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can somebody please give advice on how i can improve my english essay?

this is the first english essay i have attempted. im not very good at english, my strength is in stem subjects but i really want atleast a 7 in english. my english teacher has been off for the entire time we have been doing macbeth in class and we have had substitutes that have no idea what theyre doing teaching us. i really want to improve and i would really appreciate some detailed advice and general feedback.

Reply 1

where is the essay

Reply 2

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
where is the essay


im rlly new to this is there any way i can send it to you?

Reply 3

Original post
by maegan.
im rlly new to this is there any way i can send it to you?

You can just copy and paste it here 🙂

also you can use this playlist as a starting point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYT7EmPnpI&list=PLYKOwj6uOwGhEyWEUnBDFo2N3j2ncWw35&index=3 (If the link doesnt work - it is a macbeth playlist from the youtube channel "Glow up your grades") This was one of the most useful resources I have used to achieve a grade 9 in my english lit GCSE. It says the video is for AQA, but it can be used for ay exam board.
(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 4

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
You can just copy and paste it here 🙂
also you can use this playlist as a starting point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYT7EmPnpI&list=PLYKOwj6uOwGhEyWEUnBDFo2N3j2ncWw35&index=3 (If the link doesnt work - it is a macbeth playlist from the youtube channel "Glow up your grades") This was one of the most useful resources I have used to achieve a grade 9 in my english lit GCSE. It says the video is for AQA, but it can be used for ay exam board.


Here is the essay:



In Shakespeare’s eponymous play ‘Macbeth’, ambition and it’s corruptive nature is clearly evident through it’s characters, presenting itself as a powerful manipulative force that owns the ability to drive people towards their goals, yet also to extreme moral corruption and great downfall. Ambition marks as the hamartia for characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, mainly as a fatal flaw, and inevitably leads them to their deaths as their downfall. In particular, ambition is present in Act 1, Scene 5, where Lady Macbeth had just received Macbeth’s letter after he had just met the witches, alongside Act 2, Scene 1, where Macbeth Hallucinates the dagger.

In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth has just received a letter from Macbeth, informing her about his encounter with the three witches. In her soliloquy, she states, “Art not without ambition, but without illness should attend it” where she identifies that ambition is a trait that Macbeth possesses, however he does not have the cruel, sacrilegious mindset to act on it. Here, Shakespeare uses the noun “illness” as a metaphor for the moral corruption and evilness that Lady Macbeth believes is crucial to achieve their goal of ruling the country. By directly comparing ambition to an “illness”, Shakespeare suggests that ambition can cause extreme moral corruption. Like an “illness”, unchecked ambition has the potential to infect and negatively overcome someone. Shakespeare has written like this to warn the Jacobean audience of the destructiveness of the supernatural in corrupting morality. Lady Macbeth’s ambition derives from the witches’ prophecies.

Later on, in Act 2, Scene 1, Macbeth is near to committing regicide, a grave sin regarding the ‘Divine Dight of Kings’, and he hallucinates the dagger. In his soliloquy, he questions “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” which clearly reveals the intense psychological affect that his ambition has had on him. Here, Shakespeare uses symbolism through Macbeth’s hallucination of the dagger. It symbolises the mental effect of ambition as it begins to turn into paranoia leading up to Duncans murder. It symbolises the great extent of Macbeth’s ambition as it consumes his psychological self. Shakespeare has written like this in order to warn the Jacobean audience of the destructiveness of the supernatural in corrupting morality and to expose the risks of unchecked ambition. Macbeth’s ambition has derived from the witches’ prophecies and has corrupted his mind, causing hallucinations.

Overall, throughout the eponymous play ‘Macbeth’, ambition is shown as a powerful drive to one’s goals yet also to extreme moral corruption. Shakespeare has shown this through his characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as well as his methods used such as symbolism.

