IGCSE English Literature 4ET1

In The Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera presents many complex characters with intriguing dynamics between each other. It can be argued that all characters are powerful in their own ways, whether through Koro’s position as Chieftain or Kahu as The Whale Rider. Personally, I argue that Rawiri, the narrator of our novel, holds the most power.

An Inspector Calls is a morality play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945 after World War II upset the previously strict socioeconomic hierarchy between capitalist and working class in Britain. The character of Inspector Goole is a proxy for Priestley to espouse his socialist and pacifist views, functioning both as an inspector within the play and a meta-inspector for the audience watching.

Throughout Macbeth, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, good and evil are presented not as diametric opposites but as coexistent and even overlapping forces, suggesting that the potential for evil exists in everyone and may even be disguised by the appearance of righteousness. The Witches, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth can all be seen as fusions of good and evil, and even Macduff, their unambiguously good counterpart, has the capacity to do harm.

Macbeth, a Jacobean tragedy written by William Shakespeare, presents kingship as a necessary component that influences a country’s power. As the play progresses under the ruling of three kings – Duncan, Macbeth, and Malcolm – Shakespeare suggests that peace and power are only maintained under the right leader, and chaos will take over once a wrong leader takes the place.

Writing in 1945 after the destruction of WW2, J.B. Priestley saw an opportunity to rebuild Britain in a more empathetic, socialist and socially responsible manner. In An Inspector Calls, Priestley uses the theme of age not only to contrast the rigid, self-serving values of the older Edwardian generation with the open-mindedness of youth but also as a broader metaphor for Britain’s potential moral growth.

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606) is a play that, at its very core, warns of the dangers of unchecked ambition and accepting your God-given role in the Great Chain of Being. Functioning as a didactic force of royalist propaganda, Shakespeare aimed to ingratiate himself with the newly crowned King James I by discouraging attempted acts of regicide following the Gunpowder Plot.

Revision video lesson, PowerPoint and study notes for Death and the King’s Horseman IGCSE Literature. Review context, character, symbols, themes, language, form and structure.

Revision video, PowerPoint and study notes for The Whale Rider IGCSE English Literature, especially for students of Edexcel 4ET1.

Video lesson, PowerPoint and study notes for An Inspector Calls IGCSE revision. Review: context, characters, themes, symbols, form and structure.

Review video lesson and PowerPoint for IGCSE Macbeth Revision, perfect for students of Edexcel 4ET1. Revise character, themes, symbols, form & structure.