Macbeth - Study Guide

Through William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a tale of betrayal, murder, and tragedy, students will learn:

Author Biography: Learn about William Shakespeare and the fascinating history behind the author and play.

Vocabulary words used throughout the novel, utilizing a variety of activities to stimulate retention and growth.

Literary Techniques: Tone, irony, contrast, character study, aside, foreshadowing, pacing, soliloquy, comic relief, foil, paraphrase, pathetic fallacy, personification, understatement, hyperbole, anaphora, synonym, parallel characters, mistreatment, endurance, metaphor, compare & contrast, extended metaphor, protagonist, tragic hero, antihero.

Moral Lessons and Character Values: King David vs. Macbeth, wise advisors, biblical manliness, true forgiveness of sin, repentance vs. regret, revenge, love your enemies, do not judge others, obeying leaders and questioning or disobeying leaders, boasting and pride is punished, death, anyone can be redeemed by true belief in Christ Jesus.

Activities and Writing Assignments: 1Samuel comparison, report on King James I, map work, world leader history & greed for power, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Scottish Highlands and castles, As-you-read notebook, Essays: temptation or King James I of England, watercolor or drawing art project, perform scene, scrambled quotations, journal entry, eulogy, poem, class discussion/paper about prophecy, discussion of third murder, discuss ghost, write dialogue, creative art activity.

Suggestions for Further Reading: We include an in-depth reading list of more books by the same author(s) and other books and movies that tie in with, or are similar to, Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

All of the unit lessons are written from a Christian perspective!

Features and Benefits of the study guide

Printed Workbook Format

• Large 8.5x11 format is convenient to read and easy on the eyes
• Every question has plenty of whitespace for student’s answers
• Encourages neat and clean handwriting practice
• Easily transports without the need for a laptop or other expensive equipment
• Provides a permanent record of the student’s work
• Convenient, removable answer key included for the teacher!