Writing part one of the opening of 'Macbeth' | Starter Quiz | Oak National Academy

What features should we include in the first part of our opening of Macbeth?

• a description of the setting, using all of our senses

• figurative language to build atmosphere

• a description of Macbeth

• direct speech to show the dialogue of the characters

Answer explanation

In the first part of the opening, we are focusing on describing the setting, so there will be no characters and no speech.

What tense will we write our opening in?

• present tense

• future tense

• past tense

Answer explanation

We will write our opening in the past tense; the action has happened before now.

Which of the following words would accurately describe the atmosphere we want to create?

• serene

• eerie

• uplifting

• foreboding

• enchanting

Answer explanation

We want to create an 'eerie' or 'foreboding' atmosphere that makes our readers feel uneasy.

Match each feature to the correct example.

• simile

• Up above,

• fronted adverbial

• salty sea sprayed

• alliteration

• Fog wrapped around the heath like a suffocating blanket.

Answer explanation

A simile involves comparing two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. A fronted adverbial starts a sentence and can tell us where something is happening. Alliteration is when many words start with the same letter.

How will we order our setting description?

• We'll start by describing from the top and work our way down.

• We'll start by describing things on the ground and work our way up.

• It doesn't need to be in any order.

Answer explanation

We will write an opening that starts from a bird’s-eye view and ends up on the ground.

Which of these sentences creates the right kind of atmosphere for our opening?

• A chorus of chirping songbirds sang sweetly.

• Dried, withered grasses rustled ominously in the chilling wind.

• Shrouds of mist drenched the shrubs that were trying desperately to survive.

• Graceful deer grazed serenely.

Answer explanation

These sentences create a negative atmosphere and paint the scene as an eerie and harsh place to be.