creative writing ideas for macbeth

‘Yours Truly, Lady Macbeth’

The Shakespeare Academy has been running at King’s for the past three years as a Widening Participation project. In 2017-18 we reached over 350 students, continuing to develop close partnerships with teachers and pupils at eight London state-funded secondary schools, from Key Stage 3 to GCSE. We run workshops with the students that investigate Shakespeare’s plays through seminar-style sessions, readings, and creative writing activities. Read more about the Shakespeare Academy here .

Below you can read some examples of creative writing by Years 9 and 10 students from our summer 2018 workshops. We asked them to imagine what Lady Macbeth might have written if she had left a suicide note. As you can see, the pieces are inspired by the imagery and language of the play, but re-imagined for a modern audience.

I was particularly encouraged by the ways in which students engaged with the gender politics of Macbeth . Their writings express the limitations of Lady Macbeth’s agency within early modern patriarchy with a subtlety that I found truly impressive. The entrants showcased below were chosen for their originality, insight and imaginative engagement with Shakespeare’s text.  They express the individual poetic and creative voices of the students, while maintaining close adherence to the characterisation, imagery and tone of the play.

– Dr Gemma Miller , English Department and Globe Education

Hiral Galaiya, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear diary,

So much has happened in the last few months; it is hard to wrap my head around everything. Suddenly, Macbeth has prevailed from the mere Thane of Glamis to King – my husband took my advice, transforming from an innocent flower to serpent, only I never saw the goodness of the petals till it was far too late. I should be glad, I should be happy, but I know I shall not be, for I now understand the power of my ambition, and how it will forever leave me wanting more. Desire stripped me, and now I lay here, naked. Naked in guilt.

I am beginning to question as to whether any of this was worth it. I feel as though I am stuck in a downfall. A self-inflicted downward spiral. I must take responsibility, before it is too late, so I admit to having pushed…manipulated even, Macbeth to be King. I realise now that my actions were wrong; Cawdor lost one of its loyalist beings (again a quality I never appreciated). My position as a woman drove me to yearn for power, and consequently, it grew resentment. Honestly, power seemed like the ideal substitute to soothe my corrupted mind – I was so afraid of being kept behind doors, that I caused a war – yet look where I’ve ended up!

Never have I experienced such guilt or pity. I am still struggling to fathom my own insanity; they say it came now, as a form of remorse, yet I suppose all of my crafty schemes have been folly. I would like to end this by saying I regret all, and that I never thought it would come to this. The witches were said to be defectiveness, yet my evilness is far worse than theirs, and so is my fate. I suppose this is my suicide note, but ironically, it is not addressed to anyone. Why? Because I am alone, and I deserve it. What’s done cannot be undone.

Yours truly,

Lady Macbeth.

Jathursha Maniyalagan, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear Macbeth,

My dearest partner of greatness, I can barely write as my wicked tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision and a huge painful lump is stuck in my throat, suffocating me, my body is shaking and burning up and I feel as though my life has collapsed. The guilt has consumed me and I can’t escape this pain any longer. Screams from Duncan paralyse my head and torture me during the day, I am truly sorry that you have to find out what happened through someone other than me, I feel like a coward I went against everything I told you, but I am still a woman. Knowing about the supernatural has caused me to go downhill and I could only solve this by forgetting everything, so I ended my life, fast and painlessly, I had to get away from life immediately. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t handle the guilt, my sins will never be forgiven and all of Neptune’s ocean could never wash this blood clean from my hands. I truly wanted everything to go back to normal but miracles aren’t for everyone.

I felt like Eve to you, Adam. I deceived you. I made you feel like a woman, I made you become a disloyal man and I did this by being the serpent under the flower by manipulating you. I made the crown become your fruit, I persuaded you to becoming king in the wrong way and the moment I received the letter from you, I tried to lead us to power but I should never have taken fate into my own hands. The spirits disappointed you the same way I did to you, I deserve to be tortured, burned at the stake, maimed, but I am too much of a woman, I commanded the spirits to turn me into a man but they knew I couldn’t handle it. The guilt was eating me alive, so ending my misery was the best decision for the both of us, as I could exclude my horrid self from you, to make you feel happy once again. I really hope you can truly forgive me and I’m unaware of your current position in life but I want you to know that you will always be my king, deep down in my twisted little heart.

Lady Macbeth

Jesal Vadgama, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Dear my dearest love Macbeth,

Full of serpents is my mind, the three witches have bestowed a curse upon us. Death to those treacherous witches, for they have played with our minds. There is nothing but unholy wine running through my veins; no power on Earth can cure what has been done. We should stop murdering and confess to the lord for we have sinned. I was mistaken; no water can clear us of this deed. I am as weak as a petal on a wilted flower; I cannot bear all this shame so I am going to take my life putting an end to all of this. The witches are to blame for our downfall, kill the witches and you will have a happy life again.

Fair well my love I will miss you, nothing can cure me of this disease. I have decided upon my fate which is suicide and nothing is going to stop me from my death, I am very sorry Macbeth but this is the only way I can get rid of this shame as I have truly become weak. Someone is going to come for me. Do me the greatest favour by not forgetting to kill those three witches. With so much sorrow I must part you for the greater good, I must go this instant. To bed to bed! There is knocking at the gate come, come, come, come, give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone – To bed, to bed, to bed!

Long live my heroic Macbeth,

From your love Lady Macbeth

Radhey Patel, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Spirits. Spirits I called, that tend mortal thoughts, manifest with sheer hunger within me. Their reach thickens my blood, to where my system art clogged and obscured my hope. I has plagued th’ inventor, I has plagued myself, and there seem’th to be no control. The burden of Macbeth’s poisoned chalice has overcometh me and now I desire to wash it off.

Oh, Macbeth. You made me the snake and thou the God above. The God that wreaked thine destruction onto my mind. The same being that encompassed my mind, my fear, my ambition into one concoction of hatred. Hatred colours my soul. It spreads throughout my entire system, shutting down all other feelings, and becoming central to mine breath and the intent. He has turns his attention to other matters, and I have been driven alternate, but then the wave of his ill thoughts return with a vengeance. My soul is now coloured completely, and all the negative energy that one can muster is thrown into my imagined ill will racing wildly around the mind of mine. Hatred becomes a sickness of the mind, and of the heart. For where hatred has claimed possession, there is no room for love. Left unchecked, Macbeth’s hate has completely poisoned me.