Reply 5

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
You can just copy and paste it here 🙂
also you can use this playlist as a starting point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYT7EmPnpI&list=PLYKOwj6uOwGhEyWEUnBDFo2N3j2ncWw35&index=3 (If the link doesnt work - it is a macbeth playlist from the youtube channel "Glow up your grades") This was one of the most useful resources I have used to achieve a grade 9 in my english lit GCSE. It says the video is for AQA, but it can be used for ay exam board.


thank you so much i will look at this. the post i added my essay in is currently being reviewed so sorry about that

Reply 6

Original post
by maegan.
thank you so much i will look at this. the post i added my essay in is currently being reviewed so sorry about that

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyi3grQq_PKnAj3NvO_jXMU9Ny_ken2VI_GDNnvKj9k/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a detailed advice I have made for you. Tell me if the link doesn't work. Good luck!

Reply 7

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyi3grQq_PKnAj3NvO_jXMU9Ny_ken2VI_GDNnvKj9k/edit?usp=sharing
Here is a detailed advice I have made for you. Tell me if the link doesn't work. Good luck!


thank you so so much i will look over this

Reply 8

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyi3grQq_PKnAj3NvO_jXMU9Ny_ken2VI_GDNnvKj9k/edit?usp=sharing
Here is a detailed advice I have made for you. Tell me if the link doesn't work. Good luck!


if you dont mind, can you also mark and give feedback to my friends essay? i can send it here too.

Reply 9

Original post
by maegan.
if you dont mind, can you also mark and give feedback to my friends essay? i can send it here too.

yea sure!

Reply 10

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
yea sure!


Here is her essay:

Clearly, in this extract and the play as a whole, Shakespeare presents ambition as a driving force behind Macbeth and other character’s actions. Macbeth’s hamartia is his vaulting ambition, brought out by Lady Macbeth aswell as the witches’ prophecies, as seen in this extract.

In the extract, it is show by Lady Macbeth’s description of Macbeth how she has corrupted his, once thought loyal, ambition to be used for evil and sacrilegious acts. She uses the words ‘art not without ambition’ which presents Macbeth as a person without ambition, but not knowing when to aspire to something; she corrupts his mind for her own gain of becoming Queen and guides him on how to kill Duncan. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as, in some way, more ambitious than Macbeth - showcasing her as a manipulative character behind most of Macbeth’s decisions. Shakespeare may have intended to highlight the dangers of subverting the natural order here, as it would have been extremely shocking for an audience in the Jacobean Era to see a woman speak of her husband in the manner Lady Macbeth does, in which presenting her as an important role in Macbeth’s change of ambition and duty.

In the eponymous play as a whole, ambition is the hamartia of Macbeth that develops from being something congratulated by King Duncan-to something leading to tyranny in Scotland and regicide. In the start of the play, Macbeth is shown to have ‘vaulting ambition’ after his help in the battle between Scotland and Norway, seen as a loyal and brave warrior for King Duncan and his country. But, this soon changes after hearing from the witches. Shakespeare has clearly done this to warn of the destructiveness of the supernatural in corrupting someone’s morality as Macbeth is a good character who makes bad decisions based on temptation. This would have been done to also solidify King James 1’s position in the throne as he is known for believing in witches and the supernatural.

Aswell in this extract, Lady Macbeth mocks Macbeth’s ambition by using words like ‘great’ and ‘valour’ in comparison with being ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’, implying that Macbeth is too kind; too weak to kill Duncan. ‘Human kindness’ refers to Macbeth’s morality he was born with and how exterior motives have developed that good characteristic into something more sinister, destroying Scotland. Shakespeare did this to highlight the dangers of subverting the natural order, by Lady Macbeth subverting her role in society as a woman in the Jacobean Era, she is therefore being sacrilegious to the tiers put in place by God-going against God’s laws and knowingly manipulating Macbeth’s originally moral trait.

