One of the most difficult challenges a playwright faces is conveying a character's inner thoughts or motivation to the audience. One dramatic device which addresses this problem is called a soliloquy, an uninterrupted speech delivered by a single character to the audience but not to the other characters in the scene. A soliloquy can be quite poetic and elegant in structure, as in many of Shakespeare's plays, but it is meant to be an intimate communication of a character's innermost thoughts delivered as if he or she were thinking aloud.2. Assign parts and have students re-enact Act 1 Scene 7. Recursively, go over Macbeth's soliloquy. What are his arguments against killing the king? What are the arguments for? What is his decision? Remind students that regicide would be the worst crime possible.
3. Talk about what happens when Lady Macbeth comes in. How does she change Macbeth's mind? What arguments does she use? What is their final plan? What does Macbeth say about his wife?
4. This is Macbeth
5. If there is time, show students the clip of this scene from Folger or PBS.
To read: Macbeth 1.7
Assignments Given: Word Trace due at the end of Act III, Macbeth Portfolio due at the end of the unit; keep everything!
Argument Paper Due Dates
