The Close Reading Essay, also called a literary analysis essay, presents a thesis about a Shakespeare play or poem from Weeks 1-3 and supports it with cited, applied examples from the text. It should be 3-4 pages long in proper MLA format. Plot summary should not be included or should be very brief; events in the play should only be narrated as a part of your persuasive analysis, as in, for example: “When Beatrice makes her shocking request, ‘Kill Claudio’ (4.1.287), another side of her character is revealed that is violent, vengeful, and decisive.” Form will be graded as well as content. Secondary sources are not required. Possible theses are wide-ranging and, leading up to this assignment, you should be writing down topics and characters that interest you in your reading notes. The following prompts are designed to get you thinking about the kinds of ideas that can become good Close Reading Essay theses:
Identify a theme (an implied statement) in a play or poem and argue that it is an important theme of that work of literature. You might argue that A Midsummer Night’s Dream communicates the wonders and importance of the imagination, for example.
Since a lot of this literature from Weeks 1-3 is about romantic love, you could choose 1-3 of the sonnets or either comedy and propose that they are making a particular statement about love (nuance and subtlety are important). For example, you might argue that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a satire about the fickleness of human love, or that Much Ado About Nothing presents two different kinds of love––one driven by social custom and the other a true joining of minds and hearts.
Is there a character, event, or setting in any of these plays that may seem insignificant but is actually central to the artistic or thematic effect of the text?
Choose an enigmatic statement in one of these works of literature, one that does not have an agreed-upon meaning, and propose a reading of it. A good example is Beatrice’s speech to Don Pedro: “Indeed, my lord, he lent it me a while, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me, with false dice” (2.1.242-45).
How is a particular female character depicted in one of these works written in a male-dominated society and how does she interact with the apparent perceptions of gender roles in the play? Can you draw any conclusions about how gender roles are represented in this text? Does the text seem in line with its culture on this topic, or is it pushing any boundaries? (this may be tricky to determine without outside research). Alternately, you could answer one or more of these questions about masculinity. Much Ado About Nothing is particularly fertile ground for this prompt.
What does a particular example of literary form contribute to meaning, like an employment of an element of the sonnet form (iambic pentameter, the heroic couplet…) or the interplay between poetry and prose in a comedy?
Remember that, for all of these topics, your thesis must be very focused and specific. Due Week 3, Day 7. Please also see the rubric for specific expectations.