What now? I challenge those thoughts, those intentions before. These spirits have withheld, and now they return to forces beyond with my soul. They left me with the malevolence, with hatred for my own husband. He was the cause. The reason. The drive. I did all this for his progression, his dark hunger! Stars have hidden their fire, and revealed his black desires beneath. Gall has burnt my breasts, and frothed my child. The sex has strengthened me and weakened me. The flower above has left me smelling sweet and seductive, but all this for what? For Macbeth’s desire, greed, avarice, want, determination, hunger that I mistook for love.

There is no more. No more too live for, no more to love. Why should I cage my mortal conscience within my weak body, while Macbeth is glorified at Birnam Wood. His greed is like a net, sweeping up all his pupils, but not me. Not his prithee, no. I inherently deserve nothing. Nothing. Now, it is the vengeance that drives me. The vengeance that poisoned my chalice tenfold ago. The vengeance that has been the death of me. There is no more time for Macbeth, and I bid him my final farewell with hatred, horror and despair.

Ryan Radia, Avanti House, Stanmore, Year 10

Be the serpent underneath the flower. No! The flower is no longer visible; it was never visible. I was always the devilish snake, still am. Merely crawling, scratching, slithering through the tragedy we have dubbed Life. Life will walk onwards. Life does not care. Life shall never cease to the living. Always one step ahead; like I thought. Lies I tell again; deep down the flower inside told me to stop but for me, the sly snake within forgot the consequences of deeds so unimaginable; the Lord almighty would not forgive.

Forgiveness is all I crave, that word that would cleanse my soul. A word so precious, my tainted tongue would dare to speak. Power was all I have wanted, accepting the darkness within, only to be powerless at the end of the line. Line which has been drawn short, like the level of power I had gained. Desire turned into greed; lust turned into addiction; so so into the final stretch, I still crave, lust, desire my power. Power which deep down I know will never present itself.

Imagine never achieving something of worth, despite turning into a snake, ruining relationships, tearing trust and killing kindness. That’s me. The black spot has grown too much; the end is here. Sorry…

Shaan Vadher, Avanti House, Year 10

Dear my sweet Macbeth,

I cannot take it anymore. The guilt is eating at my innards. I have not got the power within me to keep continuously lying and keep this dark sin from the knowledge of our closest companions. It seems I am too full of the milk of human kindness to carry all of this guilt upon me.

In these dark times, I have realised what it really means to have power. My dear, it is not attained by killing everyone who threatens to take the throne, it is about creating a sense of respect when people hear your name. The more people you slaughter, the more respect you lose.

The blood on my feeble hands remain. It has stained my pale, white skin for all eternity. Anyways, I have written this letter to you to tell you to stop. Your ambition has gotten the better of you; you are a different man now. Your ambition has also been affecting me, the burden is crushing my soul and feeding it to the devil; you will be his next meal.

It is time for me to leave this wretched place, although I feel I won’t be able to feel happiness again, wherever I am. My beloved Macbeth, just always remember that yo______

This is just the beginning.

Meet me at Birnham Wood to finally meet your fate…

Tolu Oluwafisayo, Ark All Saints, year 9

The thought of you who kill man

Water is not enough to cleanse this hand

I can’t live with guilt

Even for kingdom we have built

This is all I hear in my dream

All I hear is the screams

This where my body lies

This is the reason for my suicide

I will forever love Macbeth

Sorry you will have to live on after death

This is the end of the letter

This is where we part

I shall live in your heart

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Blog posts on King’s English represent the views of the individual authors and neither those of the English Department, nor of King’s College London.

Featured image: Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth in 1888.

From the Department of English at King's College London

129 Macbeth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best macbeth topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on macbeth, 📌 most interesting macbeth topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about macbeth, ❓ macbeth essay questions.

Writing an essay on Shakespearean tragedies may be tricky for some students. There are a lot of ideas to put in your paper, and that may puzzle you. That’s why we’ve prepared a short guide on how to write Macbeth essay.

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the true story of Scottish king Macbeth. The play tells us about a Scottish general who heard a prophecy from a trio of witches and decided to bring predictions to fulfillment. This is a drama about the jeopardy of excessive lust for power and betrayal of friends.

Some researchers state that William Shakespeare adopted the plot from Holinshed’s Chronicles, a popular history of England, while others argue that the plot of the play was borrowed from George Buchanan. Before you start your Macbeth essay, you should do thorough research on facts and fiction around the play.

To give you ideas on how and what to write in your essay, check the tips below:

• Check our Macbeth essay samples to acquire knowledge on characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, Banquo, Malcolm, Macduff, Three Witches, and others. Each character is unique, and it’s quite easy to write a paper on each of them. Make a meticulous analysis of each of them, if you decide to write an essay on Macbeth characters. Use dialogues and monologues as supporting arguments to your ideas.
• In your Macbeth essay introduction provide readers with the thesis statement and a summary you’re going to discuss in the paper. Specify what exactly you will depict or analyze. Sometimes, you may need to write the intro after you finish the body and already have done an in-depth analysis of text and critique materials.
• When writing body paragraphs, describe the essay topic in detail. Start each section with a short statement, provide a supporting quote, explain it, and make a conclusion. You can always analyze IvyPanda Macbeth essay titles to learn various points of view on each character and event.
• In the Macbeth essay conclusion, reiterate a topic and your analysis. You should not only summarize the information you’ve gathered and analyzed in the paper body. You have to get back to the intro and provide clear and extensive answers on the questions you raised. Try not to leave any further questions for your readers. Here’s the secret: some professors read the conclusion first. So make it persuasive and give a complete portion of information.

You may be wondering how to use essay examples that you may find on our website. It is super easy. First of all, look through the titles to get some topic ideas.

Then, look through the sample and learn how to create your outline. Think about what you can write in your essay. Check the bibliography: there you can find useful sources for the research.

Indeed, any paper on Shakespeare’s play may concern a variety of topics. So check out our Macbeth essay examples and think of the topics which you can choose.

