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A blog by Tony Bradman - Macbeth
BLOGS
Created: 27th October, 2020

When I visit schools children always ask me who my favourite author is, and I say - William Shakespeare, of course! I first encountered his work when I was 16 and starting my A levels. I loved the poetry in his plays, the powerful drama, the way in which you’re totally gripped by the story from the first line to the last. Yes, I know it’s all over 400 years old, and it can be very difficult to understand, but it really is worth making the effort.

It’s hard for me to choose a favourite Shakespeare play - I love The Tempest for its poetry and themes of reconciliation, Henry IV parts I and II (mostly because of the character of Falstaff), A Midsummer Night’s Dream for its comedy (and its working-class characters, ‘the rude mechanicals’). But it’s Macbeth I come back to again and again. I was hooked from the moment I met the Three Witches in that spooky opening scene.

Part of the appeal for me was the time and place, Scotland in the age of the Vikings. In my last year at Primary School my teacher Mr Smith had read our class The Hobbit, a story infused with the spirit of the Viking north by its author, Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Norse J.R.R. Tolkien. Eleventh-century Scotland - the period when the real, historical Macbeth actually lived - was a regular stamping ground for invading Viking hordes.

Shakespeare gets the feel of it perfectly, the sense of a country torn by war and dominated by ambitious, violent men who are prepared to do pretty much anything for power. When we first meet Macbeth he is returning from battle, having defeated an alliance of Scottish rebels and their Viking allies who wanted to unthrone his lord, King Duncan. But then the Three Witches tell him that he will be king himself one day…

From that point on it’s a roller-coaster ride, a terrific thriller full of murder and mayhem, ghosts and ghouls, battles and betrayals. The pace is terrific, the events moving swiftly, cliffhangers at the end of every scene, chilling conversations, great speeches and a plot that works brilliantly. Macbeth is set up at the beginning by the Three Witches for a terrible fall, and the moment when he finally realises he is doomed is incredibly powerful.

Deep at the heart of all this darkness is a simple theme, one that runs through many of the most famous fairy tales and myths - be careful what you wish for. Macbeth wants to be King, and is bold and ruthless enough to do what is necessary to seize the crown. But he soon learns that once you start down some paths in life it’s hard to change direction - and also that all actions have their consequences, many of which you might not like…

So as you can probably tell, I’m a big fan of the play - I have been known to talk about it to classes in an excited way! That’s why I was delighted when Bloomsbury Education asked me to do an adaptation of it, although I did feel quite anxious about it too. I mean, who am I to take the work of the greatest writer of all time and re-write it? It certainly leaves you open to a lot of criticism. Plenty of people love the play as much as me.

But I took the job on for a very simple reason. Shakespeare can be a daunting prospect for children, especially at KS2, and also for their teachers. I therefore thought of my adaptation as a gateway to the real thing. My intention was to try and capture the spirit of the play, to give young readers a sense of its power and beauty. If reading my version leads them on to the real thing, then I will have succeeded in what I set out to do.

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Find out more about Tony's book, Macbeth. 

Discover the FREE teaching notes for this book.

 

A word from our friends at Bloomsbury about the guided reading website:

Here at Bloomsbury, we’re passionate about reading and so we’re proud to publish some of the best children’s books around: from award winning fiction and stunning picture books to diverse and engaging readers for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.To help you and your class get the most out of this wealth of brilliant books, we’ve partnered with the experts at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education to create teaching notes for over seventy of our favourites, including books by Sarah Crossan, Julia Donaldson, Neil Gaiman, Patrice Lawrence, Zanib Mian, Louis Sachar and many, many more. The teaching notes are packed with brilliant ideas for activities and engaging discussion material, helping you to put high quality books at the centre of your teaching. 

Visit the Bloomsbury website for a wealth of free guided reading notes...

Tony Bradman is happy to speak to classes via Skype, Zoom, or Teams. Email: [email protected] if you’d like to contact Tony for a booking.