In this paper, which asks you to compare two Shakespeare plays, I am looking primarily for three qualities: a significant argument; strong, sound use of evidence from the play; and clear, logical organization. By “a significant argument,” I mean one that, if read by a peer in our class, would add to his or her understanding and appreciation of the plays in question. In developing your argument, first explore possible ways of reading the speeches, scenes, and plays as a whole: since literary fictions are inherently ambiguous, there is no single, determinate meaning towards which literary interpretation is moving. There are, however, interpretations that are more or less persuasive than others, and an important part of literary interpretation is to weigh one interpretive possibility against another. Sophisticated literary interpretation often requires the ability to entertain simultaneously a range of different interpretive possibilities. By “sound use of evidence,” I mean that you should cite the text in order to bolster your claims and to focus the reader’s attention on specific aspects of language central to your thesis: the language of the plays is your greatest resource in building an argument and proving it. Shakespeare’s language is rarely straightforward, however, so these quotes should be followed by your own close analysis of the lines. Finally, this paper should be a critical reaction based on your own careful reading of the text, and no outside reading is necessary. If you do consult any outside written sources, you should credit all of them in your footnotes, even if you do not directly quote from them.

ESSAY PROMPT: This topic invites you to examine the depiction of love in Othello,Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and/orThe Winter’s Tale (Only choose two out of these). Each of these plays offers multiple models of love. Yet in each case love is complicated by a financial, familial, ethical, or other problems that threaten to compromise the union. Examine two or more representation of love, analyzing how and to what ends Shakespeare depicts models of love: is love physical, spiritual, and emotional? Why does Shakespeare juxtapose frequently opposing models of love? Here your comparison will allow you to develop an argument on Shakespeare’s differing, or similar, representations of love in two plays.