Year 10 English 

Macbeth Excursion 

On Tuesday the 23rd July, year 10 students involved in the English Enhancement Program visited the Malthouse Theatre to watch a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, ‘Macbeth (an undoing)’ by Zinnie Harris. In an exhilarating epic of ambition, cunning and lust for agency, playwright Zinnie Harris reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy from the perspective of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth has been told he will be King. Lady Macbeth tells him it will happen today. 

Through this play, students were able to make links between the themes presented and the themes in the novel they are studying, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. Motifs were utilised throughout the play to foreshadow events, such as a raven. Similarly, in the novel, a mockingbird holds symbolism in relation to the significant theme of innocence.  

‘Macbeth (an undoing)’ asks us to examine the link between progress and violence (and whether they can ever be truly separated) and considers what makes certain narratives more trustworthy than others, and ultimately questions the very nature of fate.

Thank you to Ms Leslie for organising, Ms Della Fortuna for coming and Ms Tebbutt for invaluable advice.

By Mia and Stacey