• Dramatic Irony in Macbeth Essay Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to amuse the audience and to show the level of deception developed by the main character. The porter gives a clear picture of what is about to happen.
• Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The betrayer, Macbeth betrays the King, friend and other subjects in the kingdom. However when Macbeth is told he has just been chosen as the Thane of Cawdor, scenes of the possibilities of him as […]
• The Use of Hands as a Motif in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The play presents readers with the world of royalty and the well-knit state; the world of Duncan, his two sons, Banquo, Macbeth and the whole of Scotland and England.
• William Shakespeare: Hamlet and Macbeth It is important to examine the role that the setting plays in Hamlet and Macbeth in relation to the tragic flaw and developments of the plot.
• Unchecked Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” However, in Act 1, scenes 1 to 4, the audience is introduced to Macbeth’s increasing fear and the developing desire to be the king. It appears that the desire to be the king overrides his […]
• Supernatural Elements of Act I and II in Macbeth In the play, the supernatural things are central to the plot of the play as they provide a basis for action as Shakespeare meant them to fit in putting the play together.
• Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” While The government is the system that makes laws and ensures that they are followed, it is the person who wields power who is responsible for the equality and impartiality of its enforcement.
• Macbeth & Frankenstein: Compare & Contrast In the being of the play, we assume that Macbeth is akin to the king, a loyal soldier, and a person “full of the milk of human kindness”.
• The Downfall of Macbeth Nonetheless, he goes on to murder the king and his character takes a turn for the worst as he kills the chamberlains who would give witness of the king’s death and he claims he killed […]
• British Literature: Beowulf vs. Macbeth They are as follows: the presentation of the heroes, the consideration of the ethical themes, and the final stages of the plays the latter help to draw some ethical conclusions based on the peculiarity of […]
• “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes Typically, ‘the end of something means the onset of another.’ Using this as a viewpoint that provides a lead to what Macbeth is all about, the fact that ‘we will proceed no further in this […]
• Comparison of the Opening Scene of Macbeth by Orson Welles and The Tragedy of Macbeth by Roman Polanski The opening scene of The Tragedy of Macbeth starts with the words “fair is foul and foul is fair” that Polanski takes from the end of the Shakespeare’s scene.
• Literary Character Analysis of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The very reason that made me write about this character was how he is depicted as a hero in the opening pages of the play, and only to learn how weak he is from his […]
• The “Macbeth” Film by Rupert Goold While Shakespeare’s play happened in the 11th century in Scotland, the movie’s design is more similar to the events of the 20th century. Corresponding to the era of the first half of the 20th century, […]
• Macbeth and Hamlet Characters Comparison The queens in Hamlet and Macbeth play a pivotal role in the life of the heroes of the play. She is portrayed as a mother who, in her awareness of Hamlet’s crisis, feels guilty and […]
• Omens in The “Macbeth” Play by William Shakespeare The supernatural was an aspect of the plot structure used to add tension and drama to the occurrences and situations and manifested in various ways. To conclude, the owl and raven were utilized as omens […]
• Shakespeare Tragedies: Macbeth and King Lear At the beginning of the play, he decides to abdicate his throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters. This choice eventually undermines the ethical integrity of this character, and he murders murder to […]
• Emotions and Outward Actions in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” In this regard, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the relationship of inward emotions and outward actions is relevant in fully conveying the interplay of themes in this tragedy.
• Character Analysis of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare The unplanned overnight stay of King Duncan and his entourage at Macbeth’s castle precipitates Macbeth’s first fateful decision: to murder King Duncan and clear the way for the witches’ prophecy to come true.
• The Life and Work of William Shakespeare: His Contribution to the Contemporary Theater In addition, the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare continue to set the standard for the study of the English language in its dramatic context in institutes of higher learning and performance training.
• Macbeth Versions Comparison Film Analysis The use of classic settings in the design of the play helps in portraying the role that gangsters play in the original play of Macbeth and helps present it in the modern world.
• Characters’ Traits in Shakespeare’s Macbeth As weird as it might sound, Lady Macbeth is very emotional; as a matter of fact, the crimes that she committed can be attributed to her emotionality rather than her greed, though the latter has […]
• Drama Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Play and Wells’ Film However, the play communicates the meaning of the text in a better way as compared to the film by Orson Wells.
• Supernatural in “Macbeth” Play by Shakespeare The supernaturally manufactured predictions lure Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power, leading Macbeth to plot the cruel murder of Duncan.
• The Play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare and the Film “Maqbool” by Bhardwaj Bhardwaj’s Maqbool is a great example of how the weather sets the tone for the story, it is not the backdrop in the film, but an active force expressing the psychological state of the characters.
• Jeffrey R. Wilson: Macbeth and Criminology The genre of tragedy used in Macbeth poses the question to the reader: who is responsible for committing a crime – the individual or the society?
• Intro to Theatre: “Macbeth” Shakespeare’s theatrical performances are widespread all over the world and do not lose their relevance, both due to the problems raised by the playwright and the various interpretations of his works. One of such plays is the production of Macbeth directed by Bodinetz (2020) and created by the troupe of Digital Theater +. The performance […]
• The Story of Macbeth by W. Sheakspeare: Relationship and Strengths Between Macbeth and His Wife Lady Macbeth reads a letter her husband had written about the witches’ prophecy and manipulates him to kill King Duncan and take over the kingdom.
• Analyzing the Adaptation of the Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Furthermore, the names of all the characters in both films are the same except for a little twist in the spelling of names like Mcbeth and Mcduff.
• Shakespeare and His View on Kingship: Macbeth, King Lear and Othello At the same time, it is beyond doubt in the basement Macbeth’s character is clean and as a soldier, he is true to his job and his king.
• Representing the Heroic: Macbeth and Odysseus In Homer’s Odyssey, the noble nature of the hero is made clear in the way that his servants speak of him and strive to behave as he would expect.
• Analysis of Characters in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The witches’ predictions spark Macbeth’s ambitions and then hearten his violent performance; Lady Macbeth offers the brains and the will behind her husband’s intrigues; and the only heavenly being to emerge is Hecate, the divinity […]
• Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth The world of Macbeth is a world of contradiction. Already a successful soldier in the army of King Duncan, Macbeth is informed by Three Witches that he is to become “Thane of Glamis!”, “Thane of […]
• Shakespearean Macbeth as a Tragic Hero In addition to fighting for his king, Macbeth is quickly and well rewarded for his efforts as King Duncan makes him the new Thane of Cawdor in addition to his already holding the title of […]
• Shakespear’s “Macbeth”: Main Character Change Analysis Macbeth is essentially the story of a character who lives his life in a state of confusion to the degree that the only constant in his life changes.
• Chaucer’s ‘Miller’s Tale’ and Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale and in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to be more exact, we will find out how the notion of poetic justice is represented by examples of the main characters of the works mentioned.