To conclude, Shakespeare presents ambition in a way that will appeal to Jacobean audiences and King James 1. Suggesting that Macbeth is a character who is morally good but his downfall was caused by lack of resilience to persuasion by others in which making him more relatable and realistic to the people watching. Therefore, making them think about their role in sustaining the Great Chain of Being and the Natural Order put in place by God.

Reply 11

Original post
by maegan.
Here is her essay:
Clearly, in this extract and the play as a whole, Shakespeare presents ambition as a driving force behind Macbeth and other character’s actions. Macbeth’s hamartia is his vaulting ambition, brought out by Lady Macbeth aswell as the witches’ prophecies, as seen in this extract.
In the extract, it is show by Lady Macbeth’s description of Macbeth how she has corrupted his, once thought loyal, ambition to be used for evil and sacrilegious acts. She uses the words ‘art not without ambition’ which presents Macbeth as a person without ambition, but not knowing when to aspire to something; she corrupts his mind for her own gain of becoming Queen and guides him on how to kill Duncan. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as, in some way, more ambitious than Macbeth - showcasing her as a manipulative character behind most of Macbeth’s decisions. Shakespeare may have intended to highlight the dangers of subverting the natural order here, as it would have been extremely shocking for an audience in the Jacobean Era to see a woman speak of her husband in the manner Lady Macbeth does, in which presenting her as an important role in Macbeth’s change of ambition and duty.
In the eponymous play as a whole, ambition is the hamartia of Macbeth that develops from being something congratulated by King Duncan-to something leading to tyranny in Scotland and regicide. In the start of the play, Macbeth is shown to have ‘vaulting ambition’ after his help in the battle between Scotland and Norway, seen as a loyal and brave warrior for King Duncan and his country. But, this soon changes after hearing from the witches. Shakespeare has clearly done this to warn of the destructiveness of the supernatural in corrupting someone’s morality as Macbeth is a good character who makes bad decisions based on temptation. This would have been done to also solidify King James 1’s position in the throne as he is known for believing in witches and the supernatural.
Aswell in this extract, Lady Macbeth mocks Macbeth’s ambition by using words like ‘great’ and ‘valour’ in comparison with being ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’, implying that Macbeth is too kind; too weak to kill Duncan. ‘Human kindness’ refers to Macbeth’s morality he was born with and how exterior motives have developed that good characteristic into something more sinister, destroying Scotland. Shakespeare did this to highlight the dangers of subverting the natural order, by Lady Macbeth subverting her role in society as a woman in the Jacobean Era, she is therefore being sacrilegious to the tiers put in place by God-going against God’s laws and knowingly manipulating Macbeth’s originally moral trait.
To conclude, Shakespeare presents ambition in a way that will appeal to Jacobean audiences and King James 1. Suggesting that Macbeth is a character who is morally good but his downfall was caused by lack of resilience to persuasion by others in which making him more relatable and realistic to the people watching. Therefore, making them think about their role in sustaining the Great Chain of Being and the Natural Order put in place by God.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyi3grQq_PKnAj3NvO_jXMU9Ny_ken2VI_GDNnvKj9k/edit?usp=sharing

The feedback is below yours. Tell her to read your essay and the feedback I have given you too, as I didn't wanted to repeat myself in some areas. Tell her to read the "general advice" and "next steps" section. But great job both of you, you are in good position. You also read her essay and the suggestions I have given for her. Basically, learn from each other's mistakes. 🙂

Reply 12

Original post
by idkwhatXD_lol
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyi3grQq_PKnAj3NvO_jXMU9Ny_ken2VI_GDNnvKj9k/edit?usp=sharing
The feedback is below yours. Tell her to read your essay and the feedback I have given you too, as I didn't wanted to repeat myself in some areas. Tell her to read the "general advice" and "next steps" section. But great job both of you, you are in good position. You also read her essay and the suggestions I have given for her. Basically, learn from each other's mistakes. 🙂


alright thank you so much for your help we really appreciate it! we will go over this and listen to your advice

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