Shakespeare s Last Stand You have been asked to write a literary essay which examines a topic from our play. A literary essay IS NOT A REVIEW. It is an analysis. You are taking a piece of writing and trying to discover how and why it is put together the way it is by looking at such elements as structure, character, theme, style, tone, and subtext. LITERARY ESSAY You must decide on a viewpoint on the play and show how the details of the work support your viewpoint. That means supporting your thoughts/opinions with evidence from the play itself. A literary essay must be YOUR OWN interpretation, based only on your reading of the piece. English 621 Shakespearean Study How do You Start? What Should I Call It? Try to write about something in the play that you find interesting. Look through your list of topics and choose one of them that you are sure you can examine further in essay form. There are plenty of topics. Surely there is one in the list that appeals to something you found interesting while we studied it. Remember, your topic should also address the many discussions we had in class surrounding our play. Read the front and back matter of your play. Check out sparknotes and cliffnotes. Discuss with peers. Read some online articles for ideas. Phone a Shakespeare scholar. But leave Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford alone. Give your essay an interesting title that leaves no doubt about the position you are taking. Do not call it Literary Essay. That is not very creative and will earn you low marks. You are addressing a theme. Your title should reflect that. Assume a very intelligent (don t forget handsome and bald) reader who has also read the play - will be looking over the work (which means he ll catch on quickly), but He has NEVER examined the theme. He has NEVER taken a really deep look into characters, etc. That s your job. The reader has read the play and does understand it very well, however, so he doesn t need it reviewed; he needs it analyzed. 1
Be Clear and Concise Don t Review the Plot! Keep your writing/tone straightforward and your explanations very clear and concise. Which means don t waste words be clear without being overly-verbose. As a Shakespeare character once said: Brevity is the soul of wit. The same guy said: I will be brief. Write as directly and clearly as you can, but remember that "simple" does not mean "simplistic. In this case, simple means clear and to the point, not confusing and too wordy. Sometimes, in an effort to impress the reader, some writers use words that are not used properly. Keep your diction sophisticated, but don t use words you do not understand. Don't retell the story. Don t just write a review of parts of the plot. Your job is to analyze part of the play you found interesting. A re-telling of the plot is useless in literary essays. Remember, your reader also read the play and knows the plot. He hasn t, however, analyzed the play. Plot review is usually only used briefly and only to set up the context of the quotations you plan to analyze. Instead, think about what you have read and use it to interpret themes, characters, history, etc. Don't be afraid to take risks to interpret. Aim for a thesis that not everyone would agree with. Choose a topic that is out of the ordinary and mundane. Stand by Your Stance Organizing a Literary Essay Don't assume there's one correct view regarding your topic; in literary study there isn't. This does not mean that ANY position you take is correct; make sure it makes sense and you have the evidence from the play to support your stance. Make sure any argument you present is supported by text evidence (lines from the play). Actual quotes by characters that support what you write. Explain your arguments thoroughly and patiently. Don't expect the reader to just get it. Remember, he hasn t analyzed the play before, but he catches on pretty quickly for a bald guy. Organize your paragraphs according to the development of your argument. Not according to the chronological order of a text. Cover one aspect of your argument per section of your essay. Don t assume one paragraph will be enough. Divide your essay into sections, each exploring a different aspect of your topic. Use transitions to show how sections are logically connected to each other and to your thesis. Transitional devices link one section to the next one. They are essential to good writing. Make sure you read the link on coffinblog s Grammar page entitled: Linking Ideas: Using Transitions in Writing 2
Organizing a Literary Essay Stay on Topic & Use Quotes You are required to use HEADINGS for each section of your essay: Introduction (but give it a creative, catchy title) Section1 Title (catchy title) Section 2 Title (catchy title) Section 3 Title (catchy title) More Sections if necessary (and more catchy titles) Conclusion (again, use a catchy title) You will identify these sections in your essay outline. Don't try to say everything you've figured out about the play in one essay. Remember, you are focusing on a very specific topic. Stick to it. Select only those quotations that advance and support your particular thesis. Set up quotations with a brief reminder to readers of what is happening in the text at that point (but don t summarize plot). Also remember to use the Three Steps to In-Text Citations: Macbeth s madness seems to grow worse in the presence of Lennox and Ross, which may lead to his downfall. They can t help but wonder in Act III-Scene IV, when he raves, This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, led you to Duncan. (III.iv.135) Even a low-level