1. Essay Plan Key Scene/Turning Point
“Macbeth”
Essay Plan
Key Scene/Turning Point

2. SQA External Report
Successful candidates continued to pay attention to the structure of their essays, striving to shape them relevantly to the key parts of the question.
Candidates who took a broad view of the text as a whole and did not get bogged down in constant “analysis” performed well; such candidates were often able to contextualise their comments by effectively narrating key details of selected events.

3. Answers to questions in this section should refer to the text and to such relevant features as : characterisation, key scene, structure, climax, theme, plot, conflict, setting…
Choose a play which has an important scene at a turning point in the play. Give a brief account of the scene and go on to show why it is important in the play as a whole.

4. characterisation, key scene, structure, climax, theme, plot, conflict, setting…
Characterisation of Macbeth
Theme of the destructive nature of ambition when unchecked by a sense of morality.

5. Choose a play which has an important scene at a turning point in the play.
There are several scenes that you could argue are a turning point – Here are two examples that have been done well in the past:
Act 2 Sc1 – “Is this a dagger I see before me…
Act 4 Sc 1 – Macbeth’s second meeting with the witches which lead him to believe he is invincible.

6. However, we will choose…
…Act 3 Sc 4
The “Banquet” Scene.

7. Activity 1
Work with a partner to discuss and write down all the reasons that you think this is an important scene and a turning point in the play.

8. From this scene we can see:
Macbeth can no longer escape the consequences of his actions – (guilt/mental torment)
Their actions can no longer be successfully covered up (The relationship/partnership is disintegrating)
As a result of seeing Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth’s insecurity/paranoia becomes so intolerable that he is compelled to seek out the witches which essentially seals his fate.
Macbeth realises that there is no way back for him and he can only continue with bloody deeds – leading to gratuitous violence and his final view of life.

9. Give a brief account of the scene
you must know the scene very well and be able to quote from it.
Work with your partner to choose 2 or 3 key quotations from the scene that illustrate what happens in the scene.

10. go on to show why it is important in the play as a whole.
It is essential that you provide evidence from the rest of the text – before and after the scene.
Work with a partner to select evidence that leads up to Macbeth’s mental state in the scene:
Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 1 Sc7
Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 Sc1

11. As this is a turning point question it is obviously of paramount importance to demonstrate the consequences of the scene.
Activity - 4 groups – each looking for at least two quotations to support one of the points below.
Macbeth can no longer escape the consequences of his actions – (guilt/mental torment)
Their actions can no longer be successfully covered up (The relationship/partnership is disintegrating)
As a result of seeing Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth’s insecurity/paranoia becomes so intolerable that he is compelled to seek out the witches which essentially seals his fate.
Macbeth realises that there is no way back for him and he can only continue with bloody deeds – leading to gratuitous violence and his final view of life.

12. Remember
There are several ways to answer a question like this and to apply your knowledge of the play.
You must be careful to do this in a way that answers the question.
For a key scene question like this it is crucial to show both a sound knowledge of the scene and its importance to the themes, ideas and characters of the play as a whole by referring to events before and after the scene
Do not simply learn one essay or question type as you will be very unhappy if there is not such a question and this is a possibility.