How to Revise "Macbeth"
- 7 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, "Macbeth" is a dark tale, filled with ambition, the supernatural and overwhelming guilt.
However, as powerful as the story might be, the complex language and historical context can make it tricky to fully understand and analyse in your GCSE English Literature exam.
That’s where this guide comes in. Whether you're struggling to untangle the plot, explore the key themes or make sense of Shakespeare's language, this blog post will explain what you need to know and includes practical revision tips to help you feel confident and prepared.
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What The Exam Involves
For the "Macbeth" question on the AQA GCSE English Literature exam paper, you will need to:
Analyse a provided extract from the play and link it to the whole text.
Explore Shakespeare’s language, structure and themes.
Consider the historical and social context of the play.
Revision Tip: You won't have the play with you in the exam, so you're going to need some key quotes to help you support your points about characters and themes.
How to Revise the Plot
Keep track of Macbeth’s dubious life choices by focusing on major plot points:
Act 1: Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches who share some eerie prophecies about Macbeth becoming Thane of Cawdor and then king. They also mention that Banquo’s descendants will become kings.
Initially sceptical, Macbeth takes the prophecy seriously once he becomes Thane of Cawdor and, driven by ambition and urged by Lady Macbeth, he begins to plan to murder King Duncan.
Act 2: Macbeth murders King Duncan while he sleeps and immediately experiences intense guilt and paranoia. Lady Macbeth tries to dismiss his anxieties and Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee the country.
Act 3: Macbeth, now king, fears losing power and plots the murder of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes. Macbeth's guilt and paranoia intensify, resulting in a vivid hallucination of Banquo’s ghost during a banquet, which makes him appear unstable in front of the Scottish nobility.
Act 4: Macbeth seeks reassurance from the witches again, receiving misleading prophecies about his invincibility. He is warned to beware of Macduff, yet told no man "of woman born" can harm him and that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Still fearful, Macbeth orders the brutal murder of Macduff’s family.
Act 5: Lady Macbeth, overcome by guilt, descends into madness and commits suicide which causes Macbeth to grow increasingly isolated and reckless. Disguised with branches from Birnam Wood (and, therefore, fulfilling the prophecy), Malcolm, Macduff and the English army attack Macbeth's castle. When Macbeth confronts Macduff, he discovers that Macduff was born by Caesarean so is not "of woman born"... which is why he is able to kill Macbeth and restore order to Scotland
Revision Tip: Use a variety of revision aids, such as timelines, flashcards, comic strip style storyboards or voice recordings. Your revision notes don’t have to be written down...or boring!
How to Revise the Key Themes
Theme | Explanation | Key Quote |
Ambition | The root of all Macbeth’s problems. | “Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself” |
Power and Kingship | Legitimate rulers vs. tyrants. | “A good and virtuous nature may recoil in an imperial charge” |
Supernatural | Ghostly visions and dodgy prophecies. | “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” |
Guilt and Madness | Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s sleepless nights. | “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” |
Revision Tip: Mind maps can be really useful when it comes to learning a few key quotes. Use colours and doodles to make them memorable.
How to Revise the Characters
Examiners love to see students engage with how characters change throughout the play so it's a good idea to revise how Macbeth and the other key characters develop and learn a few quotes to support your points.
Macbeth begins the play as a celebrated war hero, referred to as “Brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name” (Act 1, Scene 2). However, by the end, his ambition and descent into tyranny lead Malcolm to label him “this dead butcher” (Act 5, Scene 9) and his transformation from noble warrior to ruthless killer is at the heart of the play.
Lady Macbeth is initially presented as strong, persuasive and determined, urging Macbeth to follow through with their murderous plan and calling on the spirits to “unsex me here” (Act 1, Scene 5). As the play progresses, guilt consumes her and she descends into madness, famously crying “Out, damned spot!” (Act 5, Scene 1) as she attempts to wash imagined blood from her hands.
Banquo serves as a foil to Macbeth as he is noble, wise and cautious of the witches’ intentions. Though promised that his descendants will be kings, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Act 1, Scene 3), his decision not to act on the prophecy reflects his moral integrity.