• An Explication on Shakespeare’s Macbeth However, Macbeth’s wife is murdered and the news is broken to him, and he is drifted into a life of futility and remorsefulness.
• Literary Elements in “Macbeth” Poem In addition, use of Symbolism imagery and symbolism creates a better picture in audience mind, concerning the themes that the play covers; such as where dark is used to represent evil.
• King Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Play and History He proved to be a courageous man and ambitious because he wanted to become the king, and the only way he could do it was by killing the king.
• Themes in the Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare The character of Macbeth is used by Shakespeare to illustrate a man who lacks the strength of moral fiber under the affection of guilt and ambition.
• Macbeth: An Analysis of the Play by Shakespeare Macbeth’s treachery springs from his reliance to the witches who gave him prophecy that results in his endless creation of enemies.
• Oedipus King vs. Macbeth: Drama Comparison The concept reflects the foundation of the decent authority through showing the tendencies of power both in the ancient times and in the period of Renaissance.
• Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Sophocles’ “Oedipus” The idea of a person being in the center of the action and trying to overcome some problems connected with doom, fate and some other supernatural forces become peculiar to this kind of art.
• Macbeth by Shakespeare and Oedipus by Sophocles Comparison In Act 1 Scene 3 of Macbeth, we have the three witches who greet him and inform him that he is to become the “Thane of Cawdor,” the title that he will receive that evening, […]
• Shakespeare Literature: Prophecy and Macbeth Morality The divination made by the witches pushes Macbeth further into immorality as he is made to believe that he deserves the position of king. In addition, Macbeth abandons reason and morality so as to make […]
• Power and Evocation of Horror: The Macbeth Witches’ Chant Among them are the rhymes, the rhythm of the words, the interpolation of a chorus, the increasing complexity of the lines as the poem progresses, and the vivid and horrifying imagery.
• Philosophy of Literature: Shakespearean Tragedy In addition, it is also an indication of the facts that human beings are always nosy and ready to participate in other people’s issues.
• The Ambitions and Immoral Decision in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Analyzing Macbeth’s Conscience Throughout Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
• Murder and Power in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
• Unprincipled Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Use of Supernatural to Create Suspense in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Psychological Victimization of William Shakespeare’s Protagonist in “Macbeth”
• Responsibility for Planning to Kill Duncan in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Dramatic Techniques to Create a Sense That Macbeth Is Not in Control of His Own Thoughts and Deeds
• An Analysis of Jam-Packed With Malfeasance and Darkness in the Play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
• The Application of Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Witches, Supernatural, and Evil in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Banquet Scene of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Analyzing Macbeth’s Weak Character in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Ambition Often Results in Greed as Portrayed in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Psychoanalytical Criticism of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Women as The Driving Action of the Play in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare’s Manipulation of the Audience Through “Macbeth”
• Suspense and the Supernatural in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Sharing the Blame in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Macbeth’s Tragic Downfall in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Characterization of Macbeth in Relation to the Development of Scotland in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Role Reversal in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
• The Butcher and His Fiend Like Queen in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Supernatural Forces Create a Suspense Atmosphere in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Archetypal Tragic Hero Characteristics of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Sophocles’ “Oedipus”
• An Analysis of Macbeth as a Victim of Circumstances in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Power, Ambition, and Treason in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Breakdown of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Unbridled Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Art of Appeasement and the Political, Religious, and Social Issues Reflected in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Parallels Between Macbeth and Satan in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Some of the Ways in Which Shakespeare Portrays an Atmosphere of Evil in “Macbeth”
• An Analysis of Lady Macbeth’s Character in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
• The Blood Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Macbeth’s Representation of Ambition in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Attract of Wicked in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Manipulations, Greed, and Guilt in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
• Stereotypical Images of Women in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
• Symbolism and Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Subjective Reality to the Viewer in the Play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• The Betrayal of Human Nature in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Treatment of Gender Disruption in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Macbeth”
• Significance of Act Four Scene One in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Role of Women in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Recurring Images in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Similarities Between the Philosophies From Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• The Aristotelian Standards of a Tragic Hero in the Tragedy of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Struggles of the Conscience in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• The Battle Between Good and Evil in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Sleep and Its Meaning in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• Relationship Between Spouses in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• A Musical Analysis of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
• What Did Macbeth’s Character, Words, and Actions Show About Changes in His Character?
• Who Are the Women in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
• When Power Falls Into the Wrong Hands in “Macbeth”?
• Why Are the Period and Place Important in “Macbeth”?
• What Makes William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” a Pessimistic Play?
• How Ambitions and Immoral Decision Play a Part in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
• How and Why Does Macbeth Turn a War Hero Into an Evil Murderer?
• Did the Three Witches Push Macbeth to Kill Duncan?
• What Are the Attitudes Towards Gender Can Be Seen in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
• What Part Does the Supernatural Play in “Macbeth”?
• Was Macbeth Responsible for His Downfall?
• Does Shakespeare Present Lady Macbeth as Good or Evil?
• Can One Feel Pity for Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
• What Dramatic Techniques Are Used in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
• How Did Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s Relationship Change Throughout the Play?
• What Did Macbeth Say About Good and Evil?
• Does Shakespeare Present Lady Macbeth as Fiend-Like?
• Does Macbeth Have Power?
• How Did Macbeth Turn From “Nobel Macbeth” to “A Bloody Butcher”?
• What Does Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Have to Say About Kingship?
• Did Macbeth Suffer From Fate?
• What Are the Character Traits of Lady Macbeth?
• Does Macbeth Have Free Will?
• What Are the Influences of the Witches’ Prophecies on Macbeth’s Actions?
• How Are the Themes of Appearance and Reality Presented in “Macbeth”?
• How Are Characters Presented as Disturbed in “Macbeth”?
• Was Macbeth Considered the Tragic Hero of the Play?
• How Did Lady Macbeth and Witches Change?
• What Are the Differences and Similarities Between “Medea” and “Macbeth” Plays?
• What Factors Lead Macbeth to Kill Duncan?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Shakespeare Journal Prompts

