Macbeth: 4. Assassins
King Duncan's body is quickly discovered and his sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee the castle. Macbeth is crowned king - but he feels insecure while Banquo lives. So he engages two assassins to murder both Banquo and his son, Fleance.
The story
There'll be no mercy hereMalcolm
King Duncan’s body is quickly discovered. The nobles go to inform Duncan’s sons - Malcolm and Donalbain - of the murder and when Macbeth arrives he says he has already given summary justice to the king’s servants. Lady Macbeth also arrives and saves her husband from an awkward situation by fainting. Left alone, the nobles swear to root out any treachery, while Malcolm and Donalbain decide their best option is to flee Dunsinane altogether. Later Macbeth is crowned king, but feels insecure while Banquo still lives because of the prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will become kings. So he engages two henchmen - the assassins - to kill both Banquo and his son Fleance.
The main characters
| Name | Who is... |
|---|---|
| Macbeth | Thane of Glamis, then of Cawdor, then King of Scotland |
| Lady Macbeth | His wife |
| The 'Weird Sisters' | Three strange creatures living wild on the heathland |
| Duncan | The rightful King of Scotland |
| Banquo | Macbeth's friend and comrade |
| Fleance | Banquo's son |
| Malcolm | Duncan's son and heir |
| Donalbain | Duncan's younger son |
| Macduff | Thane of Fife; loyal to Duncan / Malcolm |
| Angus, Lennox, Ross | Three noblemen who initially support Macbeth but later leave him in favour of Malcolm / Macduff |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 Part 1 | Learning the chorus, beginning: 'Who says crime don't pay?' |
| 02 00 Part 1 | Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'We are the blokes you ordered, connoisseurs of snick and snack' emphasising the important words. The words of the verse are spoken. |
| 05 43 Part 1 | Learning Verse 2, beginning: 'A man can meet his maker in a thousand different ways', which is a little harder to fit all the spoken words than Verse 1. |
| 00 00 Part 2 | Putting the words for all of Verse 2 together and singing them first in two groups and then all together again. |
| 01 52 Part 2 | Clapping the rhythm of the words to Verse 1. |
| 03 16 Part 2 | Learning Verse 3, beginning: 'We like to do the business with a certain va va voom'. Listen for the accented words: 'like', 'business', 'certain', 'voom' (in line 1) and 'any', 'wants', 'we', 'there' (in line 4). |
Story questions
What happens to the king's servants following the murder?
Macbeth says their guilt was obvious and he could not hold back - he has killed them
What does Lady Macbeth do to help her husband?
She creates a distraction by pretending to faint
What do Malcolm and Donalbain decide to do?
They don't feel safe at Dunsinane, so they decide to flee overseas - Malcolm to England and Donalbain to Ireland
Why does Macbeth ask Banquo if he and Fleance will be out together?
He wants to know where and when to arrange their murder
Why does Macbeth feel insecure so long as Banquo lives?
Because of the Witches' prophecy that Banquo's heirs will be kings (ie the Macbeths' dynasty will not last)
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all episodes (pdf)
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Lyrics - Assassins
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Assassins
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
All lyrics and activities (pdf)