The Witches' statement, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, Scene 1) encapsulates the theme of appearance versus reality and introduces the idea that nothing in the play is as it seems. Their cryptic prophecies encourage Macbeth's ambition and set the tragic events of the play in motion.
Macduff is deeply affected by the murder of his family and becomes a symbol of justice and loyalty, ultimately leading the fight against Macbeth. In contrast to Macbeth's cold detachment, Macduff's statement that, "I must also feel it as a man," (Act 4, Scene 3) demonstrates that, for him, masculinity includes emotional honesty and grief.
Revision Tip: Use some "Macbeth" flashcards with the name of the character on one side and, on the other, a key quote and some brief analysis.
You can buy some ready made flashcards for "Macbeth" (and the other GCSE English Literature texts) from Amazon and many other retailers, view them online at the Save My Exams website or make your own!
How to Memorise Quotes
Record Quotes and Listen to Them Repeatedly
Recording and listening to quotes can be useful when you want to revise but are doing other things, such as brushing your teeth, sitting on a bus or
waiting in a queue.
Create Acronyms.
This sounds strange but can be very effective.
Fair Is Foul & Foul Is Fair
FIFFIF will remind you of, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," and help you support your points about the themes of appearance vs reality and the supernatural.
Vaulting Ambition Which O’erleaps Itself & Falls on th'Other
VAWOIFO will help you remember, “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other" to demonstrate that Macbeth openly admits he is solely motivated by ambition and that this is likely to lead to his downfall.
Visualise Quotes
If you're good at art, why not create some images to help you remember key events, such as Lady Macbeth scrubbing her hands.
Revision Tip: Try to learn at least five quotes per theme and character.
How to Structure Your Macbeth Essay
Using a clear, consistent essay structure will help you stay focused, meet the exam criteria and present a thoughtful, high-level response.
Here’s how to approach each section of your essay:
Introduction
Begin by answering the question directly. Show the examiner from the outset that you understand what you’re being asked.
Make sure to reference the extract provided in the question and explain how it connects to the rest of the play.
Briefly mention any relevant context - such as beliefs about kingship, the supernatural or gender roles in Shakespeare’s time - that helps to deepen your argument.
Main Body
Start each paragraph with a clear, focused point that answers the question. This helps to keep your writing analytical and relevant.
Support your point with well chosen quotations from the extract or other parts of the play. Identify a literary technique used in the quote (such as metaphor, irony, repetition or imagery) and explain why Shakespeare might have used it.
Discuss the impact this has on the audience, both in Shakespeare’s time and today. Think about how the language makes the audience feel or what ideas it makes them consider.
Link your analysis back to the wider play and to the themes the question focuses on (e.g. ambition, guilt, power, or fate). This shows you understand the text as a whole.
Conclusion
Finish by restating your overall argument in a concise way.
Summarise how Shakespeare presents the character, theme or idea throughout the play.
End with a comment on Shakespeare’s intentions. What message or warning might he be giving the audience?
Revision Tip: Regularly practise timed essays because they will help you to identify any gaps in your knowledge and get used to writing for long periods which, in time, will boost your confidence.
How to Tackle The Question on Exam Day
Spend a few minutes planning - you need to organise the content and structure of your essay.
Underline keywords. This will help you to stay focused on the question.
Keep linking back to Shakespeare’s themes, ideas or message.
Leave time to re-read your work and correct any spelling or punctuation errors.
Unsure How to Start Your Macbeth Revision?
Why not check out my "Revise Macbeth in 30 Days" Revision Plan."
Inside, you'll find 30 quick and simple tasks, each designed to help you revise the main plot points, characters, themes and context of this classic play... in less than 30 minutes each.
Revising Macbeth doesn’t have to be intimidating.
With clear strategies, effective revision techniques and consistent practice, you’ll be ready for the exam in no time.
Good luck - you've got this!
The EHS Blog
If you found this guide helpful, you might like my other blog posts on AQA GCSE English Language and Literature.
AQA GCSE English Literature
AQA GCSE English Language: Paper 1
AQA GCSE English Language: Paper 2
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