English Literature Macbeth Essay (GCSE AQA)

Can someone give me a rough mark out of 34 or a band to put my answer in for this question:
Starting with this conversation, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a
male character who changes during the play.
Write about:
• how Shakespeare presents Macbeth in this conversation
• how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes in the play
as a whole
I had a massive plan but I ended up just taking the first paragraph of my plan and turning it into my whole essay. I first got a grade 5 in the november mocks then a grade 7 in february mocks (idek how). I just want to get a grade 8 so can you also give me some feedback
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes drastically through the play, particularly as his bravery seems to diminish as he was an honoured soldier but chose to go down the path of sin and temptation by murdering the king and therefore leading to his eternal damnation. Perhaps Shakespeare creates this character arc of Macbeth’s deterioration to explore the dangers of going against God by succumbing to the Devil and plotting to commit the cardinal sin of regicide.
Macbeth is presented as a character who changes from a valiant warrior to one that’s afraid. Initially, we are introduced to the protagonist through other characters’ opinions of him. In Act 1 Scene 3, the Captain describes Macbeth’s violence in the battle against the rebels and recalls how Macbeth had killed the traitorous Thane of Cawdor as he “unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps”. This shows how Macbeth was skilled and brutal as a warrior. Shakespeare uses the dynamic verb “unseam’d” as it has connotations of clothing which requires little effort to tear. This highlights Macbeth’s experience as a soldier as he can kill with ease, hinting at his power to commit the cardinal sin of regicide. Also, the imagery of someone being slain from the “nave” to the “chaps” showcases how merciless Macbeth can be as he can completely butcher and annihilate a body.
In contrast, after committing regicide and killing King Duncan, Macbeth is scared as he asks if “all Neptune’s ocean will wash this blood clean from my hands?” This shows how Macbeth is already guilt-ridden as he is a savage warrior who cannot handle the sight of blood on his hands, perhaps portraying him as weak. This motif of “blood” repeatedly reminds Macbeth of his murderous sins, ultimately making him afraid. For example, he is frightened and petrified at the sight of Banquo with “gory locks”. This greatly contrasts Macbeth’s violence and bravery in the previous act. Shakespeare also uses a rhetorical question to create a tone of despair in Macbeth’s voice, making him seem hopeless. The reference to “Neptune” further emphasises Macbeth’s desperate mood as he even calls upon mythical Gods to help him out of his misery from the guilt of killing Duncan. However, Shakespeare could have referenced this heretical God to foreshadow how Macbeth gives his soul up to the Devil later on and becomes almost Nihilistic.
By the end of the play, Shakespeare gives Macbeth his courage back as he states in the extract, “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked”. This shows how Macbeth is able to recover from his despair and become brave again. The use of the future tense in “I’ll” portrays Macbeth’s determination in not giving up against Macduff in the battle, similar to how he didn’t give up in the battle with Macdonald. Moreover, the violent imagery in “hacked” is used to show Macbeth’s strength as it connotes cutting down wood, which is a laborious task, juxtaposing how Macdonald was “unseam’d” with ease. This could show how Macbeth is now more strong-willed and courageous than he was before. The Jacobean view of soldiers dying in battle was that these soldiers would die an honourable and chivalrous death. So, Shakespeare could be showing his audience that Macbeth is not actually noble or heroic like he was initially in the play, but that he only wanted to die in battle to make himself seem so. This can be supported by the fact that Macbeth feels the need to make himself praise-worthy, juxtaposing how he was commended by his captain in the first act.
However, Macbeth’s efforts are in vain as he ends up dying with his head on a spike for all to see. Macduff mentions how he it will say “here may you see the tyrant” under his dismembered head. This shows how Macbeth could not live up to the expectations he set of himself before as being valiant and skillfully combatant. The adjective “tyrant” is used to describe Macbeth, which has connotations of cruelty and portraying power in a boastful manner. This conveys Macbeth as emotionally weak to the audience as he feels the need to show off his power in order to feel he has control. Shakespeare shows that this is because people don’t want him in power due to him being a usurper and not the rightful king to the throne. The concept of the Divine Right of Kings states that God chose the king on earth to be His representative, so Macbeth going against this law was not only treason but blasphemy as he went against God’s will, ultimately damning him to hell and eternal punishment. This therefore portrays Macbeth as an insecure character who needed to exert his power on others in order to feel that he had control as king, which the Jacobeans believed he never would have due to him committing the cardinal sin of regicide. It could be that Shakespeare chooses to present Macbeth in this way to warn his audience against plotting to kill the king, as Guy Fawkes had done in 1603 with the Gunpowder plot.
In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a character who changes to a great extent throughout the play. In the beginning, other characters were able to praise his bravery and dedication to his king and country by killing a traitor, but Shakespeare does leave hints of this courage being too extreme and allowing him to have the skill to commit regicide. As the play progresses, we are able to see that Macbeth’s mental state of mind does not correspond with his previous valour as he is fearful and intimidated. Shakespeare also shows us how Macbeth feels the need to commend his own bravery, indicating that he is insecure and by the end of the play, it becomes clear that Macbeth could not live up to these honourable expectations as he cannot defend himself.