CSI could draw a parallel with this line and Banquo s disappearance. Integrate quotations into your essay so that everything reads as coherent sentences. Keep quotations as brief as you can, but... When you use them, however, write out the whole quotation. If it is important enough to use, then it is important enough to write it out. Using Quotes Learn Your Roman Numerals! When quoting the play, make certain to use proper MLA in-text quotations: Act. Scene. Line. Roman Numerals MUST be used for act/scene. Also make sure to use the Three Steps to In-Text Citations. For example: They can t help but wonder in Act III-Scene IV, when he raves, This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, led you to Duncan. (III.iv.135) For Acts: 1 = I 2 = II 3 = III 4 = IV 5 = V For Scenes: 1 = i 2 = ii 3 = iii 4 = iv 5 = v 6 = vi 7 = vii 8 = viii 9 = ix 3
While Your Write/Type Great Essays Will: Use present tense to show that literary works and the issues they raise are still alive. Using past tense indicates that the themes aren t still relevant to us as readers and members of Shakespeare s human condition. Not MacDuff was..." but MacDuff is..." Show that you care about your work by proofreading carefully. We will do a peer revision. Students must also be their own best editors. Have a strong introduction that clearly states a strong thesis that is thoughtful, argumentative, and specific; Strong introductions hook the reader. How will you hook yours? A quote from a character? An anecdote? A controversial statement? Write supporting details, examples, and quotes with insightful, on topic information to support analysis; This shows the reader that you as a Shakespeare reader have fully understood the play and the essay you choose. Use well-selected passages from the play to create substantial proof of thesis; Which means students will use actual lines from the play in order to support any claims they make about the play. Great Essays Will Also Great Essays Will Also Analyze how the evidence supports the main idea of each section; You want to make a point and want to use actual lines from the play. Good idea, but Don t just insert a line from the play without telling the reader how it supports your thesis. Use the Three Steps to In-Text Citations. It is clear that MacDuff holds nothing but disdain for MacDuff when he says, Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? (IV.i.112). Of course, in Macbeth s deteriorating mind, MacDuff presents no threat when, in fact, he should have been very worried and looking for possible loopholes in the witches prophecies. Connect all of your analysis to the thesis; Remember, the entire essay is being written to support a thesis statement. If you wander in another direction during the writing of your essay, then you aren t staying on topic. Select the most effective organizational pattern in support of the thesis; What is the best way to set up this essay? How many sections will you develop and in what order? This is where the outline is KEY. Adhere to MLA format and essay conventions: Use transitions to effectively link ideas; Avoid slang and saying you or I ; Don t use msn or text typing. This isn t the place for it. Use sophisticated word choices, sentence variety, and paragraph development; Be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors; Keep a consistent verb tense: the present tense. 4
The Outline More Outline Stuff Must be typed on a single page. Must follow the rules: Use pagination. Parallelism is important. Must include the following elements/headings: Title of your essay (centered at the top of the page) Introduction (but use the catchy one you created) Under the Introduction, write out your eventual thesis statement. Section One (but use your catchy name) Section Two (but use your catchy name) Section Three (you MUST have at least three you may have many more) Other Sections (and their catchy names of course) Conclusion (again, use a catchy phrase for the conclusion) Under Conclusion, write out another version of your thesis statement. No line in your outline may exceed eight words. Unless you use actual lines from the play as your section titles. Outlines follow this format: I Introduction Thesis Statement written here. II III IV Section One A. Supporting Detail B. Supporting Detail 1. More Info 2. (IV. vi. 11-12) C. Supporting Detail Section Two The Rest of the Outline General Rules More General Rules: This is a major activity. Have it completed on time. Submit on the due date. 10% reduction per day late. After 5 days, student is incomplete for English 621. Essays must be typed (or very neatly hand-written) and double-spaced. Gives the reader a chance to correct/comment. The reader prefers essays that are typed. MLA rules must be followed: No cover page; pagination; one-page outline; double-spaced body; section headings; in-text citations (using the three steps); transitions. Essays must be within the 1000-1500 word range. Since you have the topics already, you have lots of time to prepare. It doesn t take long to develop an essay that reaches 1000 words. Don t worry about word count when writing count when you re done and see if you need to add/remove words or sections. If you use quotes LONGER than four lines, then the quote must be indented on both sides AND single-spaced. Try to avoid really long quotes. Choose shorter portions of speeches; they re more effective. You will be expected to hand in your copy of the play when you submit the essay. If your copy of the play isn t returned, you will receive an incomplete grade for the activity (and the course). 5