Introduction Macbeth family tartan

Macbeth is the story of a Scottish nobleman, related to King Duncan of Scotland, who is tempted into murdering the king to gain the crown for himself.  He is aided by his wife, both of whom are honored and respected members of the aristocracy.  He is one of the greatest defenders of his nation -- and is willing to sacrifice such honor up for absolute domininion -- even giving up eternal life.  He sells his soul to gain the world, and loses all. 

Shakespeare based his play on an actual Scottish king, Macbeth of Moray, who ruled Scotland from 1040 - 1057 , and by all accounts was a just and honorable ruler.  While there exists some common ground between the historical and the dramatic, there are far more points of contrast to examine. The following quest will allow students to explore many of the facets of the historical and dramatic Macbeth, and share their findings with classmates in a variety of innovative and creative ways.
 
 

Students will be divided into eight possible research teams. Each team will be researching some aspect of either the historical Macbeth's life or of Shakespeare's play.  Research sources will include links to research sites and classroom resources/ books.NOTE: not all topics will have a corresponding Internet link for them; some topics are text-based! Each team will present/ teach their findings to the class and provide presentation notes either as handouts or on the blackboard. Students may use video, live dramatization, artwork, audio, slides, powerpoint, etc. to present the material they have learned. Students must provide a bibliography of works cited composed of both on-line and text resources.

• Team 1 will compare and contrast the background of the historical Macbeth with the portrayal in Shakespeare's play. 
• Team 2 will examine the use of the supernatural in Macbeth. Research areas will include the origin of the witch story from Holinshed's Chronicles, witchlore of the Celts, and views on witchcraft during the Renaissance. 
• Team 3 will examine the character of Macbeth as a Tragic hero/villian (psychological profile). 
• Team 4 will examine the character of Lady Macbeth, comparing and contrasting her with her historical counterpart, and analyzing her nature and relationship with Macbeth. 
• Team 5 will examine imagery and symbolism in Shakespeare's play, focusing on food and blood imagery (food and blood both vital symbols of life).  
• Team 6 will examine the symbolism/ importance of children within the play. 
• Team 7 will examine the legend of Macbeth as a cursed production. 
• Team 8 will examine Christian symbolism/ Biblical imagery within the play. 

    Links and Resources
 

 Historical Macbeth 1
 Historical Macbeth 2
 Psych Profile
 Macbeth and the Witches
 Witchlore in Shakespeare's Time
 Ms Borden's Brit Lit Page
Nature of Evil
Biblical Imagery in Macbeth
Duncan vs Macbeth/ Light & Dark
The Macbeth Page
Shakespeare Hotlist
 Macbeth: The Curse
 The Curse of the Scottish Play
 Macbeth: All Purpose Site
Macbeth: Behind the Scenes

    Macduff family tartan

Texts: 

Prentice Hall Literature -- The British Tradition. 
      Prentice Hall, Englewood, NJ: 1994 
Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. Harold Bloom. 
      Riverhead Books, NY: 1998 
Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism.
      Ed. Leonard F. Dean.  Oxford University Press, 
      NY: 1967 
Macbeth:  A Biography.  Peter Berresford Ellis. 
      Barnes and Noble Books, NY: 1980 
The Women's Part: Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. 
      Ed. Carolyn Ruth Swift Lenz, Gayle Greene, & 
      Carol Thomas Neely.  University of Illinois Press, 
      Chicago: 1983 
Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Anthology of Modern Criticism. 
       Ed. Laurence Lerner. Penguin Books, Middlesex, England: 1986 
Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare's Macbeth.  Gary Wills. 
        Oxford University Press, NY: 1995 
Macbeth: Man and Myth. Nick Aitchison. 
     Sutton Publishing Limited, Gloucestershire, England: 1999 
Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being.
     Ted Hughes. Farrar Straus Giroux, NY: 1992 
Shakespearean Tragedy.  John Drakakis. 
     Longman, Inc., NY: 1992 
All of Shakespeare.  Maurice Charney. 
     Columbia University Press, NY: 1993 
Essays on Shakespeare.  William Empson. 
     University of Cambridge Press, NY: 1992 
Macbeth.  William Shakespeare. Penguin Books, 
     Signet Classic Edition, NY:1987 
Readings on Macbeth. Ed. Clarice Swisher.
     Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, CA: 1999
Shakespearean Tragedy.  A.C. Bradley.
     Penguin Books, NY: 1991
Shakespeare's Late Tragedies: A Collection of Critical Essays.
     Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle
     River, NJ:  1996
Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
     Ed. Harold Bloom.  Chelsea House Publishers, NY: 1987

Scenes from a few MacbethQuest Projects
 Project Interpretations
 
 
 
 
 
 

Each team will receive a collective grade based upon the following criteria. If for some reason a problem develops within a group (where it is perceived that a group member has not done his/her share of the work), please notify me well before the date of your presentation so I may make the appropriate adjustment.

As a result of this webquest activity, students should have acquired a variety of skills.  They should be more familiar and comfortable with doing research on the Internet and from books of literary criticism, with working together in a collaborative effort, with evaluating research materials, and with presenting their findings to their peers in a clear and organized fashion. 

See section Links and Resources.
To e-mail comments:   dborden@newbedford.k12.ma.us