AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel November 2020 question paper 8702/1

Macbeth

Read the following extract from Act 5 Scene 1 of Macbeth and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, the Doctor and the Gentlewoman watch Lady Macbeth sleepwalking.

‘Lady Macbeth is a female character who changes during the play.’

Starting with this moment in the play, explore how far you agree with this view.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth in this extract

• how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes in the play as a whole.

Romeo and Juliet

Read the following extract from Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, the Prince has arrived to stop the fight that has broken out in the centre of Verona.

Starting with this speech, explore how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict in this extract

• how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families in the play as a whole.

The Tempest

Read the following extract from Act 5 Scene 1 of The Tempest and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, Prospero is preparing to leave the island and return to Milan.

Starting with this speech, explore how Shakespeare presents ideas about power and control.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents ideas about power and control in this speech

• how Shakespeare presents ideas about power and control in the play as a whole.

The Merchant of Venice

Read the following extract from Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, Portia, disguised as Balthasar, a Doctor of Laws, is explaining to Shylock why he should show mercy to Antonio.

Starting with this speech, explore how Shakespeare presents attitudes to mercy in The Merchant of Venice.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents Portia’s attitude to mercy in this extract

• how Shakespeare presents attitudes to mercy in the play as a whole.

Much Ado About Nothing

Read the following extract from Act 4 Scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, the wedding party has assembled and Hero is being questioned.

Starting with this moment in the play, explore how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of male characters towards women in Much Ado About Nothing.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of male characters towards women in this extract

• how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of male characters towards women in the play as a whole.

Julius Caesar

Read the following extract from Act 3 Scene 1 of Julius Caesar and then answer the question that follows.

At this point in the play, Caesar is assassinated.

Starting with this moment in the play, explore how Shakespeare presents the ways Rome and its people are affected by conflict.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents the ways Rome and its people are affected by conflict in this extract

• how Shakespeare presents the ways Rome and its people are affected by conflict in the play as a whole.

Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Read the following extract from Chapter 10 (Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case) of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Jekyll describes his experience of taking the potion for the first time.

Starting with this extract, explore how Stevenson presents ideas about good and evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Write about:

• how Stevenson presents ideas about good and evil in this extract

• how Stevenson presents ideas about good and evil in the novel as a whole.

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

Read the following extract from Chapter 3 of A Christmas Carol and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, the Ghost of Christmas Present is about to leave Scrooge.

Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in A Christmas Carol.

Write about:

• how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in this extract

• how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in the novel as a whole.

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations

Read the following extract from Chapter 3 of Great Expectations and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Pip sets out across the marshes to look for Magwitch.

Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens uses settings to create an atmosphere of tension.

Write about:

• how Dickens uses the setting in this extract

• how Dickens uses settings to create an atmosphere of tension in the novel as a whole.

Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre

Read the following extract from Chapter 27 of Jane Eyre and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Jane rejects Rochester’s marriage proposal after discovering he is already married to Bertha Mason.

Starting with this extract, explore how far Brontë presents Jane as an independent female character.

Write about:

• how Brontë presents Jane in this extract

• how far Brontë presents Jane as an independent female character in the novel as a whole.

Mary Shelley: Frankenstein

Read the following extract from Chapter 23 of Frankenstein and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Frankenstein discovers his wife, Elizabeth, has been murdered.

Starting with this extract, explore how Shelley presents grief and loss.

Write about:

• how Shelley presents Frankenstein’s grief in this extract

• how Shelley presents grief and loss in the novel as a whole.

Arthur Conan Doyle: The Sign of Four

Read the following extract from Chapter 10 (The End of the Islander) of The Sign of Four and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Holmes and Watson are on the River Thames in pursuit of Jonathan

Starting with this extract, explore how Conan Doyle creates an atmosphere of tension and excitement in The Sign of Four.

Write about:

• how Conan Doyle creates an atmosphere of tension and excitement in this extract

• how Conan Doyle creates an atmosphere of tension and excitement in the novel as a whole.