Download Teachers Notes for Macbeth and Son

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MACBETH AND SON
Jackie French
ISBN 0207200343
Teachers Notes
Prepared by Pam Macintyre
Introduction
Shakespeare has presented to the world a particular and generally accepted view of
the ancient Scottish King, Macbeth, that Jackie French challenges in Macbeth and
Son.
There are two narrative strands to this story, one set in Alba (Ancient Scotland) and
the other in present day Australia. The story opens evocatively in the past as Lulach
and his mother wait for the return of troops including father and husband, their
Mormaer. Lulach is only five years old. The kingdom has been suffering under almost
continuous warfare when Lulach’s father is killed in battle by the Norseman, Thorfinn.
Luke, in 21st century Sydney, is about to sit for an entrance examination to a
prestigious grammar school, St Ilfs, at the pressing of his stepfather, Sam, an old boy
of the school. Convinced he will fail, Luke is surprised and then shocked to realise
that the exam paper is one his stepfather had insisted he do thoroughly in practice.
He has an opportunity to tell of the mistake, but then the desire to succeed is too
strong.
Back at Breakfast Creek primary school in rural New South Wales, Luke’s class is
studying Macbeth and Luke has to present a talk the following week on ‘Macbeth’s
Progress into Villainy’. As Luke prepares the talk, he finds his remarkably realistic
dreams are taking him back to the ancient Scotland of Lulach’s world. Gradually the
worlds of the boys come together in a melding of past and present dilemmas in a
gripping narrative that asks fundamental questions about the way we live our lives,
interpretations of the past and the value of great literature.
Narrative Style
The author creates a gripping mixture of Luke’s contemplation about his
moral dilemmas, and exciting adventure such as when Lulach accompanies
the Mormaer for the first time against the Norsemen
If we read only one story at a time would one time period seem more or less
interesting than the other?
Macbeth and Son is perfect for serial reading as this would provide for
discussion and prediction along the way. There are big questions being
posed, which young readers will want to explore, respond to and share. As
well as having moments of pure adventure, this is a perceptive and moving
portrayal of the shift from a simple view of the world to more complex
understandings, a shift that marks the end of childhood. And for Luke this is
not an easy move to make: see page 27 where he agonises over his
‘cheating’ in the exam complicated by his father’s dying words to him ‘Look
after your Mum’.
In this book French constantly invites young readers to think and question,
and sometimes she does this playfully. For instance, on page 30 she has the
‘witch’ Meröe mischievously chant over the venison stew she is cooking:
‘Fillet of a fenny snake…eye of newt and toe of frog…’. Have students look up
the famous and evocative ‘Witches Chant’ - Bubble, bubble toil and trouble…
from Macbeth and perform and/or choral speak it. Talk about why French
might have put Shakespeare’s words in Meröe’s mouth.
On page 44 Lulach wonders if his and the Mormaer’s names will be known in
a thousand years.
More seriously, French has Luke think that ‘At least in Shakespeare’s world
things were clear…You knew what was right and wrong in those days …If
only I lived in a world like that’ (p28). This is the point that the reader and
Luke start from, and it would be valuable to map the changes in his
perceptions as the story goes.
During reading
There are many worthwhile stopping points in this story to talk about the important
decisions Luke has to make, the effect of them on the story, and what decisions the
readers would make.
P70 Do you think Luke should tell his mother? Draw up the points on both
sides. Conduct a debate on the question of ‘Honesty is always the best
policy’.
Write or act the rest of the story if Luke does tell. What do you think will
happen?
P109 is the revelation of who Macbeth is. Are readers as shocked/surprised
as Luke or had they predicted it?
P130 Discuss whether Thora will be beautiful or ugly? How important is
beauty?
P140 What do you think of Thora? Why does Lulach wonder ‘if there was
another girl like this in all the world’? Does she remind you of anyone else in
the story?
P146 Luke decides to leave sleeping dogs lie. What do you think will happen
now?
Pp187 the author leaves the ancient story at the death of Macbeth. Is this the
right place to stop? Where would you have chosen? What do you think
happens? Is Lulach elected king?
Why did the author decide to tell the rest of the story in a Postcript?
P190 Luke asks why the dream came to him. What do you think?
P 200 Jingo tells Luke that he wouldn’t have had the guts to do what he did.