Also check out my Busy Teacher’s Guides and other support material for teachers HERE .

I’ve also had some fun creating coloring pages to go with the journal prompts. (Hint: My mailing list members have had access to these for a while now. 🙂 )

Here are links to PDFs of journal prompts for all 5 plays:

KING LEAR , ROMEO AND JULIET , MACBETH , HAMLET , TWELFTH NIGHT

Love to hear your feedback and suggestions for any other plays that you think I should cover. Please drop me a note in the comments below to let me know your thoughts and ideas.

If you would like to know when I make additions to this page or when new books are published, please fill out the mailing list form in the sidebar. I promise that you will not be bombarded with spam emails, just the odd thing that I come across that you might find useful, a couple of sample chapters as I work through new projects, and my newest writing prompts.

ROMEO AND JULIET

1. What is your opinion of “love at first sight”?

2. Have you ever found yourself between two friends who are angry at each other? What happened?

3. How hard is it to keep a secret? Are there circumstances when you think you should break a promise about keeping a secret?

4. Who in the play shows the most courage? Give reasons for your choice?

5. Why or why not should parents have any control over the personal lives of their children?

6. Is suicide ever a justified option? Explain your answer.

7. Who is the truest friend in the play? Explain your answer.

8. Is lying ever justified? Explain your answer.

9. Write Juliet’s or Romeo’s diary entry after the balcony scene.

10. Write a letter that Juliet might have written to her parents to be read if she died from the potion that Friar Lawrence gave her.

11.  Write a letter that Juliet might have written to Romeo to be read if she died from the potion that Friar Lawrence gave her.

I’ve always thought that a few soliloquies were missing from Shakespeare’s plays. Perhaps these suggestions will encourage your students to fill in the blanks:

• Nurse while she keeps guard during Romeo’s and Juliet’s wedding night
• Paris before he visits Juliet’s grave
• Romeo as he passes through Verona’s gates into exile
• Juliet after the balcony scene
• Priest after he ‘buries’ Juliet for the first time

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12 thoughts on “shakespeare journal prompts”.

Very cool stuff!

Thanks, Amy. I hope you find the info and links on the site useful.

Good selection of prompts: My middle schoolers enjoyed “translating” monologues and dialogues from Shakespeare plays into “contemporary English” and performing/reading them for their peers in class.

Thanks for dropping by my website! I’m glad you liked the prompts. I always think that students respond to Shakespeare more positively when they can put the plays ‘on their feet.’ My grade 9s loved acting out scenes from Twelfth Night.

Whatever “moderation” means — being moderated or approved? Okay!

Explored your website. What great templates for students and teachers to use! I liked the one of the dragon/monster with the different types of description.

I modified your prompts and used them for Quick Writes for the 9th grades ESE students, They loved it!!!!

Thanks for dropping me a line. I’m so glad you could adapt the prompts for your class!

Thanks for these writing prompts Heather! They’ll work really well in prompting deeper thought from students!

Thanks for dropping by, Becky! So glad that you’ll be able to use these with your students. Hope you have a great school year ahead!

I am a ninth grader in high school having to write a diary entry for the play Romeo and Juliet about one of the characters what font shall i use

Hi Halee! Your best bet is to choose a font that’s easy for your teacher to read. Remember, your teacher has to read a lot of these assignments. If your teacher wants a fancy font that looks like handwriting, I’d pick Segoe Print from the options in Word. It’s a little fancy, but also pretty easy to read. Make sure it’s at least 12 point–14 point is good, too.

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Shakespeare's Globe

Macbeth: Themes KS4/5

In these lessons, students will engage with the themes and ideas at the heart of the text, including deception, ambition, and guilt. Tasks include: tracking these themes throughout the play, drawing out key quotations; creative writing on Lady Macbeth's sleep walking, in the character of her doctor; and a list of practice exam questions with an emphasis on themes and motifs.

In order to benefit fully from these lesson plans, we recommend you use them in the following order:

• Text in Performance

If you would like to teach the play in greater detail, use these advanced KS4/5 Lesson Plans. If students are new to the play, we suggest you start with the introductory  KS3 Lesson Plans . 

These lesson plans are available in the Downloads section at the bottom of this page.   To download resources, you must be logged in.  Sign up   for free  to access this and other exclusive features .  Activities mentioned in these resources are available in a separate downloadable 'Student Booklet', also at the bottom of this page. The 'Teachers' Guide' download explains how best to use Teach Shakespeare and also contains a bibliography and appendices referencing the resources used throughout.

Key Questions for Students:

Can I identify why the themes of appearance and reality are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Can I explain the importance of these examples by placing them in the context of the play as a whole and the overall development of these themes?

Key words: appearance, deception, plot, reality, theme, thought-tracking

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Introduce the theme of appearance and reality and display a quiz-show style board numbered 1-25. Students should pick one square and if it reveals a quotation, they should place that quotation in context and talk about how it connects with the theme of appearance and reality. As a class, students should try to make a full line of five quotations across or down the board. But beware, as some squares will have something much more dangerous behind them (pictures of daggers, witches, blood, etc.) Give students a fixed amount of time or a fixed number of attempts to increase the excitement! Some suggested quotations you could use are included in the Asides.

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

1) Tracking the theme

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the theme of ‘appearance and reality’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through drama and creative writing

The following drama activities can support students’ further explorations of this theme:

• Yes/No game: One student is chosen or volunteers to answer questions. They must answer any questions asked of them by the rest of the class without saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and they should aim to be as inventive as possible. The discussion that follows this game could encourage students to think about how language can be used to get around giving a direct and simple truthful answer. Jessica Swale suggests this activity can work ‘as an effective prelude to playwriting exercises’.
• the mouth card means that they should say or paraphrase a line they say in the scene (not an aside)
• the head card means that they should talk about what they are really thinking
• the heart card means that they should talk about how they are feeling at this moment

3) Interpreting and staging key scenes

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 1 Scene 3, Act 1 Scene 4 or Act 2 Scene 2. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of appearance and reality and how this was achieved.

