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Analyzing Character Development in Macbeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Study notes of English Literature

Guidance on writing about character development in Macbeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It includes examples of how to structure your answer, key vocabulary, and analysis of characters such as Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Banquo, Jekyll, Hyde, Sheila, and Eric.

What you will learn

  • How does Stevenson present Hyde as a frightening outsider in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
  • How does Priestley present the theme of responsibility in An Inspector Calls?
  • How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in Macbeth?
  • How does Priestley present Sheila in An Inspector Calls?
  • How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a tragic hero in Macbeth?

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English Literature Academic Writing Guide
Produced by Ms Szpakowska
Art work by Megan Kelly
and Hannah Phelan.
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Download Analyzing Character Development in Macbeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and more Study notes English Literature in PDF only on Docsity!

English Literature Academic Writing Guide

Produced by Ms Szpakowska

Art work by Megan Kelly

and Hannah Phelan.

Contents page

  1. Plays and novel—writing an introduction (pages 3-4).
  2. Plays and novel—how to structure your answer (pages 5-
  3. Plays and novel—key vocabulary (pages 7-12).
  4. Plays and novel—writing the main body of your essay (pages 13-15).
  5. Plays and novel—writing an interesting conclusion (page
  6. Poetry—writing an introduction (page 17)
  7. Poetry—how to structure your answer (page 18 & 19)
  8. Poetry—writing an interesting conclusion (page 20)
  9. Poetry—key vocabulary (pages 21-22)

Exercise 1

Model answers

1) How does Priestley present the change in Sheila, in An Inspector Calls?

In An Inspector Calls, Sheila is the daughter of a wealthy upper middle class family. At the be-

ginning of the play, she is presented as immature and spoilt. However, as the play progresses,

she is shown to accept responsibility for her actions and is a character that, unlike the older

generation, advocates change. Priestley has presented her in this way to suggest hope for the

younger generation, implying that they may be the ones who can adopt socialist ideas and

affect social change.

2) How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a tragic hero in Macbeth?

Macbeth is the lead character in Shakespeare’s play. He is depicted as a brave and loyal sol-

dier at the beginning. However, he is a tragic hero and, as a result of his ambition, he de-

scends into evil and ultimately dies as a result of his actions. By depicting him in this way,

Shakespeare provides his audience with a clear warning; he is suggesting that those who

meddle with hierarchical structures will ultimately meet a tragic end.

3) How does Stevenson present Hyde as a frightening outsider in The Strange Case of Dr

Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Mr Hyde is the alter- ego of the respectable Dr Jekyll. He is presented as a ruthless and cal-

lous character who behaves in an outrageous and unnecessarily violent way throughout the

novel. By presenting Hyde in this way, Stevenson suggests to his reader that all humans, even

the most respectable gentlemen, have an evil side.

4) How does Priestley present the theme of responsibility, in An Inspector Calls?

Responsibility is the main theme of Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. Priestley shows the idea of

responsibility to be of the utmost importance and suggests that everyone ought to be re-

sponsible for each other. Priestley, an advocate for socialism and social equality, uses his play

as a vehicle to espouse his ideas and encourage a post-war audience to embrace the notion

of social responsibility.

Plays and novel—writing an introduction

Structuring your answer

Knowing what order to write your ideas in can sometimes be difficult. For Macbeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , you will be given an extract. However, you do not have to begin with this extract. Look at the example below to see this illustrated for you. This extract is from chapter 7. Therefore, I will include it later in my answer. The question says ‘starting with this extract’ but it doesn’t mean you have to start your essay with this extract. To answer a question like this, I would need to consider all of the places in the novel I could use. This question is about secrecy and the unknown. Therefore, these are the places I might use.

  • Chapter 1 —description of the house ‘had neither bell nor knocker’
  • Chapter 3 —Jekyll’s refusal to discuss the will and his reaction
  • Chapter 6 —Lanyon’s mysterious ill health and mysterious death
  • Chapter 10 —Jekyll reveals his motivations for his actions. The use of non-chronological structure of the novel means the entire thing is mysterious. If I structure my answer by working my way through the novel chronologically, I automatically give my essay a struc- ture. Read the model answer on the following page so that you can see this in action.

Exercise two: structuring your essays Look at the example plan for the previous essay. Then, using the 2 essay questions below, create your own plans. Example plan Intro—unknown runs throughout novel. Typical of gothic horror. Novel in non-chronological order. Para 1 —Chapter 1 description of house. Para 2 —Chapter 3 —Jekyll’s will Para 3 —use extract Chapter 7 Para 4 —Chapters 9&10 and how this reveals secrets but left not knowing what will happen to Utterson. Conclusion—the effects on the reader overall. Practice question 1 Practice question 2 How does Priestley present Eric in An Inspector Calls?

