An analysis of The Man with the Twisted Lip
Introductory paragraph: background information about text. State the thesis statement.
Body paragraph (s): analysis
Conclusion paragraph: Final thoughts, summary, restatement
1. Format: Times New Roman, 12, spacing 1.5, margins 2,54cm, justified text, every paragraph should have indentation.
Shakespeare rejected the “happy” ending of the chronicle history of King Lear. This ending was adopted in a rewriting of King Leear by Nahum Tate in the 17th century. Can you defend a possible happy ending for the play? What would be lost or gained by this revision?
question 1:
Some have claimed that Desdemona is the only truly innocent character in Othello. Many claim that she truly loved Othello.
But, in Act 1, Othello tells us why she loves him. She was mesmerized by his stories of war and danger. She loved the thrill of his life. She loved the drama.
How do you think this contributes to Desdemona’s fate in Othello. Does her love of drama lead to her end?
Your response should be about 200 words.
question 2:
Iago is the source of all problems in Othello.
Why does he get to live? Why does Shakespeare keep him alive?
Your response should be about 200 words.
TOPIC OVERVIEW: A central theme in Much Ado About Nothing is trickery or deceit, whether for good or evil purposes. Good characters as well as evil ones engage in deceit as they attempt to conceal their feelings: Beatrice and Benedick mask their feelings for one another with bitter insults, and Don John spies on Claudio and Hero, etc. Who hides and what is hidden? Deception plays a major role in Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespearean scholar Nova Myhill notes that “Don Pedro, Claudio, Beatrice, and Benedick all observe and overhear scenes actually predicated on their presence, which they believe to be predicated on their absence; the deceptions are based on the victim’s assumption that he or she is seeing and hearing a private scene.” PAPER TOPIC: After carefully reading the overview above, write a literary paper in which you explore and discuss how deceit functions in the world of the play (choose one or two examples from the play), and whether it can also be viewed as a comment on life in general.
Shakespeare rejected the “happy†ending of the chronicle history of King Lear. This ending was adopted in a rewriting of King Leear by Nahum Tate in the 17th century. Can you defend a possible happy ending for the play? What would be lost or gained by this revision?
Instructions: Choose one of
the following topics to write a formal essay.
1. With reference to Ophelia and Gertrude,
analyze the extent to which the female characters in the play are powerful or
powerless.
2. Analyze the recurring role of imagery in
the play. Select from disease imagery, garden imagery or other.
3. For the first half of the play, Hamlet
seems to have the upper hand. Analyze the point in the play where things
turn against him and he loses control of the situation. Explore what
aspects of his character make him behave this way.
You will develop a central thesis, and
write using the formal voice (no personal pronouns, no colloquial language,
etc). Your paper should have an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
This paper should interpret and analyze, rather than simply summarize elements
of the story. You are expected to use textual evidence to support your
points. You must use proper MLA format, including in-text citations and a
Works Cited page
My chosen play is The Twelfth Night and my theme is Deception.
I. Introduction – In this section, you will introduce the theme and play you have chosen to explore and explain why you have chosen both. Introduce your
theme and play using scholarly resources to provide Elizabethan context for each. Lastly, you will construct a thesis that you will defend throughout the
paper regarding what makes the theme enduring.
A. Identify and describe the theme to be analyzed, utilizing scholarly resources.
B. Provide an overview for the theme’s Elizabethan context, utilizing scholarly resources. Consider social and cultural issues related to the theme.
C. Introduce the play and briefly describe its context within Elizabethan culture.
D. Compose a clear and concise thesis that explains why the theme you have chosen is enduring.
II. Theme – In this section, you will explore the treatment of the theme in the play you have chosen as well as the other plays you have read throughout
the term (Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew, and/or Hamlet). You will also explore the play in its Elizabethan context to discuss why Shakespeare may have chosen to write about the theme in the first
place.
A. Analyze the play in light of Shakespeare’s relationship with Elizabethan culture. For example, you might consider historical, social, and cultural
elements that are evident in his work, and how he treats them.
B. Based on your thesis, analyze the treatment of the theme in the play. For example, you might consider how Shakespeare uses characters,
settings, and plot to communicate the theme to his audience.
C. Explain the influence of this work in Elizabethan culture. Support your explanation with examples. For example, what do you think the audiences
and critics thought of it? Did it influence the culture in any way, immediately or eventually, as far as scholarship indicates?
D. Explain how the theme is represented in other Shakespearean works you have read this term. Support your explanation with examples.
III. Contemporary Context – In this section, you will analyze examples in contemporary culture where your theme endures. These examples can be anything
from short stories to modern interpretations of Shakespeare’s original work.
A. Select examples of twentieth or twenty-first-century contemporary culture that are representative of Shakespeare’s enduring theme.
B. Explain how each contemporary example is representative of the theme. For example, is the example an interpretation of the theme, or does it
present the theme as it was originally presented?
C. Compare and contrast twentieth or twenty-first-century contemporary representations of the theme with original representations. For example,
consider what changes were made, if any, to communicate the theme to a modern-day, contemporary audience.
IV. Conclusion – In this section, you will make conclusions about how enduring themes represented in Shakespeare’s work have shaped his legacy. Be sure
to reflect on what you have written up to this point and what you discussed in class.
A. Based on your thesis, explain why the theme endures. Support your explanation with scholarly sources.
B. Explain why Shakespeare’s legacy endures in contemporary culture. Support your explanation with the qualities that have allowed it to endure
in the first place.
C. Make predictions about the future of Shakespeare’s legacy based on the qualities that have allowed it to endure.
The paper must be submitted as a 4- to 6-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font,
one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in MLA format.
Attached are documents already submitted for this class with information that may help. I just had a new baby and couldn’t get out of taking this class so things are difficult right now.
