreshadow means to give clues about future events. So that makes sense, doesn't it? Let's move on, sorry, to our next word, ominous. Ominous means to give the impression that something terrible is going to happen. I've got two examples down below for you to try and help you understand the word further. When the teacher entered the room, she was greeted by an ominous silence. The storm is an ominous sign in act one, scene one of "Macbeth". Great stuff. Okay. So another new word to learn. Below you will see there are two sentences. Both contain the word ominous. One contains the word ominous being used correctly and the other incorrectly, just like before. I would like you to identify, which means to pick out, the correct sentence. And this is the one that has ominous in it correctly. I will read the sentences out to you and then you pause the slide to complete your task. The stormy weather was an ominous sign, particularly just before the wedding. Sentence number two. Ominous the weather became suddenly. Which one makes sense to you, do you think? Pause the video now to complete your task. Well, there you go. There's the answer. Sentence number one. The stormy weather was an ominous sign, particularly just before the wedding. Did you get that one right? If so, give yourself a big tick and well done you. Part two: the summary task. I have placed some mini summaries on the screen for you, but they're not in order. They are the first four scenes of act one and I would like you to put them into order. Before you do that though, I will read them out to you and go through some of the more difficult words for you that are in the glossary. Firstly, I have, Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and hear prophecies that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and king, and Banquo's sons will become kings also. Ross arrives to tell Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. The next section or the next summary. Duncan hears reports from a sergeant of the battle who fought against the Norwegians and the traitor Thane of Cawdor, in which Macbeth stands out as a result of his bravery. So there were two words in that sentence that I thought you might struggle with. The word sergeant just means an army officer and a traitor means someone who betrays somebody else. So it's clear that somebody has betrayed King Duncan here. Would that be the second thing that happened in act one? Something to think about. The next section is Malcolm is named heir to the throne as Prince of Cumberland. Duncan plans to travel to Macbeth's castle. Now, the heir means somebody who is legally entitled to become king. So basically, the next person to become king if something was to happen to King Duncan, sorry. And lastly, the three witches meet in a thunderstorm and plan their encounter with Macbeth. I have put those into order. One, two, three, and four, as you can see. However, is that the correct order? I would like you to pause the slide and take some time, copying this out into the correct order. Good luck. So how did you do? Well, I really hope that you got the first part correct because we've already studied that in previous lessons. The three witches meet in a thunderstorm and plan the encounter with Macbeth. Remember we meet the witches before we meet, sorry, before we meet Macbeth. Now, the second scene is when Duncan hears reports from a sergeant of the battle fought against the Norwegians and the traitor, Thane of Cawdor, in which Macbeth stands out as a result of his bravery. Again, if you've completed previous lessons, you probably got that one right. However, you may have still got it right as well. So if he did, well done. So now we're putting into order some scenes that we haven't studied together. So scene three is when Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and hear prophecies that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and king and Banquo's sons will also become kings. Ross arrives to tell Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. And then scene four would be, Malcolm is named heir to the throne as Prince of Cumberland. Duncan plans to travel to Macbeth's castle. This is something that we haven't studied together at all. How did you do? I really hope that you got four out of four and if you did, give yourself a big tick. If you didn't get it right, you've got the opportunity now to copy this down in the correct order so that you have some notes based on plot moving forward. Part three, this is where we look at an extract. We are going to look at an extract about the witches. So we'll look at act one, scene one again, because I think it's really important and will help us answer our question later in the lesson. Act one, scene one. We've already read this together, but we will read it again just in case. And this is a very interesting scene because three very haggard looking creatures appear from a storm. We don't meet Macbeth straight away. We meet the witches. And that's because they're considered to be a narrative device that pushes the plot and the structure of the play forward. I'll read the extract to you, go through some of the words with you again, and then I'll give you some notes about this particular part of the extract. Please feel free to take notes as I'm talking, because I think you'll find they'll be really useful in the later part of the lesson. Act one, scene one, a desert place. Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches. When shall we three meet again. In thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly's done. When the battle's lost and won. That will be ere the set of sun. So I thought there was only really two words there that you might struggle with. Hurlyburly means turmoil and that's linked to the fact that there's a battle taking place and ere means before. So the third witch knows what time, which is before the set of sun, that the battle will be lost and won. So the first thing I want to say about this particular extract is that an ominous tone is created straight away and that's through the use of the stage directions. It's clear that Shakespeare wanted to create a dark and violent atmosphere. So he does that by including thunder and lightning. The stormy weather really compliments the supernatural element of the witches because witches are believed to be able to control the weather. When first witch mentions when should we meet again, in thunder, lightening or in rain, it's almost like the witches are plotting or agreeing what particular weather condition that they will bring with them when they meet Macbeth later. This shows again, that they are able to control the elements and highlights their supernatural nature. It also highlights their sinister nature because as you can see, the conditions will not be pleasant. They're going to be very violent. The fact that the third witch can predict when the battle has been lost and won, again, reinforces that the witches can see into the future and that the three witches on stage are in fact, supernatural beings that have powers above and beyond a normal human being. And the last thing I want to focus on on this slide is the ambiguous when the battle's lost and won. It's not clear here that we are unsure whether the battle will be lost and won. Well, we know later that the battle has been won. So what has actually been lost during that battle? That's an interesting thing to think about and consider moving forward. Some people argue that Macbeth lost his nobility and obviously King Duncan lost his loyalty of Macbeth once that battle has been finished, because obviously when the battle has ended, that is when Macbeth comes across the witches and then they start to play with his mind a little bit and to trigger his