Macbeth
Writing Task

Directions:
Choose one of the following prompts and respond to it in essay format.
Essays should include at least three direct quotations from the play.
You will be graded based on the 5-point rubric.

Option 1:
Lady Macbeth kept her emotions at bay, and often told Macbeth that he should not dwell on what they had done. However, bottling up her emotions causes her to crack in the end. Do some research into the importance of expressing your feelings, and use it as a means to evaluate Lady Macbeth and her actions throughout the play. You must include a minimum of three direct quotations from the play. Please see below for information on how to embed and cite lines.

Option 2:
Macbeth is a classic model of a bullying victim who turns into a bully himself. Do some research into the causes of bullying and discuss using specific examples from the play. You must include a minimum of three direct quotations from the play. Please see below for information on how to embed and cite lines.

Option 3:
All around us are examples of politicians and advertisers who use language to deceive us. Discuss how Macbeth was deceived with language and suggest what we can learn from the study of the play. You must include a minimum of three direct quotations from the play. Please see below for information on how to embed and cite lines.

Option 4:
In the play, Shakespeare explores what it means to be an honorable man. He presents several different options in Macbeth, Banquo, and Macduff. In your essay, discuss what you believe Shakespeare is saying about “manhood” and then present your own view on what it means to be an honorable person today. You must include a minimum of three direct quotations from the play. Please see below for information on how to embed and cite lines.


*Note: How to embed and cite lines from the play:

Examples:

In an aside, he ponders the idea of killing his king to make the prophecy come true, a thought so evil it makes his “seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (I iii, 146).

Macbeth knew Banquo had a “royalty of nature” and “a wisdom that doth guide his valour/To act in safety”(III i, 57-58). Because of this, Banquo posed a huge threat to the insecure king and he had to die.