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

Why are appearance and reality important themes in the play?

How would I describe the development of these themes throughout the play?

How do these themes link to the other major themes in Macbeth that I have studied?

Suggested plenary activity…

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly crucial when thinking about the themes of appearance and reality. Compare findings.

Asides: Further Resources

Quotations you could use in the Prologue activity:

• “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
• “Are ye fantastical, or that indeed/Which outwardly ye show?”
• “…why do you dress me /In borrow’d robes?”
• “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face.”
• “Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
• “…look like th’innocent flower,? But be the serpent under it.”
• “This castle hath a pleasant seat.”
• “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
• “…art thou a dagger of the mind/A false creation”
• “If he do bleed,/I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal,/For it must seem their guilt.”
• “…sleek o’er your rugged looks;/ Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night.”
• “This is the very painting of your fear.”
• “A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the benefits of watching.’’
• “…now does he feel his title/ Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe/Upon a dwarfish thief.”
• “As I did stand my watch upon  the hill,/I look’d toward Birnam, and anon, methought,/The wood began to move.”

Epilogue: Teacher's Note

Additional materials about studying the witches can be found in the Text in Performance , Language  and Context  sections.

Can I identify why the themes of power and ambition are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Can I explain the importance of these examples by placing them in the context of the play as a whole and the overall development of this theme?

Key words: allegiance, ambition, divine right of kings, heir, hierarchy, legitimacy, power, sovereign, status, succession, theme, tyrant

Ask students to complete a vocabulary exercise matching the following words with definitions:

power – the ability to do something or direct what others do

sovereign – a supreme ruler

heir – a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another person when that person dies

tyrant – a cruel and oppressive ruler

ambition – desire and determination to be successful

succession – the process of inheriting a title, office or property

legitimacy - lawfulness

the divine right of kings – the idea that the monarch’s right to rule comes directly from will of God

allegiance – the loyalty of a subject to his or her ruler

dynasty – a sequence of rulers from the same family

Then ask students to choose a word and write one or two sentences about Macbeth using that word. Students should share their sentences with their partners. The partner awards:

• 1 point for correct use of the word in a sentence
• another 1 point for using the word in reference to Macbeth , and 
• up to another 2 points for including a short and relevant quotation

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the theme of ‘power’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through drama

The following drama activities can support students’ explorations of this theme. Students could reflect on their experiences of these exercises in the Student Booklet.

• The King says… This is basically a version of Simon Says that will help students to listen carefully and to respond physically to some but not all of the instructions. The actions could be appropriate for a king’s armies/subjects/servants, e.g. stand to attention, bow deeply, beg for forgiveness. You could even differentiate between the kinds of things ‘King Duncan says’ and the things that ‘King Macbeth says’, obeying only one and not the other and then switching.
• Pauper to prince: Students build a cumulative freeze frame indicating relative status from pauper to prince. Encourage attention to body language, eye contact, etc. and ask each new student to think about how their pose builds on the one before it. Finally, ask students to think about how the status of the highest status actors could be undermined, e.g. pulling a face behind their backs, pretending to direct them in a play, putting a gun to their head.

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 1 Scene 4 or Act 5 Scene 9. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of power and ambition and how this was achieved.

Why is power an important theme in the play?

How would I describe the development of this theme throughout the play?

How does this theme link to the other major themes in Macbeth that I have studied?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of power. Compare findings.

• Students can read more about the theme of ambition on the Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank   Macbeth  microsite here: 2011.playingshakespeare.org/themes-and-issues/ambition
• Students could research the ideas of the Renaissance diplomat and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, and compare them with some of the ideas about power and politics in Macbeth .

Additional ideas about exploring the concepts of power and status - including some rehearsal room approaches to try out - can be found within the Key Stage 3 materials .

Can I identify why the themes of family and succession are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Key words: descendants, divine right of kings, dynasty, family, heir, succession, theme

Display the five quotations/images connected with the themes of family and succession. (The quotations are featured in the Student Booklet.) What’s the connection?

• “how tender ‘tis to love the babe that sucks me” quotation (Lady Macbeth)
• “all my little chickens” quotation (Macduff)
• picture of apparition of a child carrying a tree
• “from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d” quotation
• an image of Banquo and Fleance

Draw out from students’ feedback some of the ideas and issues to help them connect the clues, such as family, children, mothers and fathers, birth, descendants, succession, the divine right of kings, blood, dynasties, the future. Students could record them in a mindmap. A key idea with this theme is for students to think about families in a political as well as personal way. You could draw parallels with the current Royal Family to illustrate this point. 

1) Tracking the theme

Students should use the mindmap to help them track the themes of ‘family and succession’ in the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

• Wolf and sheep: one student is the wolf, one the sheep and the rest of the class hold hands and create a protective ‘fold’, who must move as one to protect the sheep in their care
• how the portraits would look before/during/at the end of the play
• the number of father/son images and the relative absence of women/mothers
• the issue of whether the Macbeths have lost a child in infancy

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 4 Scene 1 or Scene 2. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of family and succession and how this was achieved.

Why are family and succession important themes in the play?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of family and heredity. Compare findings.

• Succession was an important issue for Shakespeare’s audiences as Queen Elizabeth (a Tudor) had had no children. When she died in 1603, James VI of Scotland (a Stuart) also became James I of England. James chose Shakespeare and his fellow actors as his royal company and three years later, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth about the Scottish succession.
• The play centres on the fortunes of Macbeth and those characters whose fortunes are directly implicated in Macbeth’s quest for power: Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Malcolm, Banquo and Macduff. Whose stories are left open-ended at the end of the play? Are there any questions that Shakespeare leaves unanswered?

For more on this theme, look for activities in the sections about Character  and Themes .

Can I identify why the themes of guilt and conscience are important and pick out examples from throughout the text?

