For the fifth essay of the semester, you are to focus William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. This essay should range between a minimum of nine hundred words to a maximum of eleven hundred. As with your previous essays, you are to choose a topic from the play and then argue what you believe Shakespeare is saying about that topic. To do this, create a thesis that states what you believe the central theme of a story is. That thesis will drive the remainder of the essay, and each paragraph should support it. Avoid a thesis that is obvious, and, of course, one that is factual. Since we've discussed many topics in class, it will be difficult for you to find something we haven't discussed. That's fine. Just be careful not to write an essay in which you merely regurgitate what we've said in class. Go deeper into your topic--or take a different approach to it. And remember that I want your analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of the literature. I don't simply want a summary of the story. We've all read it. Why repeat what we all know? Shakespeare told the story much better than you'll be able to do. Rather, I want to see good critical thinking skills at work in this essay. Support your thesis by taking events and quotations from the play. Then analyze those events and quotations, and don't be afraid to evaluate Shakespeare's handling of the material. I want to hear you say something like the following: "Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, a strong, determined woman at the beginning of the play, becomes a victim of her own ambition. Trying to deny her conscience, Lady Macbeth is finally overwhelmed by it, to the point of suicide. Through her, Shakespeare convincingly shows his audience the malicious effects of ambition when it is used for immoral gains, even in the most seemingly amoral of characters." Of course, limited summary is necessary for you to analyze, interpret, and evaluate, but be sure that for every sentence of summary you use, you should write two-to-three sentences of analysis and evaluation. Up to 15% of your paper may appear in quotation marks, and even that's a lot. Document the quotations you take from the text according to the following example: When Macbeth faces death, he says, "Out, Out, brief candle! / Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage" (5.5.26-28). The quotation marks indicate Macbeth's words, the slash / indicates the end of one line of poetry and the beginning of another. The numbers in parenthesis (5.5.26-28) indicate act five, scene five, lines twenty-six through twenty-eight. Since you will only be quoting from one source--Shakespeare--it will not be necessary for you to repeat Shakespeare's name every time you use a quotation. If you choose to quote four lines or more of poetry, then set the quotation off from the rest of your paper by indenting ten spaces from the left margin. End the line of quotation where Shakespeare ends it. Therefore, you will not use the slash / to indicate the ends of lines. Your quotations should not have quotation marks, since the indentation alone indicates that it is from the play:
One important caveat: Please do not devote any significant part of your essay to William Shakespeare's life. Focus on exploring the theme that you've chosen, not on how it reflects the author's life. Some Topics to Consider 1. Provide a substantial definition of tragedy, and then use the points of your definition to argue that the general-king Macbeth is the tragic figure in Shakespeare's play. For this topic, I'll evaluate you by the substance of your definition as well as by your argument, so take time and care with how you define tragedy. If you borrow material for this--in the form of quotations or paraphrases--be sure to tell me the sources. However, I'd prefer that you create your own definition. 2. Shakespeare entitles his tragic play Macbeth. Through implication, of course, we think that the tragic character is the general-king. But what if the tragedy is Lady Macbeth's? As with topic #1, create your own substantial definition of tragedy, and then use that definition to argue that the tragic figure is not husband Macbeth but wife Macbeth. Once again, take time and care with your definition of tragedy. 3. Discuss the role of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth. In your essay, consider whether they are the three fates of ancient Greece who control the lives of humans or whether they are simply catalysts for Macbeth's own lust for power. 4. Critics often say that the plot of Macbeth, with its witches and gore, is melodramtic, but the play seems to be less interested in mysticism and murder than it is in the effects of prophecies and murder on the characters involved. Argue this latter point--that Shakespeare's real aim in this play is the psychological exploration of prophecies and murder on the minds of even the most seemingly amoral humans. 5. In 3.1, Macbeth hires two men to murder Banquo and Fleance. The king convinces the two men that they are suffering economically because of Banquo, and this is reason enough for them to commit murder. Added to this, Macbeth says that he will reward the men for the assassinations. However, in 3.3, three men attempt the murders of Banquo and Fleance. Shakespeare never tells us who this third murderer is. Create an essay in which you convincingly argue the identity of the third murderer. For this topic, don't introduce any characters not already mentioned in the play, and be logical in your approach. Check your syllabus for the due date. Good Luck! |