Key vocabulary

Macbeth

Not only do you need to express yourself clearly, you also need to use vocabulary in a precise

way to ensure you are communicating your ideas correctly. Below, you will find a list of key

vocabulary for each character for the plays and novel you are studying.

You can also find useful words and sentence stems to use in a literature essay on page 13.

Macbeth Loyal - At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown to be loyal to the crown and to Scotland. Courageous - Shakespeare depicts Macbeth to be a courageous soldier. Honourable - Macbeth is shown to be an honourable character who is duty-bound to King Duncan. Anxious - When Lady Macbeth reveals her plan to Macbeth, he is initially anxious about the consequences. Uncertain - In Act 2 Scene1, Macbeth is clearly uncertain about his feelings. Fearful - Once they have killed the king, it is evident that Macbeth is fearful. Traumatised - Macbeth behaves in such a way that presents him as traumatised, following the murder of King Duncan. Ruthless - As the play progresses, Macbeth’s actions become increasingly ruthless. Ambitious - Whilst earlier in the play he was shown to be inferior to Lady Macbeth’s determination, by Act 3, Macbeth is shown to be equally ambitious. Unwavering - By the end of the play, Macbeth’s dialogue conveys his unwavering determination to remain king. Lady Macbeth Controlling - Lady Macbeth is a controlling character who coerces her husband to do her bidding. Ambitious - She is presented as an ambitious character who is driven by the desire to accumulate more power. Manipulative - Lady Macbeth is manipulative; she toys with Macbeth’s emotions to force him to do as she wants. Calculating - In this extract from Act 1 Scene 5, it is clear that Lady Macbeth already has plans for the ‘fatal entrance’ of Duncan and therefore we view her as a calculating individual. Domineering - Whilst a Jacobean audience would’ve expected to see a male to take charge of his wife, Lady Macbeth is instead the domineering spouse. Decisive - Whilst Macbeth seems uncertain, Lady Macbeth is decisive in her actions. Duplicitous - Lady Macbeth’s duplicitous nature is revealed in Act 1 Scene 6 when she warmly welcomes Duncan into her home, despite her plan to kill him. Unwavering - Even though Macbeth has doubts about their plot, Lady Macbeth’s resolve to commit regicide is unwaver- ing. Fragile - Though she was shown to be power-hungry at the beginning of the play, by the end she is depicted as a fragile character. Unstable - Lady Macbeth is depicted as sleep-walking and hallucinating. This suggests to the audience that her mind is unstable.

Jekyll Respectable - Jekyll is a well-respected doctor and friend. Mysterious - Even from Jekyll’s first appearance in the novel, his behaviour is depicted as mysterious. Intelligent - Jekyll’s innovative experiments show him to be an intelligent doctor. Erratic - As the novel progresses, Jekyll’s behaviour becomes more erratic. At one moment he is happy to socialise and the next he has locked himself up in his own house. Alienated - In chapters 6 and 7, Jekyll is shown to have alienated himself from his friends and associates. Determined - Despite the troubles he faces, Jekyll remains determined to experience life as Hyde.

Key vocabulary: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Hyde Ruthless - Hyde is completely ruthless when enacting violence upon others. Unperturbed - He appears entirely unperturbed by his violent acts. Vicious– Stevenson conveys Hyde as a vicious character who revels in the aggression he displays. Cruel - Hyde’s actions are senseless and cruel. Violent - In both chapter 1 and chapter 4, Hyde is shown to behave in an unnecessarily violent way. Ferocious - Hyde’s actions are shown to be ferocious. Animalistic - When Stevenson compares Hyde to an ape, he suggests that Hyde is animalistic. Utterson Respectable - Utterson is a respectable lawyer who is ‘austere’ with himself. Loyal - Utterson is described a man who will remain loyal even when his friends experience trouble. Concerned - When Utterson raises the issue of the will with Jekyll, he appears concerned by its contents. Calm - Despite Poole’s protestations that Jekyll has been killed, Utterson remains calm. Cautious - Utterson is clearly cautious of Jekyll’s associations with Hyde. Rational- Utterson approaches his search for Mr Hyde in a methodical and rational manner. Persistent - Despite Jekyll’s request for Utterson to leave the issue alone, Utterson remains persistent in discovering the truth about Hyde. Lanyon Rational - While Stevenson shows that Jekyll is concerned with ‘transcendental’ science, Lanyon is shown to be a rational scientist. Outspoken - Lanyon is outspoken on the issue of what he calls Jekyll’s ‘unscientific balderdash’. Energetic - In chapter 2, Lanyon is shown to be energetic as he leaps up from his chair to greet Utterson. Enthusiastic- He is an enthusiastic character who welcomed Utterson with ‘both hands’. Theatrical - In chapter 2, Stevenson describes Lanyon as a theatrical character. Mysterious - However, in chapter 6, there has been a monumental change in Lanyon’s manner and appearance. This sud- den change is unexplained and is very mysterious.