ambition. So here's the next section of the text. Where the place? Upon the heath. There to meet with Macbeth. I come Graymalkin. Paddock calls. Anon. So this slide or this particular part of the extract is far more simpler to understand. It mentions where they will meet Macbeth and they're going to meet Macbeth in the heath. And this is a huge open wilderness. Not only will the weather be wild, but the location, the setting itself is quite wild and quite bleak. And I guess you could argue that that symbolises something about Macbeth's future once he meets the witches. There's a reminder again of the witches' supernatural powers because they have their familiars. They have Graymalkin the cats and Paddock the toad. Their demonic creatures there to assist them in the sinister actions. And lastly, here is the final part of act One, scene one. Fare is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and the filthy air. We've got this famous paradox, which you've already dealt with in previous lessons. But if you haven't watched those, "fair is foul and foul is fair", is a comment on appearance versus reality. The witches are literally saying things are not what they seem. What appears good can be rotten and evil on the inside. It sounds like a warning. It also sounds like a prediction. You could argue that it foreshadows the meeting of Macbeth, which happens later. Because Macbeth is introduced as a fair character. He is good, he is noble, he is loyal and he is strong. However, once his ambition is triggered by the witches' prophecies, he becomes foul on the inside and on the outside. So here are some questions to test our knowledge and understanding of what we've just read together. I will read the questions out to you, and then please pause the video to answer the questions in full sentences. Firstly, write down a quotation which suggests that the witches have tensions for Macbeth. Secondly, why can the witches hover through fog? Thirdly, why might fog be symbolic of our knowledge of future events? And finally, question number four, how do witches sets an ominous tone at the start of the play? So let's have a look at the answers. How do you think you did? I'm sure that you've done brilliantly, but don't worry if there were any you were unsure about because that's what I'm here for. So here is the answer to question number one. The quotation, there to meet Macbeth suggests that the witches have intentions on Macbeth. They definitely want to run into him for some reason. Also, the quotation, fair is foul and foul his fair, is a central theme in the play but also foreshadows Macbeth's betrayal of the king in the very first act. Question number two. Witches can hover through fog because they have supernatural powers that humans do not such as being able to control the weather. Witches also have the power to fly through the air plus suddenly appear and disappear, which the witches certainly do do in act one, scene one. Question number three. The fog symbolises the audience's knowledge at the start of the play because it creates a sense of uncertainty. If we think of fog as being a misty barrier, which is hard to see through, it emphasises at this stage, the audience's confusion over what is going to happen regarding Macbeth and who he really is inside. And lastly, the answer to question number four. The witches set an ominous tone because they are not only mysterious in looks and how they move around the stage, for example, disappearing, but they are also very ambiguous in their chants, the language and the words that they use. The witches have designs on Macbeth, which also sound wicked and sinister. Additionally, the weather is dark and violent and the witches plan to meet in similar conditions later with Macbeth suggesting that they will control the weather during their meeting, which means that ultimately, they could may well control Macbeth. How did you do? I hope you got four out of four, but don't worry if you did not. You can pause this slide now and jot down any notes that you wish to make in your books. Parts four: applying our learning. Here is the key question that I shared with you at the start of the lesson. Why does Shakespeare choose to begin "Macbeth" with the witches? We're now going to return to that and write a short response to it. You're advise to spend at least 15 minutes writing, but don't forget, that will include your planning and your proofreading as well. You may wish to mention some of the following: How the witches have intentions on Macbeth. How the witches create an ominous tone in act one, scene one. And you may wish to include some quotations that help support your ideas and help you to explain them more fully. There are also some key words I would like you to include listed down the right hand side of the screen. These are words that you've either been taught today or in previous lessons. The words are: foreshadow, ominous, supernatural, ambiguous, tone, tragic hero. I know, there's quite a few there, isn't there? But don't worry because you have at least 15 minutes and you'll be able to plan. Please pause the slide now to complete the task. How did you do? I'm going to share with you now two example responses so that you can then go and reflect on your own writing and compare how well you did. So here's the first example response. It is clear that the witches have intentions for Macbeth as they state they will meet him again which sets an ominous tone for the tragic hero. This tone is further emphasised by the supernatural behaviour of the witches such as the controlling of the weather and hovering through the fog. These are sinister activities and signs for the rest of the play. The witches chant, "fair is foul and foul is fair", in order to warn the audience that not everything is as it seems and foreshadows Macbeth's later betrayal of King Duncan. How did you do in comparison to this example response? Can you see any similarities or can you see some areas that you need to improve on as a result of reading this one? Let's have a look at a slightly more developed example. Firstly, the fact that the witches start the play could be seen as a form of flattery of King James I and his interested in witches. A second interpretation is that the witches drive the plot forward, so aid the structure of the text as a narrative device. Clearly the witches have designs from Macbeth as they talk about when they will meet him, plus they know his name before they've even met him, highlighting their supernatural powers to the audience. This ominous tone is further emphasised by the use of the paradox, "fair is foul and foul is fair", creating a sense of unease in the audience about meeting Macbeth as they are already questioning what the weird sisters mean. Brilliant. You've now reached part five, the review quiz part of the lesson. I'd like to say a really big well done on all the fantastic learning you've achieved today. I'd like to ask you, if you're able to, to please take a picture of your work and ask your parent or carer to share it with your teacher so they can see all the fantastic things you've learned. All the information needed to do so is on the final slide of this presentation. Well, all that's left for me to say is a huge thank you from Miss Power. Take care and enjoy the rest of your day.

Exit Quiz: The witches and the tragic hero

Completed: The witches and the tragic hero

In this lesson, we will explore the link between Macbeth and the witches. We will also examine why Shakespeare decided to start the play with the witches and not the protagonist Macbeth himself.

English

The witches and the tragic hero

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Final Quiz

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