Form & Structure

Analysing form and structure is a key skill at GCSE. It means looking at how the play is built — the shape of the tragedy, the use of verse and prose, the function of soliloquies, and how Shakespeare controls pace and tension. This lesson gives you the tools to write about structure confidently.

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Tragedy and the Tragic Hero

Macbeth is a tragedy — a genre with specific conventions that Shakespeare both follows and adapts.

Aristotle's model of tragedy (simplified)

The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined tragedy as a drama about a noble character who falls from greatness due to a fatal flaw. Key concepts:

Term	Definition	Application to Macbeth
Hamartia	The tragic flaw that causes the hero's downfall	"Vaulting ambition" (1.7)
Peripeteia	A reversal of fortune	Duncan's murder — Macbeth gains the crown but begins his destruction
Anagnorisis	A moment of recognition or realisation	"Tomorrow and tomorrow" — Macbeth realises life is meaningless
Catharsis	The audience's emotional purging (pity and fear)	We pity Macbeth's suffering and fear the power of ambition