Key words: anxiety, depression, doubt, hallucination, mental illness, mind, obsession, suicide, theme

Begin a ‘mind’map with a picture of a brain in the middle on to which the class can contribute ideas about how Shakespeare explores the way the mind works in Macbeth . Possible ideas include:

• characters experiencing hallucinations/visions (the mind playing tricks or genuine supernatural occurrences?)
• anxieties/doubts about turning plans into actions
• becoming obsessive about something/craving something, etc.
• how what we say and what we think can be very different
• sleepwalking/insomnia
• mental illness/depression/suicide (what does happen to Lady Macbeth?)

Students are going to track the themes of guilt and conscience throughout the play. Students could be divided into five groups, each taking one Act from the play. They should read through it carefully, looking for evidence before reporting back. Students could also prepare a sheet of evidence that can be made accessible to all their classmates as a revision aid. Students should aim to keep quotations short (under 10 words), and write a brief commentary about how their quotation links to the overall theme.

2) Exploring more deeply through creative writing

Read Act 5 Scene 1 in small groups or as a class or watch the scene in performance. Discuss what the scene reveals about Lady Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings about killing Duncan. Compare this against her thoughts and feelings earlier in the play, e.g. in Act 1 Scene 5, Act 1 Scene 7 and Act 2 Scene 2. Students should make notes in the Student Booklet, using cross-referencing to draw parallels and contrasts between this and other scenes.

Next, ask students to imagine they are either the Doctor or the Waiting Gentlewoman from Act 5 Scene 1. They have witnessed Lady Macbeth’s mental state and have heard her talk in an incriminating way about the king’s murder. Imagine what they might write in their private diaries. Think about how each character would react to her as a person and as a political figure now that they know what they do. What should they do next? Students could continue the diary to include an account of subsequent events too.

3) Interpreting and staging key scenes

Assign to groups of students the task of staging a scene where they feel this theme is crucially important, e.g. Act 2 Scene 1, Act 2 Scene 2, Act 3 Scene 2 or Act 4 Scene 3. Afterwards, reflect as a group and as a whole class on how well the various performances explored the themes of guilt and conscience and how this was achieved.

Why are guilt and conscience important themes in the play?

How would I describe the development of these themes throughout the play?

Everyone in the class picks out three key moments that they think are particularly important to bear in mind when thinking about the theme of the human mind and its frailties. Compare findings.

• Draw together the evidence about Lady Macbeth’s mental condition and eventually her death from Act 5 Scenes 1, 3 and 5. What can we infer from these scenes about attitudes to and understandings of the human mind in Shakespeare’s time?

The creative writing task could be dual assessed for reading and writing.

Can I write about the themes of the play in a connected and coherent way?

Can I demonstrate confidence in my handling of abstract ideas, but continue to show that my analysis is firmly grounded in the text?

Key words: abstract, analysis, coherent, issues, mood, symbolism, themes

Students could be given an item and have a minute in pairs to prepare an explanation of how it relates to the play Macbeth . The items can be chosen at random (e.g. a ball, pencil, a coat), as the idea of this activity is that it is a fun, thinking-skills warm up to the activity that follows. 

1) Museum cabinet

Ask the class to imagine they have been asked to create a display about Macbeth for a new Shakespeare museum. They can only have five items for their display. Students should choose five items that they think convey the essence of the play, i.e. not just the plot but the play’s overall mood and the ideas and issues the play makes audiences think about. Students could be given a list to choose from, e.g. candle, crown, cauldron, sword, dagger, book about witchcraft, (fake) blood, throne, an empty cradle, tree branch, poster showing kings and queens of Scotland, a mirror. They are also welcome to add their own. Their items do not even need to be mentioned in the play; students simply need to be able to justify their reasons convincingly. As an extension task, students could write their captions for the museum with a word limit of 100 words per item.

2) Analysing themes in a passage

Choose any passage from the play (a very short scene or passage of under a hundred lines from a scene) and model:

• rereading and refamiliarising
• identifying the key ideas and themes that arise from close analysis of the passage
• making connections between these ideas and themes, e.g. between the apparitions and ideas about power, the family, succession and linking to the killing of Banquo and escape of Fleance

What are the play’s key ideas, symbols and themes? Why?

How are these ideas connected in the text?

As a revision exercise, students could open their play text at random and after a few moments’ preparation they should:

• comment on what the scene is about
• place it in context
• draw out some of the themes and ideas that arise from it.

Hear a few examples.

Aside: Further Resource

• Students could use the 'Pick a card...' game as mentioned in Key Stage 3 Themes , which generates different aspects of the text in a random way. Students can challenge themselves to make connections between them! 

The following learning sequence also supports students in making connections across a substantial text - the skill of cross-referencing.

Can I make cross-references, moving backwards and forwards within the text in order to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the whole play?

Can I put this reading skill into practice in my own essay planning and drafting?

Key words: cross-references, essay, plan, success criteria, theme

Encourage students to play a simple game that involves moving speedily around the text. Ask students (in pairs) to find, e.g.

• the first word of Act 1 Scene 3, or
• Macbeth’s first line in Act 5 Scene 2 , or
• a reference to the king in Act 2 Scene 4, or
• an adjective in Act 5 Scene 9.

​Give students a fixed amount of time (e.g. 3 minutes) to come up with as many search terms and to carry out as many successful searches as they can!

1) Making connections.

You should now develop the activity from the starter into an activity about making connections across the text. Show students on screen and also in the Student Booklet a brief extract from Act 1 Scene 7 (lines 59-83). Then:

• model for students finding within this text a short quotation where Lady Macbeth exhorts Macbeth to take action
• model somewhere else in the text where Lady Macbeth exhorts Macbeth to take action
• model a clear way to demonstrate the link between the two references

Now give students more references to find from different places in the text, e.g.

• two or more places in the text where Macbeth is indecisive
• two or more places where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth try to appear innocent of Duncan’s death, e.g. appear shocked, blame someone else
• two places where we learn that Scotland is a dangerous and fearful place under Macbeth’s regime

2) Task bank: themes and ideas

The following tasks can be used in the modelling of planning and drafting of written tasks, as well as for students’ more independently produced work for assessment:

• To what extent do you think Macbeth is a play about the bonds that exist between family members?
• What do you think Shakespeare is saying in Macbeth about the use and abuse of power?
• ‘ Macbeth is a play about the battle between good and evil’. How far would you agree with this statement about the play?

