Why Macbeth Is the Only Shakespeare Play I’ll Never Get Sick Of

Is Macbeth overtaught? Maybe.

Do I care? Absolutely not.

Because Macbeth has everything: witches, murders, ghosts, guilt, madness, ambition, and one of literature’s most gloriously manipulative women. It’s dark, fast-paced, and filled with questions that get under your skin no matter how many times you teach it.

I’ve taught this play more times than I can count, and it still hits.

“Who’s to Blame?” Never Gets Old

One of the reasons I love Macbeth is that the conversations it sparks never feel stale. My students always want to debate who’s really responsible for Macbeth’s downfall.

◆ Was it the witches for putting the idea in his head?
◆ Was it Lady Macbeth for questioning his manliness and pushed him?
◆ Or was it Macbeth himself, ambitious, bloody, and increasingly unhinged?

We always track his descent, from the brave, loyal soldier at the start to the tyrannical, paranoid murderer he becomes. And we do the same with Lady Macbeth: her early strength vs. the guilt-ridden woman haunted by sleepwalking and imagined blood.

It’s such rich character work, and every class sees something new.

It’s One of the Few that My Students Genuinely Enjoy

They love the drama. The pace. The body count.

They get to see how the murders escalate:
→ Duncan is for power.
→ Banquo is to prevent a threat.
→ Lady Macduff and her children? Senseless.

And that’s where they really start questioning how far gone Macbeth is.

There’s no dragging things out here, especially in the final acts; it’s all chaos, all the time. And honestly? That’s exactly what they need when their attention span is hanging on by a thread.

I Have a Hot-Seating Story that Still Makes Me Cringe

I do a lot of hot-seating with Shakespeare. Students interview characters and then answer in role - it helps them dig deeper into the text.

But I always model it first.

So there I am, full Lady Macbeth, crown and all, delivering an Oscar-worthy answer about how I felt about my husband at the start of the play… when the school photographer walks in. We’d had an email earlier in the day about someone popping into classes to take marketing photos, and as luck would have it, they chose my lesson.

When I stood up, taking off my crown, they asked me to continue. So, ever the professional, I did. And when I finally finished, they stayed to photograph me actually teaching.

To my eternal relief, they used the photos of me calmly helping students with their questions for Macbeth, not the part where I was full of madness and metaphor in front of Year 9.

But there is a moral to this story: it’s fun to teach, and there are so many ways to make it relevant and engaging.

Creative Writing Prompts for Every Act

I’m a big believer in working smarter, not harder, especially when it comes to exam prep. I teach language through literature wherever I can, and Macbeth is perfect for it. I’ve actually written a full blog post on the benefits of using literature-based creative writing prompts if you want to dig deeper into the why.

Rather than one-off tasks, I’ve written 10 creative writing prompts for each act of Macbeth. They’re designed to deepen understanding while hitting key language objectives, so you’re not just “fitting it in,” you’re reinforcing everything that matters. And the range of them means they are easy to use for differentiation.

You can find the full bundle of act-by-act prompts in my store, or grab them individually on TpT and TES.

My Full Macbeth Bundle

If you’re looking for something more comprehensive, I’ve put together a growing Macbeth bundle that includes everything from revision games to creative tasks:

◆ Word searches and quotation crosswords
◆ Roll-the-dice discussion boards
◆ Creative projects like TikTok reviews, costume designs, and set plans
◆ Self-grading quizzes for each act
◆ Essay questions and act-by-act discussion cards
◆ Picture prompts and editable creative writing slides

It’s designed to suit different learning styles. blending traditional analysis with more interactive, engaging activities. Plus, the bundle keeps growing as I add new resources throughout the year.

You can explore the full bundle here on TpT.

And no, it’s not just because I hate Romeo and Juliet.

(I do. Romeo drives me mad. But that's another post, and you can read it here.)

If you’re a new or seasoned teacher wondering whether Macbeth is worth it, it is.

Yes, Shakespeare can be tough. But Macbeth is accessible, widely performed, packed with iconic lines, and incredibly well-resourced.

And if you teach it right, it leaves a mark.

All Hail, Macbeth.