This lesson contains 13 slides, with interactive quizzes, text slides and 3 videos.
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Lesson 2: ambition
Slide 1 - Slide
Lesson topics
How does Shakespeare use the problem of ambition in his plays?
- MacBeth: good and evil, choices in life
- Julius Caesar: when a bad deed is for the good
Slide 2 - Slide
Define ‘Ambition’. What does ambition look like?
Slide 3 - Mind map
What are your ambitions?
Slide 4 - Mind map
Listen to the song on the next slide
You can read along with the lyrics in the handout
What is the song about?
In which sentences have you found this?
Slide 5 - Slide
Slide 6 - Video
Back to Shakespeare...
Read act 1 scene 7 in your handout
What is going on?
What do you think of the choice MacBeth has to make?
What would you do?
Theme: how far do you go before you 'lose yourself?'
Slide 7 - Slide
What is MacBeth about?
Watch the video. Tip: write along to get a summary of the plot
Describe the following characters in your own words: MacBeth, Lady MacBeth, Duncan, Banquo
Each has ambitions. Do they have the power to make their ambition happen? Are they good or bad?
(you can use the character sheet in the handouts to help you)
Slide 8 - Slide
Slide 9 - Video
Types of ambition
Let's look a bit closer at what we just discussed
Read the two other fragments on your handout (act 1 scene 3 and 5)
what happened?
how does MacBeth’s ambition develop?
how do you feel about this?
act1 scene 5
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN1BfA5YwSM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN1BfA5YwSM</a><div>a discussion and performance</div>
Witches prophecy
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vumgtbMObAA&t=24s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vumgtbMObAA&t=24s</a><div>the bit that goes before the speech in your handout</div>
Slide 10 - Slide
Slide 11 - Video
Compare: Julius Caesar
In Julius Caesar we find another man who wants to be king: Brutus. He, too, has long monologues as to why he should or shouldn’t kill Caesar. Read the speech in the handout
What are his motives?
Are his motives better or worse than MacBeth’s?
Why?
Slide 12 - Slide
Discussion: types of ambition
How do these plays describe ambition? Use these four questions
Is chasing your ambition always good?
And where do you stop?
If Macbeth believed he was fated to have the crown, can he be credited (or blamed) with ambition in trying to gain it?