How do I annotate my text to show cross-references between different parts of the text?

Why is this an important skill when writing about a substantial text? 

Students could prepare a plan in timed conditions for one of the tasks in ‘Task bank: themes and ideas’.  

• The tasks in the question banks can be used as the basis for devising further tasks to suit the needs of your own class, curriculum and syllabus.

As homework/revision, students could attempt one or more of the writing tasks from the task bank. 

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30 Macbeth Essay Topics

Most commonly assigned as required reading for high school and college students, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. The play is set in medieval Scotland and chronicles the rise and fall of its eponymous protagonist, Macbeth, who murders his way to the throne but is ultimately undone by his ambition and paranoia.

While Macbeth can be a challenging read, it is also one of the most rewarding, offering a complex and multi-layered exploration of themes like ambition, morality, and fate.

If you are tasked with writing an essay on Macbeth, there are many possible essay writing formats you can use to analyze, compare, summarize, and discuss the play. This guide will walk you through writing a Macbeth essay and provide 30 Macbeth essay topics to get you started on your next writing assignment.

Argumentative Essay Writing for Macbeth

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that asks you to take a position on a given issue or question. Argumentative essays are common assignments in high school and college, especially in literature courses.

In an argumentative essay about Macbeth, you will take one position on one of the play’s many themes and argue for your interpretation using specific evidence from the text.

Argumentative essay topics for Macbeth need to include both sides of the argument and should be framed as a question. For example, “Is Macbeth a tragic hero?” or “What is the role of gender in Macbeth?”

Once you have chosen your topic, you will need to find evidence from the play to support your position. Be sure to cite specific lines and passages from the text as evidence in your essay.

Comparative Essay Writing for Macbeth

Comparative essays ask you to compare and contrast two or more things such as characters, themes, motifs, plot elements, etc. A comparative essay about Macbeth can take many different forms, but one common approach is to compare the characters of Macbeth and Banquo.

When writing a comparative essay about Macbeth and Banquo, you will want to consider how they are similar and different. What motivates them? How do they react to the events of the play? Are they good or evil? You can also compare and contrast other pairs of characters, such as Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff or Duncan and Malcolm.

Persuasive Essay About Macbeth

In a persuasive essay, your goal as the writer is to convince your reader to agree with your position on a given issue or question. Like an argumentative essay, you will want to use evidence from the play to support your claims.

When writing a persuasive essay about Macbeth, you can take a position on anything from whether or not Macbeth is a tragic hero to what motivates the characters in the play.

Unlike an argumentative essay on Macbeth, a persuasive essay about the play will need to be heavily opinionated to make a convincing argument. Be sure to take a clear and definitive stance on your chosen topic, and use specific evidence from the play to support your claims.

Narrative Essay About Macbeth

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story. In a narrative essay about Macbeth, you will be asked to recount and describe an event or series of events from the play. Your goal in a narrative essay is not to take a position or argue a point but simply to tell the story in an engaging and interesting way.

Formatting Citations for a Macbeth Essay

Since you will need to cite directly from the play to back up the arguments and comparisons drawn from the play, it’s essential to understand the correct formatting for quotations from Macbeth.

If you are asked to write in MLA formatting (standard at most educational institutions), each quotation will need to be ended with the speaker’s name in italics, followed by the act, scene number, and line number(s) in parentheses.

For example:

“…Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” ( Macbeth 5.5.17-28).

If the quoted text is more than one line, be sure to separate each verse with a forward slash as follows:

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” ( Macbeth 5.5.17-28).

If the quoted text is part of a conversation, use block quotations by indenting each line of the quoted text 1″ from the left margin (hit the TAB button twice). Additionally, you’ll need to capitalize all of the letters in the name. End the quote with the plays name, act, and scene number as follows:

HAMLET. To be, or not to be–that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them… ( Hamlet 3.1.56-60)

You’ll notice that after the initial 1″ margin, each subsequent line will also need an additional indentation. If quoting dialogue from two or more people, each person should start with capital letters and an indented 1″ margin:

FIRST WITCH. When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

SECOND WITCH. When the hurlyburly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won . ( Macbeth 1.1.1-4)

With the vast amount of information and things to discuss in the play Macbeth, it can be hard to narrow it all down to one topic. But, with this list of 30 Macbeth essay topics, you should have no trouble coming up with an essay to fit your needs.

• How does Macbeth’s character change throughout the play?
• Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Why or why not?
• Who is most responsible for Macbeth’s downfall?
• Discuss the role of gender in Macbeth.
• Is ambition a positive or negative trait? Use examples from Macbeth to support your claim.
• How does Shakespeare use the supernatural in Macbeth?
• Discuss the role of fate in Macbeth.
• Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship.
• Discuss the role of deception in Macbeth.
• What motivates the characters in Macbeth?
• Is violence ever justified? Use examples from Macbeth to support your claim.
• Discuss the theme of ambition in Macbeth.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Macbeth and Banquo.
• Discuss the theme of power in Macbeth.
• Discuss the theme of loyalty in Macbeth.
• What is the significance of the witches in Macbeth?
• How does Shakespeare use foreshadowing in Macbeth?
• Discuss the role of greed in Macbeth.
• What is the significance of Macbeth’s soliloquies?
• Discuss the theme of betrayal in Macbeth.
• Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s attitudes toward power.
• Discuss the theme of sanity vs. insanity in Macbeth.
• Discuss the theme of appearance vs. reality in Macbeth.
• How does Shakespeare use irony in Macbeth?
• What is the significance of blood in Macbeth?
• Discuss the theme of corruption in Macbeth.
• What is the significance of nature vs. nurture in Macbeth?
• Discuss the theme of good vs. evil in Macbeth.
• What is the significance of the title “Macbeth”?

With these Macbeth essay topics, you should have no trouble coming up with an essay to fit your needs. Remember to cite all quotes and paraphrases from the play Macbeth and use MLA format.

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Imaginative / creative writing based on Macbeth

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

16 February 2020

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Aimed at helping reluctant GCSE level students to produce imaginative / creative writing, this is a task based on the scene in Macbeth when Banquo is murdered. There is a link to a Youtube video of forest sounds to help students imagine the sensory information they would be getting if they were in the Scottish woods.

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