Do you think it took guts?
Narrative construction
Talk about why you think the author chose to tell two stories in parallel. Why
not just tell her version of the historical figure Macbeth? How different would
the reading experience be?
Do readers prefer Luke’s or Lulach’s story?
Luke dreams Lulach’s life.
If you could, whose life in the past would you like to dream?
Idea of hero
P45 Luke thinks a real hero is Lulach’s stepfather, because he performs
heroic deeds, unlike his own stepfather who is a TV presenter.
Who are our contemporary heroes? Why are they heroes?
Who are heroes from the past? Why are they heroes?
Do they have anything in common?
What do such heroes suggest about changing values of society?
Who Writes History?
This book models that just as novelists make conscious choices about the
way they write about characters, places, events, so do historians. Thus it acts
as an interrogation of the historical record as interpreted by particular
historians – and playwrights – in particular social contexts and for particular
reasons.
Students could be invited to research other historical events which have had
different interpretations. Close to home is the genocide of Indigenous
Australians.
This book is also about the importance of history. Megan’s family have
belonged to their farmland for generations and it defines who they are and
their connectedness (p153).
Contrasts and Connections
Macbeth and Son provides for opportunities to think about how different
settings of time and place can be contrasted and connected.
Past and present are initially thought of as very different, but gradually the
connections appear: the concerns of human individuals stretch across time.
Luke contrasts the smells, sights and rhythms of the country and city (pp5051) as does his stepfather, Sam.
The country is closer to the patterns of the seasons and accompanying tasks.
The roles of women in French’s version of ancient Scotland differ markedly
from Shakespeare’s.
Consider how communication was carried out in ancient times, such as the
use of runners to give news, let people know what was happening. Consider
the time gap between things happening and people finding out about them
and how that might affect their lives.
Try to imagine a world without television, mobile phones and the internet.
How would this change your world? Consider how quickly we know about
events across the globe. How does this affect our lives?
Did people in Lulach’s time read and write? What mention is there of it in the
book? Was it for only some of the people? Which ones?
How do we know what happened if there was no written record?
Laws and a civil society
Alba was a civil, democratic society that built its practices and values around
the rule of law (p126). How does this compare with our Australian society?
What other models of society were/are there?
Consider who or what the men of Alba are fighting for on page170. Macbeth
says for ‘native soil’ but Lulach thinks it is for ‘our laws’.
Is there anything you think is worth fighting for?
In the 21st century there was a battle to be fought against development and its
affect on a way of life and of making a living. Consider the different strategies
required.
Again, there are different views about what is being fought for: for Patrick it is
the family’s farm, but for Megan it is the environment (p56)
Also, there are those who are equipped to fight, such as Megan, but those
who are not, such as her parents. This time, the hero is Sam, but using very
different strategies, but the same lateral, strategic skills as Macbeth
demonstrated.
The Battle
On pages 174-176 the author describes in graphic detail the battle between
the vastly outnumbered Scottish forces and the English. Exhilaration of
killing?
In the 21st century, Luke is ‘dreaming’ this vividly but wants to be safe in his
own world. Is his withdrawal a measure of changed times?
Consider that in the eleventh century you only had to be twelve years old to
join the army (p178). Why has this changed so much do you think?
Find out about young men who pretended to be older to go off to the second
World War (Anthony Hill’s Young Digger is a good place to start).
Marriage
On page 128 we are told the Age of marriage – why so young do you think?
Find out (or work out from the book) the average life expectancy of people
during that time
Universal humanity
Luke and Lulach live in very different worlds and yet human beings still have
the same basic emotional needs, of belonging, of being loved, of feeling
connected to their stepfathers.
Quotations
The author provides quotations from Macbeth that open each chapter. What
do you think is the purpose, and effect of these.
Read them again after you have read the chapter to see if the
connection/meaning is clearer or perhaps different.
Language
Consider how important language is in providing a sense of place, time and
the people who spoke it. For instance, the author uses words such as ‘rath’,
‘Mormaer’, Bier, Tanist.
Do these words help to create a sense of another time and place? Translate
them into their modern equivalents and see the effect.
Characters
The author creates genuine characters in this story, not stereotypes, not characters
who are all good or all bad.
Alba
Characters in Lulach’s time change and grow. For instance Thorfinn begins
as a villain and murderer, but Mormaer says (p82) from another point of view,
he is a hero too. He always keeps the truth and his word.
