AQA English paper 1 (19th century lit)

Macbeth

A tragedy by William Shakespeare about ambition

Setting of Macbeth

Medieval Scotland

Main theme of Macbeth

Ambition and its corrupting power

Macbeth character

A brave soldier whose ambition leads to his downfall

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth’s wife who manipulates him into murder

King Duncan

The good and rightful king of Scotland murdered by Macbeth

Banquo

Macbeth’s friend and a noble soldier who is later murdered by Macbeth

Fleance

Banquo’s son prophesied to be king

The Witches

Three supernatural beings who give Macbeth his prophecy

Macduff

A nobleman who kills Macbeth and restores order

Malcolm

Duncan’s son and rightful heir to the throne

Prophecy

Prediction made by the witches that drives Macbeth’s ambition

Ambition

The desire for power and success leading to moral corruption

Guilt

A recurring emotion shown through hallucinations and paranoia

Fate vs Free will

The tension between destiny and personal choice

Violence

A theme exploring physical and political brutality

Kingship

The difference between good and bad rulers

Supernatural

The witches and visions that influence Macbeth’s actions

Appearance vs Reality

Things are not always what they seem

Gender

Expectations of masculinity and femininity challenged by characters

“Fair is foul

and foul is fair”

“Unsex me here”

Lady Macbeth’s plea to remove her femininity and gain cruelty

“I have no spur but only vaulting ambition”

Macbeth admitting ambition drives him

“Out

damned spot!”

“Is this a dagger which I see before me?”

Macbeth hallucinating before Duncan’s murder

“Macbeth does murder sleep”

Symbol of guilt and conscience

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”

Symbol of guilt and remorse

“Out

out brief candle!”

“Look like th’ innocent flower

but be the serpent under’t”

“None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”

A misleading prophecy by the witches

“Beware Macduff”

The witches’ warning that foreshadows Macbeth’s death

Birnam Wood prophecy

Forest moving to Dunsinane represents the army’s camouflage

Tragic hero

A noble character with a fatal flaw leading to downfall

Hamartia

The tragic flaw—Macbeth’s ambition

Catharsis

Emotional cleansing for the audience at the end of tragedy

Loyalty and betrayal

Central conflict between noble duty and personal desire

Sleep

Symbol for peace and innocence destroyed by guilt

Blood imagery

Represents guilt

Darkness and light imagery

Symbolizes evil and morality

The role of women

Lady Macbeth’s ambition contrasts Elizabethan gender norms

Pathetic fallacy

Weather reflects mood and events

Witches’ symbolism

Represent temptation and chaos

Macbeth’s transformation

From valiant warrior to paranoid tyrant

Moral message

Ambition without restraint leads to destruction

Context of Macbeth

Written for James I who was interested in witchcraft and loyalty

Gunpowder Plot link

Play warns against treason and regicide

Divine Right of Kings

Belief that monarchs were chosen by God

Jacobean beliefs

Superstition

Structure of Macbeth

Five acts following Macbeth’s rise and fall

Foreshadowing

Hints at future events like Macbeth’s downfall

Irony

The witches’ prophecies deceive Macbeth

Symbolism of the crown

Represents power and corruption

Tragic ending

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both destroyed by ambition

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

A novella by Robert Louis Stevenson exploring duality and repression

Setting of Jekyll and Hyde

Victorian London

Main theme of Jekyll and Hyde

Duality of human nature

Dr Henry Jekyll

A respected scientist who creates a potion to separate his good and evil sides

Mr Edward Hyde

Jekyll’s evil alter ego who commits violent acts

Gabriel Utterson

Lawyer and narrator who investigates Jekyll’s secret

Dr Lanyon

Jekyll’s former friend who witnesses the transformation and dies of shock

Poole

Jekyll’s loyal servant who helps Utterson uncover the truth

Duality

The idea that every human has both good and evil sides

Repression

The suppression of immoral desires in Victorian society

Science vs Religion

Conflict between scientific progress and moral limits

Good vs Evil

Central theme shown through Jekyll and Hyde’s split identity

Identity

Exploration of hidden self and societal reputation

Addiction

Jekyll’s dependence on his potion to become Hyde

Isolation

Jekyll’s withdrawal from society as he loses control

Violence

Hyde’s brutal acts reflecting unleashed evil

Fear

Psychological horror through secrecy and transformation

Curiosity

Utterson’s investigation driving the narrative

Secrecy

Characters hide truths to protect reputation

Victorian morality

Strict moral codes hiding inner corruption

“Man is not truly one

but truly two”

“I concealed my pleasures”

Jekyll admitting repression of desires

“I felt younger

lighter

“With ape-like fury”

Hyde’s violent and animalistic description

“If he be Mr Hyde

I shall be Mr Seek”

“Fog rolled over the city”

Symbol of secrecy and confusion

“The moment I choose

I can be rid of Mr Hyde”

“I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end”

Jekyll’s suicide note

“Something troglodytic”

Hyde described as primitive and inhuman

Jekyll’s house

Symbol of his dual nature—respectable front

The door

Symbol of secrecy and barriers between good and evil

Potion

Symbol of temptation and loss of control

Handwriting similarity

Clue that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person

Lanyon’s narrative

Confirms the shocking truth of transformation

Structure of Jekyll and Hyde

Nonlinear

Narrative perspective

Utterson’s limited view builds mystery

Foreshadowing in Jekyll and Hyde

Strange clues and behaviors hint at the truth

Setting symbolism

London reflects divided human nature

Science and experimentation

Jekyll’s ambition mirrors human curiosity and danger

Gothic elements

Horror

Transformation scene

Physical symbol of moral corruption

Moral message

Warning against hypocrisy and suppression of desires

Context of Jekyll and Hyde

Reflects Victorian anxieties about science and morality

Darwin’s influence

Fear that humans were close to animals in nature

Freudian theory link

Id

Industrial revolution context

Rapid change creating moral uncertainty

Religious undertones

Sin and punishment for overstepping moral boundaries