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Are you a man?

– Lady Macbeth, Act III Scene 4

Starter Activity

What does being ‘a man’ mean to you?
Ask the question to a partner. ‘Are you a man?’. Ask it really trying to a) belittle b) galvanise c) desperately appeal to your partner. How does it feel to receive it?
Pick one person to walk around the room as themselves. It can be a student of any gender. Now ask that person to add a ‘male’ way of moving to their walk. You can get the class to offer ideas if the person in the spotlight is struggling.When you have at least three characteristics, play around with: How might their voice sound – tone, pitch, speed?Where is their eye contact – up, down, directly at eye line? If you saw this person walking along the street, would you automatically assume they were male? Why?How might Macbeth be presenting physically in the Banquet scene to make Lady Macbeth challenge him with this question?

In Elizabethan times, society was patriarchal. What does that mean? How might that affect Macbeth’s response to Lady Macbeth’s accusatory question?

Marginalised Power

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