Need Help with Shakespeare?

Macbeth, by Shakespeare, includes difficult language and may cause many people to not be able to follow along with the play. There are many secondary sources available such as SparkNotes, CliffNotes, Shmoop, GradeSaver, etc; however, there is one that stands out from all of those. GoodTickleBrain is a helpful website when you need a simple summary for some of Shakespeare’s works. It is the best secondary source to use because it includes visuals and explains the information in a simple way, allowing people to understand what is happening in the play.

Not only does visual learning help people retain the information, but it is also a more enjoyable way to read. Images are proven to be more appealing and engaging than long paragraphs of words. One scene that was drawn well on GoodTickleBrain was:

“Lady Macbeth: What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;

   It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness

   To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great.

   Art not without ambition, but without

   The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly,

   That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, …”

   (Act I Scene 5)

In this particular scene for GoodTickleBrain, the second panel was drawn well. It shows Lady Macbeth’s thought process of how Macbeth will become King (and kill Duncan). With that illustration, you will have a clearer idea of what Lady Macbeth wants to happen. There have been countless studies that confirmed the power of visual learning. For example, there was a study that asked students to memorize many groups of three words each, such as dog, bike, and street. To memorize them, most students simply repeated the words over and over again in their head, but they did poorly when recalling them. However, when they were told to make visual associations with the word, they did significantly better. Sketches of scenes of the play are the most essential part of GoodTickleBrain, which is what makes the website so great.

One of the problems that many people have when reading Shakespeare is the language. Along with the fun drawings, GoodTickleBrain has short captions for each sketch. Each caption, is short, simple, but still grasps an accurate idea of the scene. Here is one part of the play that is easily explained:

“Macbeth: The table’s full.

Lennox: Here is a place reserved, sir.

Macbeth: Where?

Lennox: Here, my good lord. What is’t that moves your highness?
Macbeth: Which of you have done this?

Lords: What, my good lord?

Macbeth: Thou canst not say I did it. [to Banquo’s Ghost] Never shake

   Thy gory locks at me.” (Act III Scene 4)

In this section of the scene, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost. The way GoodTickleBrain shows the scene is easy to understand. Especially in the last scene, Macbeth is pointing to the ghost and screams “AHHH!!!”; reading that was entertaining and humourous. There are also short analyses either at the beginning or the end of each sketch to help readers look deeper into the play. Occasionally, there may be recaps of what happened right before this scene. (ie. Act V Scene 1) If there is an important part of the play, GoodTickleBrain will include it as well. (ie. act II Scene 2). These examples are just a few of the bonuses provided in this website that are beneficial when reading Macbeth through a secondary source.

GoodTickleBrain is the ideal secondary source to use; it includes visuals and simple, yet helpful analyses of each scene. The website also includes so many tools, such as videos, recaps, and important quotes directly from the play. GoodTickleBrain can help you retain the information longer, better understand the reading, and make it more entertaining and appealing when reading it.