If you were looking to teach Shakespeare’s Macbeth to your class and wanted help matching the traditional text with the diverse learning needs of your students, you could use Classical Comics’ graphic novel alongside the playscript. Graphic novels are great for sparking engagement, supporting comprehension, and helping students analyse key themes and characters in a more accessible way.
For our Macbeth graphic novel there are 3 text versions to choose from (Original Text, Plain Text and Quick Text) all using the same artwork - just the text in the speech balloons differs allowing different versions of the book to be used in the same classroom.
Here’s how you could structure your lesson plan around the graphic novel:
1. Introduction to Macbeth: Setting the Stage
Objective: Provide context for the play, its themes, and its characters.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Preview the Visuals: Begin by showing the class the front cover and a few pages of Macbeth: The Graphic Novel, asking students what they can infer about the plot and characters based on the art style and illustrations. This sparks curiosity and activates prior knowledge.
• Contextual Overview: Give a brief introduction to Macbeth as a tragic hero, Shakespeare’s use of supernatural elements, the setting of Scotland, and the themes of ambition, power, and guilt.
Class Activity:
• Use the graphic novel to show the opening scenes, including Macbeth’s encounter with the witches and Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of her husband. Highlight the visual language used in the graphic novel—how the artists depict dark, foreboding imagery and the character designs (e.g., Macbeth’s conflicted expression).
2. Visualising Act 1 – The Rise of Macbeth
Objective: Explore the beginning of Macbeth’s journey, his inner conflict, and the theme of ambition.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Read Act 1: Begin by reading through Act 1 of Macbeth: The Graphic Novel with the class. The illustrations will help visualise key scenes such as the Witches’ prophecy and Macbeth’s temptation to kill Duncan.
• After reading the pages, you could ask students to describe how the graphic novel represents key themes (e.g., ambition, fate vs. free will) and compare it with the script.
Class Activity:
• Character Analysis: After reading, have students compare Macbeth's internal monologue in Act 1, Scene 7 (the famous "If it were done when 'tis done" soliloquy) with the corresponding graphic novel panels. Discuss how the artwork might enhance Macbeth's conflict.
3. Thematic Focus: Ambition and Power
Objective: Deep dive into the theme of ambition; Macbeth’s tragic flaw.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Revisit key scenes, such as Macbeth’s ascent to power and his meeting with the Witches. The graphic novel illustrations can be a powerful tool here, as the eerie tones, the dark shadows, and the gloomy atmospheres help convey Macbeth’s internal struggle and the overwhelming nature of his ambition.
Class Activity:
• Group Discussion: Split the class into groups and have them discuss how the graphic novel visualises Macbeth’s ambition in comparison to the playscript. Do the visual cues (e.g., Macbeth’s stance, his facial expressions, the surroundings) match the textual descriptions of his inner turmoil?
• Comparing Mediums: Ask students how the graphic novel version of Macbeth’s soliloquies differs from reading them in the traditional play format. What elements do the illustrations emphasise (e.g., his guilt, the bloodstained hands after Duncan’s murder)?
4. Visualising Guilt and the Supernatural
Objective: Focus on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s escalating guilt and the role of the supernatural.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Act 3 & 4: Move on to the portrayal of Macbeth’s descent into madness. This section is great for showing how the graphic novel uses colour, shadows, and composition to reflect his paranoia and guilt. For example, the graphic novel depicts Macbeth’s hallucinations, like Banquo’s ghost, and how these images influence his state of mind.
• Lady Macbeth’s Guilt: Similarly, you could have students look at how the graphic novel represents Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene (Act 5, Scene 1). Discuss the visual metaphors like her hands washing and how the illustrations evoke her growing madness.
Class Activity:
• Character Comparison: Have students create a character timeline for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, marking key points of their moral decline, using both the text and the graphic novel as reference points. Encourage them to write reflections on how the visual depictions of guilt (for instance, Macbeth’s expressions or Lady Macbeth’s haunted eyes) help emphasise the text’s psychological themes.
5. Final Act: Tragic Consequences
Objective: Analyse the tragic resolution of the play.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Act 5: Finish the graphic novel with Macbeth’s downfall and his confrontation with Macduff. The graphic novel shows the violent imagery of the battle scenes and Macbeth’s final moments. The illustrations can heighten the drama of his defeat and death.
• Resolution: The graphic novel will show Malcolm’s victory and the restoration of order. The panels are lighter than the previous dark battle scenes.
Class Activity:
• Final Discussion: Use the graphic novel’s final scenes to spark a discussion about tragic heroes. How does the artwork highlight the finality of Macbeth’s fate? How does the visual medium emphasise the theme of justice and the consequences of unchecked ambition?
• Creative Task: For a more creative exercise, students could design their own comic strip illustrating a key scene from the play, focusing on their interpretation of the characters and themes. This allows them to process the story visually and apply their understanding of the text.
6. Reflection & Conclusion
Objective: Reflect on the learning experience and review key themes.
How to Use the Graphic Novel:
• Have students re-read selected scenes from Macbeth: The Graphic Novel independently or in pairs. Encourage them to annotate the pages and note how the visuals contribute to the overall themes and character development.
• Class Debrief: Finish the unit by discussing how the graphic novel helped deepen their understanding of Shakespeare’s text. Ask them whether they felt the graphic novel format enhanced or changed their perception of the play.
Why This Approach Works:
• Differentiation: Using a graphic novel as part of the lesson allows for differentiation, as it caters to visual learners while reinforcing key textual themes for all students.
• Engagement: The combination of visual and textual storytelling keeps students more engaged with the material, especially as Shakespeare’s plays can sometimes feel distant or challenging.
• Active Participation: Activities like character timelines, group discussions, and creative tasks get students actively involved, not only in reading but also in analysing and creating.
Macbeth: The Graphic Novel
By: William Shakespeare
Script Adaptation: John McDonald
Character Designs and Original Artwork: Jon Haward
Inking Assistant: Gary Erskine
Colouring & Lettering: Nigel Dobbyn
You can download free sample pages from our Original Text Macbeth here.