AQA English Literature GCSE – Macbeth Complete Revision
Guide | Themes, Quotes & Analysis (2025)
Christmas Carol
Christmas Carol
Hubris
Excessive pride
Avarice
.Extreme greed for wealth and the desire to hoard it
Ephemeral
Lasting a very short time
Austere
Very severe and unfriendly
Surplus
More than is needed
Miser
A mean person unwilling to spend or share money
Covert
To want something very much especially something that not yours.
Humanity
Understanding and kindness towards other people.
Caricature
An exaggerated portrayal of one's features.
Aristocracy
High social rank
Mammon
Christian concept of money as an evil force that turns people against God and makes them selfish.
Condemnation
Christian concept of being destined for divine punishment
,Antithesis
Complete opposite
Earnestness
Sincere and intense conviction
Nostalgia
Longing for the past
Metamorphosis
A complete change
Jovial
A person who is friendly, kind and in a good mood
Exultant
Triumphantly happy
Heresy
The act of going against are Christian beliefs or undermining God.
Cornupia
Endless abundance
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Agape
Unconditional love
Redemeption
The action of saving or being saved from sin,error or evil
Insidious
Something unpleasant or dangerous; gradually and secretly causing serious harm
Ignorance
Lack of knowledge
Shrouded
Covered, hidden or wrapped
Euphoric
Overjoyed; having an intense feeling of well-being.
,Machiavellian
cunning and deceitful
Macbeth
Macbeth
Alliteration
When words that are close together begin with the same sound. E.g. "the beat of the band."
Plosive alliteration
Repetition of the B or P sound at the beginning of words. E.g. "blisters beaded on his pale skin."
Sibilance
A more specific type of alliteration that relies on the repetition of soft consonant sounds in words to create a
whooshing or hissing sound in the writing. E.g. "and the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven":
Metaphor
A vivid way of describing something by saying it is something else. E.g. "His eyes were deep pools."
Simile
Comparing one thing to another using like or as E.g. "The tree was like a mountain."
Personification
Giving an inanimate object human qualities.
E.G The wind howled in the night.
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like what they are E.g. "bang/crash/drip."
Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase more than once.
Adjective
A describing word.
Verb
A doing or being word. E.G Anthony is throwing the football.
Noun
A naming word
A general name for a person, place, or thing
, E.G Life finds a way.
The weary army marched on.
Proper Noun
A naming word for an individualised person, place or organisation which uses capitalisation.
Abstract Noun
A naming word for something intangible (e.g. love, evil, justice).
Pronoun
Replaces the noun e.g. I/You/He/She/They etc.
Adverb
Describes a verb, usually ends in -ly.
Connotation
The associated meanings of a word E.g. the connotations of red might be love/danger/anger etc.
Colloquial language
Informal or slang language which sounds like ordinary speech.
Semantic field
A group of words suggesting a theme/topic e.g. a semantic field of war - guns/bullets/army/soldier
Intensifier
A word that is used alongside an adjective to provide emphasis E.g. "very friendly" or "so bright".
Satire
The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices
Emotive language
language intended to create an emotional response.
Oxymoron
A phrase combining two or more contradictory terms.
Hyperbole
A use of obvious exaggeration for rhetorical effect.
Triples
Three points to support an argument
What technique do biased writers use?
They use hyperboles and generalisations
Guide | Themes, Quotes & Analysis (2025)
Christmas Carol
Christmas Carol
Hubris
Excessive pride
Avarice
.Extreme greed for wealth and the desire to hoard it
Ephemeral
Lasting a very short time
Austere
Very severe and unfriendly
Surplus
More than is needed
Miser
A mean person unwilling to spend or share money
Covert
To want something very much especially something that not yours.
Humanity
Understanding and kindness towards other people.
Caricature
An exaggerated portrayal of one's features.
Aristocracy
High social rank
Mammon
Christian concept of money as an evil force that turns people against God and makes them selfish.
Condemnation
Christian concept of being destined for divine punishment
,Antithesis
Complete opposite
Earnestness
Sincere and intense conviction
Nostalgia
Longing for the past
Metamorphosis
A complete change
Jovial
A person who is friendly, kind and in a good mood
Exultant
Triumphantly happy
Heresy
The act of going against are Christian beliefs or undermining God.
Cornupia
Endless abundance
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Agape
Unconditional love
Redemeption
The action of saving or being saved from sin,error or evil
Insidious
Something unpleasant or dangerous; gradually and secretly causing serious harm
Ignorance
Lack of knowledge
Shrouded
Covered, hidden or wrapped
Euphoric
Overjoyed; having an intense feeling of well-being.
,Machiavellian
cunning and deceitful
Macbeth
Macbeth
Alliteration
When words that are close together begin with the same sound. E.g. "the beat of the band."
Plosive alliteration
Repetition of the B or P sound at the beginning of words. E.g. "blisters beaded on his pale skin."
Sibilance
A more specific type of alliteration that relies on the repetition of soft consonant sounds in words to create a
whooshing or hissing sound in the writing. E.g. "and the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven":
Metaphor
A vivid way of describing something by saying it is something else. E.g. "His eyes were deep pools."
Simile
Comparing one thing to another using like or as E.g. "The tree was like a mountain."
Personification
Giving an inanimate object human qualities.
E.G The wind howled in the night.
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like what they are E.g. "bang/crash/drip."
Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase more than once.
Adjective
A describing word.
Verb
A doing or being word. E.G Anthony is throwing the football.
Noun
A naming word
A general name for a person, place, or thing
, E.G Life finds a way.
The weary army marched on.
Proper Noun
A naming word for an individualised person, place or organisation which uses capitalisation.
Abstract Noun
A naming word for something intangible (e.g. love, evil, justice).
Pronoun
Replaces the noun e.g. I/You/He/She/They etc.
Adverb
Describes a verb, usually ends in -ly.
Connotation
The associated meanings of a word E.g. the connotations of red might be love/danger/anger etc.
Colloquial language
Informal or slang language which sounds like ordinary speech.
Semantic field
A group of words suggesting a theme/topic e.g. a semantic field of war - guns/bullets/army/soldier
Intensifier
A word that is used alongside an adjective to provide emphasis E.g. "very friendly" or "so bright".
Satire
The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices
Emotive language
language intended to create an emotional response.
Oxymoron
A phrase combining two or more contradictory terms.
Hyperbole
A use of obvious exaggeration for rhetorical effect.
Triples
Three points to support an argument
What technique do biased writers use?
They use hyperboles and generalisations
