Power, Ambition, Guilt and Madness: Our Leading Lords and Ladies and their Monologues

Every year, the Year 9 students of the English department tackle one of their most demanding challenges in Key Stage 3: their 'Macbeth' monologues. This task requires students to analyse various Shakespearean monologues, have an in-depth understanding of the emotional development of their chosen character, write creatively using a wide range of techniques and then deliver their monologue to the class with a focus on tone, pace and facial expressions.

This year our students have outdone themselves with more and more students being picked for the final round, as it was impossible for teachers to simply choose one! These class representatives performed their monologues for the whole year to see and we all voted for the top monologues!
Here are some of the winning monologues:

Erin: Overall Winner of the 'Macbeth' Monologue Competition

Our judges' comments, "A beautifully-crafted monologue from start to finish showing an intricate understanding of Lady Macbeth through thoughtful word choices, apt imagery and impressive delivery too."

Erin's take on Lady Macbeth: "From the first moment we were introduced to Lady Macbeth in class, I was immediately engaged by the depth of her character. Her manipulative and ambitious choices, along with her attitude, made her a complex persona that would cause me to think outside of the box with the way I interpreted her thoughts, emotions and subtle details. I wanted my monologue to demonstrate her transformation which occurs during the play, with her intense change of personality from a loving but ambitious wife to an insane, delusional and remorseful character."

Zhiyi: 2nd Place Winner of the 'Macbeth' Monologue Competition

Our judges' comments, "Wonderful monologue exploring the different elements of Lady Macbeth's character creating an effectively sinister atmosphere. Great use of both original imagery, structure and dramatic delivery too."

Maria: 3rd Place Winner of the 'Macbeth' Monologue Competition

Our judges' comments, "A delightfully fresh and original monologue that was highly praised by many for its individuality, in-depth understanding of character and well-developed perspective, tone and dramatic delivery."

David: Student Top Choice for the 'Macbeth' Monologue Competition

Our judges' comments, "An impressive monologue highly-praised by both teachers and students alike. A wonderful use of imagery, structure and word choice show an intricate knowledge of character. Effective use of pauses for delivery as well."

Well done to all of Year 9 for their monologues and a special thank you to the students who represented their classes and brought their Macbeths and Lady Macbeths to wicked but wonderful life!