Kenneth is transformed by his injuries, but rises above them.
Knut surprises Lulach with his plans for the future.
Australia
Luke is shifting from primary to secondary school and to more unsettling,
complex understandings of the world, and to more complex feelings about
Megan.
We see one Sam though Luke’s eyes, and another through his mother’s.
Megan and Pat are very different, although twins. Pat is very much a boy
devoted to his family’s farm and way of life.
Megan is more aware of and concerned about the wider world
Discussion
There is much to explore in this book. The following are some examples to discuss:
p36 ‘a tanist needs to learn when to be quiet as well as when to question’.
P45 Luke sees the world as simpler in the past. Do you think it is?
P65 the effect of the corporate world on how news and information is
presented to us. Luke calls it lying – is it?
Find out who owns your daily newspaper. Who owns the television stations
you watch?
P70 what makes a great play: ‘It feels like real life even if it isn’t’.
P83 ‘could there really be a world without war?
P87 ‘sometimes you have to make compromises’
P110 ‘Maybe when things happened they left an echo. Like a yell traveling
over a vast distance, until it was too faint to hear. Maybe a distant ear could
pick it up. Maybe history never dies…Maybe everything that’s happened just
waits for someone to listen to it again’.
P111 Luke googles Macbeth to find out the truth. Why don’t you and see what
you find?
P117 What’s more important? A bit of forgotten history or one of the greatest
plays the world has ever seen?
P119 What’s more important? Telling the truth about the exam or keeping his
mother happy?
Parallels between Luke and Lulach
Both have fathers who died and stepfathers
Both boys find it hard to accept their father’s death as if it were a dream or a movie
Values in one world
P12 – definition of democracy
Way of life/customs In Alba
Everyone eating and sleeping together. Consider why this is desirable.
Differences between the ‘high born’ and the ordinary people.
Idea of democracy – electing their king – in contrast to England where Kings
inherited position. Compare to today in different countries around the world.
The assembly at Scone, the seat of Scottish kings.
P108 what is the Stone of Destiny? Research it? Does it still exist? Where is
it?
Everyday life – making cheeses, weaving cloth, taking cows to hills in the
summer, drying fish, getting mice from the barley
Notice how French describes domesticity so that these tasks are valued
rather than being seen as mundane, unimportant.
Time it takes for the story to happen
Chart the differences in time passing in the two worlds. How long does the
story in the present day take? How about in Lulach’s time?
Possible follow on activities:
Visual responses
Draw or make a computer model of Lulach from the descriptions in the book
(p75) his leine, deerhide cloak with a sheepskin collar, striped stockings and
boots.
Draw or model him again as described on page 124 as an older and more
important person. Does he appear to be the same person? How do the
clothes we wear influence how people see us?
Draw or model the colourful party of people accompanying the king and the
countryside they are riding through (page 124). French contrasts this lush
land with earlier descriptions that showed the ravages of war.
It might be fruitful to look at John Heffernan and Freya Blackwood’s Two
Summers which depicts an Australian farm during fertile times and drought.
Make a model of the rath - with its central hall, cottages, fields, animals etc.
You could construct an actual three-dimensional one or a computer
generated one. Draw a plan perspective of the Hall with its sleeping and
eating areas.
Celebrate with Food
Make some of the recipes in the back of the book (pages 227-229).
Extending on the book
Have class read or watch Macbeth (perhaps the Polanski version, or for older
students the newest Australian version starring Sam Worthington as
Macbeth) and pursue the questions raised by the children in the class (p20).
Research and Writing:
Research other famous historical figures and write your version of their life,
such as Robin Hood, William Tell, Theseus, King Arthur, Helen of Troy,
Boadecia.
Find out about the legend of the selkies. For instance, Susan Cooper’s
retelling of the British folktale, The Selkie Girl.
Trace the Mormaer’s passage to kingship in Lulach’s story versus
Shakespeare’s.
Importance of duty
Page 9 ‘Moray needs a battle leader not a woman’ – why can’t there be both?
Find out about Boadicea
Lulach’s mother’s duty as she sees it is to marry (p8)
P104 who are the true heroes? ‘The ones who hate what they have to do, but
do it anyway’. It’s called duty, Lulach…Doing what you have to do, no matter
how hard it is’.
