Shakespeare’s 1606 play Macbeth stands among his deepest, most insightful, and most stirring tragedies. This tale of ruthless ambition follows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they embark on a quest for power, murdering King Duncan and seizing the throne of Scotland. As the play lurches towards its end, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth collapse into twin spirals of guilt and paranoia. Shakespeare laces the play with rich allusions from Greco-Roman and biblical lore, intensifying the age-old themes of this timeless drama.

Skills: analysis, close reading, drawing inferences from a text, interpreting implications of allusions

About This Document

The Owl Eyes Allusions activity gives students an opportunity to practice identifying and analyzing allusions. Allusions broaden the scope of a text and imbue passages of the text with deeper meaning by subtly drawing on literature, history, science, geography, philosophy, mythology, or other cultural sources. The main components of this activity include the following:

• A contextualized paragraph of the text
• A handout defining “allusion” with examples from classic works
• A list of tips for spotting allusions
• A step-by-step guide to activity procedure
• An example answer

In completing this activity, students will be able to identify, analyze, and interpret allusions, thereby accessing deeper meanings within the text.