Birling Self-interested - Birling’s concern for his business’ union with the Crofts shows that he is, at heart, uninterested in Sheila’s engagement and is self-interested instead. Self-obsessed– Priestley shows Birling to be self-obsessed at the beginning of the play. Pompous - Birling’s lecture to the young men, at the beginning of the play, presents him as a pompous individual. Stubborn- Birling’s unwillingness to accept anything the Inspector says shows him to be stubborn. Naïve- Priestley cleverly employs dramatic irony to present Mr Birling as naïve. Outspoken - Despite being exposed as a selfish character, Birling continues to be outspoken for the entirety of the play. Materialistic - When Birling offers Gerald the port that supposedly Gerald’s father also has, he is shown to be materialis- tic. Arrogant - Birling is certain of his views. However, the audience are aware that they are untrue and therefore we view Birling as arrogant.

Key vocabulary: An Inspector Calls

Mrs Birling Condescending - At the beginning of the play, Mrs Birling is shown to be condescending towards both her husband and her children. Snobbish - Mrs Birling has a snobbish attitude towards the working class. Uncaring - Despite the gravity of the situation, Mrs Birling appears uncaring. Cold- Mrs Birling’s response to the news that Eva has died depicts her as a cold character. Ignorant- Mrs Birling’s obliviousness to her son’s drinking problem demonstrates that she is ignorant to what goes on around her. Arrogant - Much like Mr Birling, Mrs Birling is presented as an arrogant character, unwilling to accept any responsibility. Sheila Childish - At the beginning of the play, Sheila is shown bickering in a childish manner with her brother. Materialistic - Sheila’s great concern for the ring Gerald has chosen for her shows that she is materialistic at the beginning of the play. Assertive - Despite being childish at the beginning of the play, by the end Sheila is shown to be assertive in expressing her views at the end. Insightful - Sheila appears to be an insightful character and warns her mother to be truthful. Intelligent - While her parents’ unwillingness to accept responsibility shows them to be arrogant, Sheila’s willingness and eagerness to learn from her mistakes, shows her to be an intelligent character. Mature- While her parents appear most concerned by their public image, at the end of the play, Sheila has clearly ma- tured a great deal and is willing to accept responsibility.

Writing the main body of your essay

When you read a model answer, I’m sure many of you wonder what it is that that person has done to make it so effective. You can see it’s good. But, why is it so good? Below, you will find a list of tips and tricks to help you make your writing sound more sophisticated. Model answer During this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth contemplates her husband’s character and considers him ‘too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness’. Shakespeare’s choice of met- aphor here not only emphasises Lady Macbeth’s desire for her husband to be more cruel, it also highlights the concept that femininity or female qualities were considered a sign of weakness. Tip number 2 : embedding subject terminology. You can see that above, the word soliloquy has been used. This is a subject specific term used when discussing plays. Are you familiar with all of the following? soliloquy dramatic irony stage directions foreshadowing iambic pentameter blank verse prose Tip number 3 : embedding quotations. In the above answer, you can see the quotation has been embedded into a sentence. This means you do not copy the entire line of the quotation out. Nor, do you say something like “This is proved by the quote”. Tip number 1 : using sequence markers. Some students find it really difficult to get started on their answer. Using a sequence marker shows the examiner that you can locate where we are in the text. Try using the following sequence markers in your writing. during initially at the beginning before after eventually subsequently at that point when

Writing the main body of your essay (continued)

Model answer During this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth contemplates her husband’s character and considers him ‘too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness’. Shakespeare’s choice of met- aphor here not only emphasises Lady Macbeth’s desire for her husband to be more cruel, it also highlights the concept that femininity or female qualities were considered a sign of weakness. Tip number 4 : showing an understanding of writer and reader. It’s really important to remember that these texts have been constructed by an au- thor. Therefore, we should show an awareness that the writer has made deliberate de- cisions. We should also show an awareness that the reader/audience has a response to this. You can use the following verbs The author The text The reader Writes Implies Infers States Shows Understands Depicts Suggests Knows Describes Indicates Interprets Portrays Reflects Gleans Conveys Symbolises Realises Highlights Reveals Anticipates

