out, damned theme!

It's Halloween week, which means we should be doing scary stuff. No, Shakespeare isn't scary - but his play Macbeth certainly is chilling! For this "Be Curious" module, we'll be exploring Macbeth in all its glory. Why did Shakespeare write this play? What might he be saying about power and greed? Is this a play worth paying attention to today?

Module summary:

• introduce: watch short video to introduce context of Macbeth
• expose: discuss context, plot, and characters
• practice: watch Macbeth
• create: participate in a Socratic seminar about the play and its themes
• reflect: conference with Christine about the play and discussion

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essential questions

• Why is familiarity with Shakespeare's plays important still today?
• How do themes add depth to a story?

goals

• Students will understand that, although written over 400 years ago, Shakespeare's plays are still relevant because of their story structure and themes, and that references are made to them in many angles of modern society.
• Students will understand that themes add depth to a story by making the deeper meanings relevant in a wide variety of settings.

activities

INTRODUCE

• Watch "Why should you read Macbeth?" video
• Review syllabus and expectations for the week

EXPOSE

• Discuss historical and plot contexts of Macbeth
  
  • Start constructing a plot arc
    
• Review main characters in the play
  • Create a character map

PRACTICE

• Watch Macbeth (the 2010 version with Patrick Stewart - available on Amazon Prime)
  • Take notes on themes, plot, and characters
  • Read along with Shakespeare's original text, if it's helpful (some lines and scenes are abridged, but the movie is pretty faithful to the original script)
• Discuss movie as you go
  • How are themes developing?
  • What is happening in the plot? How do individual characters influence the events?

CREATE

• Participate in Socratic Seminar-style discussion about Macbeth
  • Reference theme, character, and plot notes to back up your ideas

REFLECT

• Conference with Christine about the play and the discussion. Thoughts on Macbeth now that you're an expert?

c-tachs

Reading

• Cite strong textual evidence to support analysis of explicit and implicit meaning of text
• Analyze author’s stylistic choices regarding structure and development of the elements of a story, particularly theme

Speaking and Listening

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions

resources

Macbeth syllabus
[plot, theme, and character notes will start with a blank piece of paper]