Shakespeare: Macbeth Worksheet - KS3 - Beginner

Shakespeare: Macbeth worksheet for KS3 (Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)). Beginner level english practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

English•Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)•Shakespeare: Macbethbeginner

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Macbeth: Ambition, Power and the Supernatural

Key Stage 3 English | Ages 11–14 | Beginner

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Instructions: Read each extract and question carefully. Use the play’s details as evidence, and try the sentence starters to help explain your ideas. Write in clear sentences; there is no need to write a full essay.

Put the Key Scenes in Order

The events below are out of order. Number them from 1 to 5 to show when they happen in the play. Use the answer boxes for your sequence numbers.

A. Macbeth is crowned King of Scotland.

B. Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches on the heath.

C. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth welcome King Duncan to Inverness.

D. Macbeth kills Duncan while he is a guest in the castle.

E. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes king.

Who Is Who?

Match each character to the correct description by drawing a line between them. Each description is used once. The right-hand descriptions are deliberately mixed up.

Draw a line to match each one

Macbeth

Macbeth’s friend, who hears the witches’ prophecy

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth’s wife, who urges him to seize the crown

Banquo

A Scottish nobleman who discovers Duncan’s murder

Macduff

King of Scotland at the beginning of the play

Duncan

Duncan’s son and the rightful king at the end of the play

Themes in the Play

Choose the theme that best completes each statement. Use each word-bank term once. The first answer is modelled: the witches’ predictions make the supernatural important. Write one theme in each box.

Word bank: ambition, kingship, the supernatural, guilt, appearance versus reality

Example: The witches’ prophecies introduce ___ into the play.

1. Macbeth’s desire to become king, even at a terrible cost, shows his ___.

2. Duncan’s murder leaves Macbeth and Lady Macbeth troubled by ___.

3. Duncan’s murder is hidden beneath a welcoming appearance, showing ___.

4. Duncan’s rule and Malcolm’s claim to the throne raise questions about good ___.

Read the Language Closely

Read the original short extract, inspired by Macbeth’s language. For each question, use a word or phrase from the extract where possible. Explain your thinking in a short sentence.

Original practice extract:

The crown shone before Macbeth like a distant star. Yet each step towards it darkened the hall; his welcome words concealed a restless heart. “Can a crown bring peace,” he wondered, “if I must walk through blood to reach it?” The candles trembled, and every shadow seemed to whisper his name.

1. Which simile presents the crown as something Macbeth longs for?

2. Find one contrast in the extract between what Macbeth shows and what he feels.

3. What mood is created by the candles and whispering shadows? Give one detail as evidence.

4. What does the image of walking “through blood” suggest about the cost of Macbeth’s ambition?

Character and Evidence

Use the quotation bank to choose a quotation that best supports each statement. Copy the short quotation into the box, then add a brief explanation of what it suggests. The quotations are from Macbeth.

Quotation bank:

“Stars, hide your fires”

“Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t”

“Is this a dagger which I see before me”

“Out, damned spot!”

1. Macbeth wants to hide his dark intentions. Quotation: It suggests:

2. Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to disguise his true nature. Quotation: It suggests:

3. Macbeth’s mind is unsettled before Duncan’s murder. Quotation: It suggests:

4. Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed by guilt. Quotation: It suggests:

Build a Short Analytical Paragraph

Write one short paragraph of about 4–5 sentences. Begin with the sentence starter, include one quotation from the bank, and explain how the quotation presents Lady Macbeth. You may finish by linking her words to the theme of ambition.

Question: How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth as determined to gain power? [4 marks]

Quotation bank: “unsex me here”; “take my milk for gall”; “look like th’ innocent flower”

Sentence starter: Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as determined because ___. The words “___” suggest ___. This makes the audience think ___.

Write your paragraph:

Answer Key

Activity 1: A = 4 ; B = 1 ; C = 2 ; D = 3 ; E = 5

Activity 2: Macbeth — King of Scotland at the beginning of the play ; Lady Macbeth — Macbeth’s wife, who urges him to seize the crown ; Banquo — Macbeth’s friend, who hears the witches’ prophecy ; Macduff — A Scottish nobleman who discovers Duncan’s murder ; Duncan — Duncan’s son and the rightful king at the end of the play

Activity 3: Example: the supernatural ; 1. ambition ; 2. guilt ; 3. appearance versus reality ; 4. kingship

Activity 4: 1. “like a distant star” ; 2. His “welcome words” conceal a “restless heart” ; 3. An uneasy or threatening mood; “every shadow seemed to whisper his name” or “The candles trembled” ; 4. His ambition will involve violence, suffering and moral harm.

Activity 5: 1. “Stars, hide your fires” — he wants darkness to conceal his wishes ; 2. “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” — she tells him to appear harmless while hiding danger ; 3. “Is this a dagger which I see before me” — he is disturbed and uncertain before the murder ; 4. “Out, damned spot!” — she is haunted by guilt about the bloodshed.

Activity 6: Answers will vary. A suitable response explains that Lady Macbeth is determined to gain power, uses a relevant quotation accurately, and explains what its language suggests. For example: Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as determined because she asks the spirits to “unsex me here”. This suggests that she wants to reject qualities she associates with weakness so she can pursue power. Her forceful request makes her seem ambitious and resolute.