TWM offers the following worksheets to keep students’ minds on the movie and direct them to the lessons that can be learned from the film.
Teachers can modify the worksheets to fit the needs of each class. See also TWM’s Movies as Literature Homework Project .
This play is Shakespeare’s tragedy of the rise and fall of two people corrupted by power and ambition.
Selected Awards:
1980 British Academy Awards Nominations: Best Actress (Judi Dench); Best Television Cameraman; Best Television Lighting.
Featured Actors:
Ian McKellen as Macbeth; Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth; John Bown as Lennox; Susan Dury as 3rd Witch and Lady Macduff; Judith Harte as 2nd Witch and Gentlewoman; Greg Hicks as Donalbain and Seyton; David Howey as Sergeant and 1st Murderer / Doctor; Griffith Jones as Duncan; Marie Kean as 1st Witch; Ian McDiarmid as The Porter and Ross; Bob Peck as Macduff; Duncan Preston as Angus; Roger Rees as Malcolm; Zak Taylor as Fleance and Messenger; and Stephen Warner as Young Macduff.
Director:
Showing a film version of the play, either before or after reading the text, will enhance students’ understanding of both the art and the content of Macbeth.
None for “A Performance of Macbeth”. The 1971 version directed by Roman Polanski contains gratuitous violence and is rated R by the MPAA.
Should your child be reading Macbeth in a class in which the teacher does not intend to show a film production of the play, take the time to watch the film with him or her. It will not interfere with the assigned reading and will help your child access what is very often difficult language and imagery.
USING “A PERFORMANCE OF MACBETH”
IN THE CLASSROOM
Prefatory Note: Teachers who assign Shakespeare’s plays have a myriad of intentions, methods, and assignments with which they work. Some are focused on drama, some on historical perspectives and some on the aesthetic qualities of Shakespeare’s contribution to the literary canon. This Guide helps teachers enhance student empathy with the characters and understanding of the play’s thematic topics. It is suggested that teachers looking to supplement classes on Shakespeare’s style and thematic structure review “ Looking for Richard “, Al Pacino’s study of how he and his fellow actors created a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
The first step in helping students understand the interplay of the characters in Macbeth is to sensitize students to some of the nuances of acting. To start this process, use TWM’s Snippet Lesson Plan entitled Introduction to Acting in Shakespearean Plays using “Stage Beauty” .
Sometimes Shakespeare is difficult for young people because of vocabulary. The following words are important in understanding Macbeth but are also helpful in developing the word recognition needed to access college-level reading. Students should be asked to define these words prior to seeing the film and to note when they occur in the dialogue. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in “A Performance of Macbeth”. Teachers should use whichever style has served their students best in teaching vocabulary.
brandishl rapt; chastise; impede; recompense; repose; pirate; palpable; surfeit; consort; verity; sundry; jocund; blanch; malevolence; abjure; pernicious; sear; judicious; redress; perturbation; upbraid; tarry; clamorous; abhor; and prowess
As in the brief skits suggested in TWM’s Introduction to Acting in Shakespearean Plays using “Stage Beauty” , character and interaction is everything in Macbeth. Before watching the movie, tell students to look carefully at the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The themes in the play are derived almost entirely from these two characters and the interplay between them. Tell students to pay special attention to what happens and what is said when the two interact without others on the stage and when they recite their monologues.
Before showing the film, also point out that the physical movements and facial expressions of the actors are essential elements of Shakespearian plays. Have students note how the actors communicate feeling, even to the raising of an eyebrow. At appropriate points in the performance, turn the sound off and replay favorite monologues or scenes. Ask the class what is communicated through facial expression and body language, rather than through the words being spoken. In “A Performance of Macbeth”, the acting of McKellen and Dench, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, are so strong that students will easily identify the feelings being communicated. The faces and body movement of the three witches help emphasize this point, as does the fine performance of the actor playing The Porter.
As the film is played, take a five-minute break every fifteen minutes or so to allow students to make brief notes on lines or incidents that illustrate any of the thematic topics of the play.
Once the film has been seen and notes taken, students will be able to compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in terms of each of the above categories and they will be able to comment on the craft of acting in communicating the ideas presented by the play. The treatment of sleep is a good example. Macbeth says he has murdered sleep and it is clear that his guilt and self doubt make it impossible for him to get a good night’s sleep. Lady Macbeth is seen sleep-walking, a more aggressive and active symptom of the same sleeplessness that Macbeth faces. Students may determine that Macbeth is the more passive player in the quest for power that begins with the murder of Duncan and that Lady Macbeth works harder to bring the events about, thus the different styles of sleep disorder. The acting, during each bit of dialogue and monologue dealing with sleep convincingly, shows the fatigue and strain associated with sleeplessness.
Students can be divided into groups of three or four to share their notes and help one another with suggestions and details. After about 15 to 30 minutes of group work, select students from each group to share with the class any of the attitudes, values or characteristics that they feel are important in understanding Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The interchange between students should prepare them for the following discussions and assignments.