Can someone give me a rough mark out of 34 or a band to put my answer in for this question:
Starting with this conversation, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a
male character who changes during the play.
Write about:
• how Shakespeare presents Macbeth in this conversation
• how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes in the play
as a whole
I had a massive plan but I ended up just taking the first paragraph of my plan and turning it into my whole essay. I first got a grade 5 in the november mocks then a grade 7 in february mocks (idek how). I just want to get a grade 8 so can you also give me some feedback
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes drastically through the play, particularly as his bravery seems to diminish as he was an honoured soldier but chose to go down the path of sin and temptation by murdering the king and therefore leading to his eternal damnation. Perhaps Shakespeare creates this character arc of Macbeth’s deterioration to explore the dangers of going against God by succumbing to the Devil and plotting to commit the cardinal sin of regicide.
Macbeth is presented as a character who changes from a valiant warrior to one that’s afraid. Initially, we are introduced to the protagonist through other characters’ opinions of him. In Act 1 Scene 3, the Captain describes Macbeth’s violence in the battle against the rebels and recalls how Macbeth had killed the traitorous Thane of Cawdor as he “unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps”. This shows how Macbeth was skilled and brutal as a warrior. Shakespeare uses the dynamic verb “unseam’d” as it has connotations of clothing which requires little effort to tear. This highlights Macbeth’s experience as a soldier as he can kill with ease, hinting at his power to commit the cardinal sin of regicide. Also, the imagery of someone being slain from the “nave” to the “chaps” showcases how merciless Macbeth can be as he can completely butcher and annihilate a body.
In contrast, after committing regicide and killing King Duncan, Macbeth is scared as he asks if “all Neptune’s ocean will wash this blood clean from my hands?” This shows how Macbeth is already guilt-ridden as he is a savage warrior who cannot handle the sight of blood on his hands, perhaps portraying him as weak. This motif of “blood” repeatedly reminds Macbeth of his murderous sins, ultimately making him afraid. For example, he is frightened and petrified at the sight of Banquo with “gory locks”. This greatly contrasts Macbeth’s violence and bravery in the previous act. Shakespeare also uses a rhetorical question to create a tone of despair in Macbeth’s voice, making him seem hopeless. The reference to “Neptune” further emphasises Macbeth’s desperate mood as he even calls upon mythical Gods to help him out of his misery from the guilt of killing Duncan. However, Shakespeare could have referenced this heretical God to foreshadow how Macbeth gives his soul up to the Devil later on and becomes almost Nihilistic.
By the end of the play, Shakespeare gives Macbeth his courage back as he states in the extract, “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked”. This shows how Macbeth is able to recover from his despair and become brave again. The use of the future tense in “I’ll” portrays Macbeth’s determination in not giving up against Macduff in the battle, similar to how he didn’t give up in the battle with Macdonald. Moreover, the violent imagery in “hacked” is used to show Macbeth’s strength as it connotes cutting down wood, which is a laborious task, juxtaposing how Macdonald was “unseam’d” with ease. This could show how Macbeth is now more strong-willed and courageous than he was before. The Jacobean view of soldiers dying in battle was that these soldiers would die an honourable and chivalrous death. So, Shakespeare could be showing his audience that Macbeth is not actually noble or heroic like he was initially in the play, but that he only wanted to die in battle to make himself seem so. This can be supported by the fact that Macbeth feels the need to make himself praise-worthy, juxtaposing how he was commended by his captain in the first act.
However, Macbeth’s efforts are in vain as he ends up dying with his head on a spike for all to see. Macduff mentions how he it will say “here may you see the tyrant” under his dismembered head. This shows how Macbeth could not live up to the expectations he set of himself before as being valiant and skillfully combatant. The adjective “tyrant” is used to describe Macbeth, which has connotations of cruelty and portraying power in a boastful manner. This conveys Macbeth as emotionally weak to the audience as he feels the need to show off his power in order to feel he has control. Shakespeare shows that this is because people don’t want him in power due to him being a usurper and not the rightful king to the throne. The concept of the Divine Right of Kings states that God chose the king on earth to be His representative, so Macbeth going against this law was not only treason but blasphemy as he went against God’s will, ultimately damning him to hell and eternal punishment. This therefore portrays Macbeth as an insecure character who needed to exert his power on others in order to feel that he had control as king, which the Jacobeans believed he never would have due to him committing the cardinal sin of regicide. It could be that Shakespeare chooses to present Macbeth in this way to warn his audience against plotting to kill the king, as Guy Fawkes had done in 1603 with the Gunpowder plot.
In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a character who changes to a great extent throughout the play. In the beginning, other characters were able to praise his bravery and dedication to his king and country by killing a traitor, but Shakespeare does leave hints of this courage being too extreme and allowing him to have the skill to commit regicide. As the play progresses, we are able to see that Macbeth’s mental state of mind does not correspond with his previous valour as he is fearful and intimidated. Shakespeare also shows us how Macbeth feels the need to commend his own bravery, indicating that he is insecure and by the end of the play, it becomes clear that Macbeth could not live up to these honourable expectations as he cannot defend himself.

thank you soo much. do you have any tips to improve it?

I'm not sure what mark this would get but I can give a few tips.
Firstly, this is a great essay - your writing style is very good, you have interesting ideas, your analysis is detailed and relevant, and you use technical vocab well.
My main criticism for this essay is that you completely ignore half of the question. This is a great analysis of how Macbeth changes as a character throughout the play, however there is no mention (past the introduction) of how him being male ties into it. I feel like this could have easily been incorporated into your points to show how Macbeth is seemingly a stereotypical male hero who then feels emasculated by Lady Macbeth and breaks standards for male heroes by showing fear. It could also be a good opportunity to put in more context, although the context you included was good (the gunpowder plot was in 1605 though).
Also, a slight nitpick: cardinal sin is usually used to refer to the 7 deadly sins. Regicide is not one of those, but greed and envy are so you could reword that slightly to work, but I honestly don't think you're losing points for that.