Do you agree with Lulach’s mother? Can you think of when you have had to
do your ‘duty’?
P161 is Luke doing his duty regarding the motorbike?
Role of dreams
Luke dreams to escape his unpleasant reality
P211 Lulach dreams he is Luke
What use are dreams?
Powerful and figurative language
Page 6 has a graphic description of Lulach’s father’s burnt face which uses
an evocative simile: ‘like a stag’s head thrown into the fire after the dogs had
chewed it’ and p37 a similar one of a man whose head and arm have been
cut off.
Why do you think the author wrote such harsh images?
Use a simile or a metaphor in your writing to describe something vividly.
Attitudes to war
What do you think the author thinks about war? Find evidence in the text to
support your view
For example, on page 40 Kenneth’s reaction is contrasted with Lulach’s
concern for the guard on the burning ship
P42 Mormaer says ‘Two lost ships will teach Thorfinn not to attack Moray
lands again in a hurry. Six lost ships calls for revenge’.
King Duncan leads them to war every year with the effect being starving
winters.
Page 32 strategy rather than violence and battle is effective
Is there morality in war? Thorfinn killed, but in defence of his own country in a
war started by King Duncan (page 82)
P100 has graphic descriptions of the men returning from war. Do we get such
descriptions now?
Look at Raymond Briggs’s The Tin Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron
Woman and his illustrations and descriptions of the soldiers. Do we get such
descriptions in the newspapers and on the news or are such images kept
from us?
Bravery
Luke thinks Macbeth is brave because he defended his people in battle time
and risked his life.
Lulach who dreams of Luke thinks he is brave because he spoke the truth in
front of his class, alone.
Who do you think is braver?
Moral dilemma
Like many of Jackie French’s books, this one asks some big, complex moral
questions:
Luke’s deception is complicated by his mother’s reaction (p25) – a sense of
responsibility (‘look after your Mum’, were his Dad’s dying words) and duty to
protect her. French shows as she did in Hitler’s Daughter that morality is
rarely clear cut.
P67 Do you think Sam knew that Luke got the whole exam paper? Should he
have ‘helped’ him that way? Are his reasons convincing ones?
P89 Luke hedges his bets about Sam to Megan and Patrick. Why? Is he
wrong to do this? What would you do if you were Luke? Do you think he is the
coward liar and cheat he says he is?
This discussion is taken further on pages 90-91 when Megan and Jingo argue
about the invasion of Iraq. Who do think has the most convincing argument?
Is Megan right when she says: ‘It’s not just black and white, is it? There are
times when it’s okay to tell a lie. But sometimes you know it’s wrong, when
truth really matters’.
P93 What about lies you didn’t actually tell?
P192 Luke thinks lies can kill – that they killed Macbeth. What do you think?
Is lying or nor lying as important as Luke thinks? Does Shakespeare’s ‘lie’
matter for the future?
P208 can Shakespeare be both a great liar and a great playwright?
Are we all good and bad – a ‘mix of both?’
After Reading
Compare versions of Macbeth: Shakespeare’s, French’s and the ‘historical
record’
Discuss why Jackie French wrote two stories rather than one.
Do you prefer either one - the historical one or the contemporary one? Why?
Drama
Have students read/perform Luke’s talk aloud and be the class.
‘Hot seat’ Luke asking about why he chose his speech
‘Hot seat’ Sam about his change of mind.
Music
Find a recording of the song Luke’s mother sings, ‘Rocky Mountain High’
Make the music of the song Thora sings to her seal.
Universal themes
Cheating
The importance of father figures
The importance of mentors
Importance of being loved unconditionally
Lulach does not want his father to be replaced. Is French putting today’s
perspective on the past?
Fiction is not history and yet the author is claiming to be historically accurate
against Shakespeare being influenced by his period.
Is she also influenced by the values of toady’s society?
Further reading
They Came on Viking Ships also an historical novel full of adventure and questioning
of the historical record.
Hitler’s Daughter has a similar shift between time periods and moral dilemmas at its
heart, and a similar focus on country school children.
Morris Gleitzman’s Bumface is about children pressured by adult responsibility
Two Summers by John Heffernan and Freya Blackwood
The Selkie and the Fisherman by Christian Chardi and Frey Blackwood.