ADAPTED VERSION · dyslexia and neurodiverse students · B1
Macbeth: Witches, Murder and Guilt (adapted)
Read aloud any box with its button. Use one step at a time if a page feels long.
Key question: Why does Macbeth kill to become king, and what happens to him after?
The play: Macbeth by William Shakespeare, written around 1606. Three witches, a crown, murders, a ghost and a lot of guilt.
Method: every session starts with a painting. We read real Shakespeare lines with a glossary.
Final task (choose one, 150 words): Macbeth's defence in front of a court, or a short essay: "Who is guilty?"
Watch the film at home
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), directed by Joel Coen, with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, in black and white. Where to watch: JustWatch France.
- Macbeth (2015), directed by Justin Kurzel, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Where to watch: JustWatch France.
- DVD: ask at your local library or médiathèque.
- Scenes to watch: the witches on the heath (Act I), the dagger and the murder of Duncan (Act II), the banquet and Banquo's ghost (Act III), the sleepwalking scene (Act V).
Watch with English subtitles if you can. The films contain violence.
Sessions
Session 1: The world of MacbethWhy were people afraid of witches in Shakespeare's time?Session 2: Act I: the prophecy
What do the witches promise, and how does Lady Macbeth react?Session 3: Act II: the dagger
What does Macbeth see before the murder?Session 4: Acts III and IV: the ghost
Why does Macbeth see a ghost?Session 5: Act V: guilt and the end
How do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth end?Session 6: Witches and ghosts for Halloween
Why do witches and ghosts still frighten us?Final task: a short speech or a short essay