The extract was about Banquo, and contained some or all of this:
Macbeth. Bring them before us.
[Exit Attendant]
To be thus is nothing;
But to be safely thus.—Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares;
And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none but he
Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Caesar. He chid the sisters
When first they put the name of king upon me,
And bade them speak to him: then prophet-like
They hail'd him father to a line of kings:
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If 't be so,
For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind;
For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Rather than so, come fate into the list.
And champion me to the utterance! Who's there![Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]
Now go to the door, and stay there till we call.[Exit Attendant]
Was it not yesterday we spoke together?First Murderer. It was, so please your highness.
Matilda’s Answer
(Thank you Matilda for your brilliant generosity)
Throughout the play, Shakespeare constructs Macbeth‘s fears to be a consequence of his spiritual malpractice and interactions with the witches and their blasphemous regime.
Initially, Shakespeare presents Macbeth to be too in touch with morality, having a physical reaction to the thought of regicide: the most heinous crime in the Jacobean era. Macbeth describes how his “heart pounds against my ribs“ at the thought of murdering “good“ King Duncan. This physical reaction accentuates how great his fears of evil are, and could arguably foreshadow his later descent into both physical and mental decline.
(1) At this stage, the examiner has decided that there is enough evidence for Level 4 AO3. The context is slipped in like an embedded quotation, linked to an interpretation of Shakespeare’s point of view. At this stage it demonstrates ‘clear understanding’ because it is the first reference – as they continue to be embedded, they will go up the levels.
The idea that Macbeth‘s fears of regicide are so great is furthered when he claims to “not have the spur to prick the sides of my intent“. The harsh, active verb “prick“ connotes images of violence and aggression, alluding to the idea that Macbeth is still “too full of the milk of human kindness” to pursue his “vaulting ambition”.
I suspect that Matilda has revised these quotations because she knows that they will be relevant to every single essay title. That’s a good trick! Steal them.
It is evident that Macbeth‘s fears and anxieties are all encompassing, despite the amount of “ambition” he acquires. Shakespeare could have initially constructed the character of Macbeth to foreshadow the climax of his later “bloody“ atrocities and tumultuous downfall, perpetuating the idea that those that attempt to contradict the divine right of kings and attempt to usurp their way into power will be punished.
(2) This analysis of ‘vaulting ambition’ has a lot of depth. The examiner has awarded it Level 5 AO2 because it is ‘thoughtful and developed’. Matilda doesn’t need more quality to get into Level 6 to be convincing, she just needs more examples in the essay. Then Level 6 will come.
However, following his murder of King Duncan, the audience start to see Macbeth‘s moral decline into madness, as his greatest fears and anxieties engulf him. Macbeth‘s suspicions and perhaps jealousies of Banquo are high following the “weird sisters’” prophecies and he worries that his most prized possession, his throne, is in jeopardy. Macbeth therefore states “our fears in Banquo stick deep“, displaying the extent of his worries at losing the crown.
The notion of Macbeth being so sceptical of his previous good friend accentuates his moral decline as he plots to murder both Banquo and his son. The plosive sounds of “stick deep“ conjure images of violence and perhaps the anguish Macbeth feels at the thought of his lineage which won’t continue due to his “fruitless crown“. The phrase “fruitless crown“ could be interpreted as the absence of children. The Macbeths have failed to have children and that the fear that Macbeth’s lineage will not be long lasting causes his aggression.
(3) Another in depth analysis of ‘stick deep’ and ‘fruitless crown’ is also very detailed. The examiner has also awarded this Level 5 AO2. You only need one to gain Level 5, so we can infer that the examiner is simply keeping count – they have an unspoken total for Matilda to reach before they find the analysis ‘convincing’.
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