Macbeth
Macbeth: Plot, Characters and Themes
Plot act by act, key themes including ambition, guilt and the supernatural, and key characters in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Macbeth: Plot Summary Act by Act
What happens in every act, from the witches' prophecy and the murder of Duncan to Banquo's ghost, the apparitions and Macbeth's death at Macduff's hand.
Macbeth: Key Characters Explained
Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Macduff, Duncan and the witches: what each one does in the play, and the argument to make about them in an essay.
Macbeth: Context - Divine Right, Witchcraft and James I
The Jacobean background that earns AO3 marks: divine right of kings, James I as patron, Daemonologie, the natural order and the Gunpowder Plot.
Macbeth Quotes
Key Macbeth quotes organised by character and theme for GCSE English Literature revision.
An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls
Plot act by act, Priestley's message, key themes including social responsibility and class, and character overview for An Inspector Calls.
An Inspector Calls: Plot Summary Act by Act
Act by act, from the Birlings' engagement dinner in 1912 to Gerald's affair, Eric's confession and the phone call that starts the evening again.
An Inspector Calls: Key Characters Explained
Mr and Mrs Birling, Sheila, Eric, Gerald and Eva Smith: what each one did to Eva, how they react to the Inspector, and the argument to make about them.
Inspector Goole: Character Analysis for An Inspector Calls
How Priestley presents Inspector Goole, what he stands for, and how his entrance, his method and his exit are built into the structure of the play.
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol: Plot Summary by Stave
Stave-by-stave summary of A Christmas Carol, from Marley's ghost and the visits of the three spirits to Scrooge waking transformed on Christmas morning.
A Christmas Carol: Key Characters
Scrooge, the Cratchits, Marley and the three spirits, plus Fred, Fezziwig and Belle, with the quotes and ideas Dickens attaches to each character.
A Christmas Carol: Context and Victorian Society
Dickens's own childhood poverty, the 1834 Poor Law and workhouses, Victorian child poverty, and why he set his social criticism at Christmas.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jekyll and Hyde: Plot Summary
The plot of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in order, from the trampling and the Carew murder to the last night and the two confessions that explain it.
Jekyll and Hyde: Characters
Jekyll, Hyde, Utterson, Lanyon, Enfield and Poole: what each character does, what they stand for and how Stevenson uses them across the whole novel.
Jekyll and Hyde: Context
Victorian respectability, Darwin and the beast within, science against religion, and Gothic London, each tied to the chapter you can use it for.
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet: Plot Summary
Act by act summary of Romeo and Juliet: the feud and the feast, the secret marriage, the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, the Friar's potion and the tomb.
Romeo and Juliet: Characters
Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt, Lord Capulet, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence explained, grouped by Montague, Capulet and the characters caught between.
Animal Farm
Animal Farm: Plot Summary by Chapter
Chapter-by-chapter summary of Animal Farm, from Old Major's dream and the Rebellion to Napoleon's tyranny and the pigs finally walking on two legs.
Animal Farm: Characters and What They Represent
Every major character in Animal Farm and the real historical figure or group behind them, from Napoleon and Snowball to Boxer, Benjamin and the sheep.
Animal Farm: Context and the Russian Revolution
Why Orwell wrote Animal Farm, the Russian Revolution figures and events behind the story, and how the allegory carries his warning about power.
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice: Plot Summary
The plot of Pride and Prejudice stage by stage, from the Meryton ball and Mr Collins's refusal to Darcy's letter, Lydia's elopement and two proposals.
Pride and Prejudice: Characters
Elizabeth, Darcy, Jane, Bingley, Charlotte, Mr Collins, Lydia, Wickham and Lady Catherine, with what drives each one and how they change through the novel.
Pride and Prejudice: Context
The entail, marriage as survival, class and rank, and a woman's reputation in Regency England, each tied to the chapter you can use it for in the exam.
Pride and Prejudice Quotes
Key Pride and Prejudice quotations grouped by theme, each with the speaker, the chapter and a short analysis of what Austen is doing with the line.
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice: Plot Summary
Act by act summary of The Merchant of Venice: the bond of a pound of flesh, the casket test, Jessica's elopement, Shylock's trial and the trick of the rings.
The Merchant of Venice: Characters
Shylock, Portia, Antonio, Bassanio, Jessica and Lorenzo explained, with the villain or victim debate and what Shakespeare uses each character to show.
The Merchant of Venice: Context
Attitudes to Jews in Elizabethan England, usury, Venice as a trading republic, mercy against justice, and women and property, with where to use each.