Plays and prose: Writing an interesting conclusion

Writing an effective and interesting conclusion is an important skill when writing an aca- demic essay. This will be particularly important as you move up into further and higher education. Often, students just summarise what they’ve already said in the main body of their es- say. This does serve as a conclusion. However, to make it an effective and interesting conclusion, you need to outline what conclusions you have come to as a result of writing your essay. Model conclusion Stevenson not only uses his plot but he also uses the structure of his novel to include mystery and the idea of the unknown throughout. He successfully employs these techniques to make the novel suspenseful. In doing so, the reader is left feeling uncertain and uncomfortable which will have inevitably have been Steven- son’s intention in creating a gothic horror novel intended for mass consumption. Look at the model answer below. This has been taken from the essay answer on page 6. How to write an effective conclusion

  • Summarise what the author has done.
  • Summarise the effect is has on the reader.
  • Summarise why this has been done. Model conclusion Priestley shows an enormous change in Sheila, over the course of the play. By conveying Sheila’s transfor- mation from immature and superficial to mature and responsible, the audience become much more sympa- thetic towards this character. In eliciting this response from his audience, Priestley espouses the idea that the youth are the hope for the future. Here are two more examples. Using the success criteria above (bullet points), identify where the model answers hit these expectations. Model conclusion Stevenson has shown Hyde to be a disturbing and destructive character throughout the novel. By ending his novel with Jekyll’s despair and ultimate suicide, he indicates to a reader the horror Hyde has inflicted on everyone, even Jekyll himself. By conveying the character of Hyde in this way, the reader is left feeling fear- ful of the evil Stevenson is suggesting is inside all of us.

Poetry : Writing an introduction

Why is an introduction important?

Poetry is a little different to questions about prose and drama because the question asks you to

complete a comparison of two poems. Nevertheless, the introduction still maintains its function

in hitting assessment objectives A01 and A03.

Model answer

In both ‘Storm on the Island’ and ‘Exposure’, the poets show us the vast power of the natural

world. In Heaney’s poem, he illustrates the dangers of living in a rural island off the coast of

Ireland whilst Wilfred Owen shows us how the weather posed a real threat to soldiers during

the First World War.

The model answer above hits assessment objective one. It achieves this by stating why the two poems have been chosen and how they fit the essay question. It also hits A01 when it compares the two poems. The model answer hits assessment objective three when it outlines the writer’s ideas/intentions or the historical context in which it was written. You can see how this has also been achieved in the model answers below.

Model answer

Both ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘War Photographer’ show us the impact conflict can have an individual

and what can be lost through their experiences with conflict. In ‘Kamikaze’, the poet depicts the

loss experienced by a Japanese fighter pilot unable to complete his Kamikaze mission; his fami-

ly and friends no longer speak to him. On the other hand, in ‘War Photographer’, the poet pre-

sents the loss experienced by those directly affected by conflict and also the loss experienced

by the war photographer as he grapples to understand where he fits in.

Model answer

Both ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ depict violent battles. ‘Charge of the

Light Brigade’ outlines the disastrous consequences of a mistake made by a commander during

the Crimean War. Despite this, it serves as a celebration of the soldiers’ endurance of such vio-

lent conditions. In contrast to this, Hughes focuses on the impact of battle on a single soldier,

‘going over the top’ in World War I.

Activity: you could try writing an introduction for these possible questions.
1) How is nature presented in ‘The Prelude’ and one other poem of your choice?
2) How are the effects of conflict presented in ‘Poppies’ and one other poem of your choice?
3) How is human power presented in ‘Tissue’ and one other poem of your choice?

How do poets present the effects of conflict in Remains and one other poem of your choice? Unlike traditional war poetry which either depicts the glory of war or the bleak battlefield, Poppies and Remains both deal with modern concerns regarding warfare. In Remains, Armitage depicts the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. While, in Poppies, Weir gives a voice to a mother impacted by her son’s departure for war. In both poems, the poets explore the impact on the individual as a result of conflict. However, in Remains, we get an insight into the violence of war. For example, the speaker recalls shooting a looter, describing the bullet as it ‘rips through his life’ and that he sees ‘broad daylight on the other side’ of the looter’s body. These graphic images not only portray the horrendous sights seen in war, they also illustrate the clarity with which the soldier remembers the incident. For example, Armitage’s use of the violent verb ‘rips’ shows just how quickly and viciously the man’s life was ended but it also shows that this vivid memory has remained with the soldier who shot him. Weir, on the other hand, demonstrates the impact on those who are left behind when their family members go to war. The speaker says she ‘resisted the impulse to run my fingers through the gelled blackthorns of your hair’ and that she longed to ‘play at being Eskimos like we did when you were little’. The speaker clearly wishes that she could treat her grown up son the way she did when he was a child, suggesting to a reader that she wishes she could protect him. Nevertheless, the speaker remains ‘brave’ but ‘threw’ the front door open as her son leaves. Weir suggests that family members feel that they must appear strong for those leaving but the use of the verb ‘threw’ shows us that the speaker has feelings of pent up anger and frustration. A clear similarity between the two poems is that both poets demonstrate the emotional impact con- flict can have on an individual. Armitage demonstrates that the trauma soldiers suffer can leave them with mental health problems. For example, the speaker says that the looter is ‘here in my head’ and that the ‘drink and the drugs won’t flush him out’. Armitage’s use of metaphors illus- trates the significant and damaging impact on soldiers, and suggests that some may have to resort to substance abuse to cope with the memories of war. In Poppies, however, Weir indicates that once her son has left for war, the speaker is left in an emotionally fragile state. She goes to his bedroom where she ‘released a song bird from its cage’. This metaphor implies that the pent up anger she had previously felt is now able to come out as she mourns her son’s departure. She also leaves the house without ‘reinforcements of scarf, gloves’. Not only does this imply that the mother is in such a state that she no longer cares enough to equip herself against the cold weather, the fact that she has no ‘reinforcements’ suggests that she has been left feeling vulnerable. Both poems end with a feeling of sadness and loss, suggesting both speakers will never return to normal life. In Remains, the poet ends with the line ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’. The repeti- tion of ‘bloody’ is interesting as it indicates the guilt the soldier feels he has been stained with. It is also interesting to note that Armitage chooses to end the poem with a couplet as opposed to the four line stanzas of the rest of the poem. Until now, the poet has used the poem to depict the events of the shooting or the impact on the soldier. The final two lines, however, summarise the feeling of guilt that the soldier has to live with. Poppies ends with an equally unhappy tone. The speaker says ‘I listened, hoping to hear your playground voice, catching on the wind’. The poet once more returns to the mother’s desire to re- vert back to the years when her son was small and she was able to protect him. Weir leaves the ending of her poem relatively ambiguous as we are uncertain as to why the mother is ‘hoping’ to hear his voice. We are not sure if she simply misses him or whether he has died at war. This end- ing, much like the ending of Remains, indicates that this conflict has left this mother with a strong feeling of loss she will have to live with. Ultimately, both poets explore the impacts on individuals and shows us the lasting impacts conflict can have, even when those individuals are not on the battlefield. Weir highlights the emotional impact on family members left behind whilst Armitage shows us the long-lasting impacts on sol- diers mental wellbeing. Rather than celebrating the exploits of war, both poets ask their reader to consider the devastating consequences beyond the battlefield. Introduction outlines argument. See page Main body of essay follows the structure which is laid out on page 18 Conclusion acts as a summary and con- cludes main findings from essay.

Poetry: Writing an interesting conclusion

Model conclusion

Ultimately, both poets explore the impacts on individuals and shows us the lasting impacts conflict

can have, even when those individuals are not on the battlefield. Weir highlights the emotional im-

pact on family members left behind whilst Armitage shows us the long-lasting impacts on soldiers’

mental wellbeing. Rather than celebrating the exploits of war, both poets ask their reader to con-

sider the devastating consequences beyond the battlefield.

Remember, just like when you practised writing conclusions for plays and prose, you need to show

the examiner that you’re drawing conclusions rather than simply repeating what you’ve already said.

See the model answer below to see what conclusions are drawn here.

Top tips for writing an interesting conclusion:

1) Summarise what the poems have in common, relating to the question.

2) Summarise in one sentence what poem 1 suggests.

3) Summarise in one sentence what poem 2 suggests.

4) Write one sentence which draws your final conclusion.

Model conclusion

Both ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Tissue’ present human power as a temporary construction. Shelley uses

the physical deterioration of the statue as a symbol for the transient nature of human power.

Dharker also highlights the temporary nature of human power by emphasising that human con-

structs can be destroyed. Whilst literature has been used in the past to commemorate human

power, these two poets ask their reader to reconsider its essence and strength.

Model conclusion

Both ‘Storm on the Island’ and ‘Exposure’ show us the potent strength of nature. Whilst Storm on

the Island highlights the weathers’ power in comparison to insignificance oh humans. Exposure, on

the other hand, arguably establishes a more unsettling tone, depicting the harsh consequences of

the brutal forces of nature. Overall, both poems depict nature prevailing over man.