English 339: Shakespeare
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State UniversityPaper Guidelines
(paper 1 due day 1 of week 6; paper 2 due last class meeting)Your paper should focus on only ONE play. Choose ONE question included on one of the study guides and use it to formulate the thesis you will explore in your paper. For Paper One, choose from the study questions for A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It or Henry V; for Paper Two, choose from the study questions for Macbeth, Hamlet or The Tempest. (Note: while you should think about all parts of the prompt as you plan your essay, you will not necessarily answer every part of the question as you construct your argument.)
Paper should be 3-4 double-spaced, typed pages in a 10-pt. or 12-pt. font, with 1" margins on all sides (approximately 750-1000 words). Number pages after page 1. Your paper should NOT be significantly longer than these limits; grades are based in part on how well you adhere to the parameters of the assignment. Beware: I will notice over-sized (or under-sized) fonts and extra-large (or teeny-tiny) margins!!
Be sure to follow the guidelines provided here (not what you were asked to do in another class) for correct line spacing, indentation and documentation. Be sure to PROOFREAD for spelling, punctuation, and basic grammatical errors, as well as for clarity (clearly stated thesis; logical development of argument; adequate and relevant textual support; solid conclusion.) Consult the ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST both BEFORE and AFTER completing your first draft, and make sure you do not commit the sort of mechanical and stylistic errors listed on the checklist!
Remember that your paper should be textual analysis, not summary: you will cite carefully chosen examples from the readings in order to support a specific argument about them. The best analogy to writing a good analytic paper is a lawyer arguing a case in court. Both lawyer and paper writer must build a carefully constructed argument to prove the validity of a debatable point. Your client is analogous to your text and/or general topic; your client's "plea" -- guilty or innocent of what specific charges -- is analogous to your thesis. Like a good lawyer, you should begin with an opening statement (the introductory paragraph) which fully articulates your thesis and suggests how you will structure your argument. While your opening paragraph should not get into the specific examples you will discuss in the body of your paper, it should indicate what kinds of evidence you will use to make your case. You will support your thesis in the body of your paper (approximately three pages independent of your introduction and conclusion) by citing carefully chosen examples from the primary text(s) to demonstrate the validity of your thesis.
Don't forget to give paper a title which identifies play discussed and gives reader some idea of what you are arguing (your thesis). (Also, remember that your paper title should not be underlined or italicized, but the title of the play should be.)
The first paragraph of your paper should not only identify your topic, it should make clear precisely what you will argue ABOUT that topic. This information is your thesis, the central message of your paper. A thesis is not simply descriptive (a statement of facts) -- it takes a position on a debatable point based on textual interpretation which could conceivably be argued another way. For example: "Fertility/sterility imagery in A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a fine TOPIC for a paper. But simply stating that Shakespeare uses this imagery in the play is descriptive, not interpretive and analytic (there is no debatable point, and thus no thesis). To move from a topic to a thesis, you must explain what message that imagery communicates and/or why Shakespeare may have chosen to use that imagery; this "what" and "why" are the interpretive thesis you will argue in your paper. To account for the "why," your introductory paragraph should include any background information which is essential to your argument (but do not pad it with random "factoids" -- accurate facts that are not directly relevant to what you will argue in your paper).
A good introduction sketches out the parameters (but not the details) of the argument you will make in support of your thesis. (Save specific examples and quotation for the body of your paper.) It can be particularly helpful to include this "roadmap" of your essay in in-class writing (e.g. on an exam) since doing so forces you to think through the logical structure of your argument rather than charging off in a wrong direction. Even if you do not include this information in your introductory paragraph, thinking through where you are going before you write will add clarity to your paper, helping you to set up a paragraph structure dictated by the logic of your argument(rather than e.g. the order in which textual evidence occurs in the text you are writing about). It can also help your reader to see where your paper is going.
Do NOT begin your paper with truisms, statements of personal philosophy, generalities, or examples from modern life; get to your point, which is an interpretation of the primary texts. You have a limited amount of space in which to make your case; don't waste it on a "hook." (You already have my full attention.) Avoid using the first or second person (I, we, you) in constructing your argument, which should be presented as objectively as possible. The implication of first-person references is that your paper is just a statement of personal opinion, and thus no more valid than opposing opinions; why should the reader care what you think? Instead, aim for a tone of objective neutrality, which is rhetorically more effective than a statement of opinion ("I believe"; "I think") in convincing the reader of the objective validity of your argument.
The body of your paper (approximately three pages independent of your introduction and conclusion) provides textual support and analysis to demonstrate the validity of your thesis. Be sure to keep your paper analytic rather than descriptive. A summary of events or list of examples is NOT textual analysis; you must have something to say ABOUT the examples you cite.
Provide a separate paragraph for each step in your argument, with appropriate transitions between them. Order paragraphs according to the logic of your argument (not the order in which the citations occur in the primary text). Or, if your paper requires the analysis of different kinds of textual evidence that do not have obvious logical connections between them, start with the most general, simple, obvious or concrete points and examples and move to the most specific, complex, subtle and interpretive ones.
Provide three to four citations of carefully chosen textual evidence per paragraph (i.e. in support of each step of your argument). Follow up on your citations with a line or two of interpretation before moving on to a new example or a new idea (opening a new paragraph). Be sure to explain the relevance of the material you quote to your argument -- don't just stick it in and expect it to speak for itself. Textual evidence must be interpreted for the reader.
To return to the lawyer analogy, citations from the text are like testimony, the evidence you must interpret for the judge and jury. Your analysisof those citations is the cross-examination of witnesses and/or interpretation of the evidence -- what will make or break your case. If you don't make your points explicitly, they are not entered into the court record and cannot be considered by the jury (your professor) in deciding whether or not you have successfully defended your client (proven the validity of your thesis) -- nor can they be considered by the judge (also your professor) who assigns the final grade.
The least important part of an effective paper, the final paragraph can be short and sweet. Use it to sum up your argument without going in to so much detail that you repeat the body of the paper. Remind the reader of the debatable point you set out to prove and of the steps in the argument you have made. The best conclusions also offer some final insight or twist, a new thought that grows out of what you argued in the paper -- but avoid assertions that are so unconnected as to require a whole new paper to back them up. Don't end your essay with a quotation -- it's your paper, so you, not someone else, should have the last word.
All quotations from the play should be followed by parenthetical documentation that provides an abbreviated form of the title (e.g. MND, AYLI, HV, MAC, HAM, TEMP) and the act number, scene number, and INCLUSIVE LINE NUMBERS for the LINES quoted (NOT page numbers). Generally, capitalized Roman numerals are used for act number, small case Roman numerals for scene number, and arabic numerals for line numbers; alternatively, you may use all Arabic numerals. Act, scene and line numbers should be separated by periods but no spaces (i.e. "II.iv.33-40" or "2.4.33-40" for "Act two, scene 4, lines 33-40").
Your paper should include ONE foot- or endnote with the publication information, positioned immediately after the parenthetical reference for your first quotation. (Subsequent citations do not need an additional foot- or endnote; simply provide the required parenthetical documentation). Because the note provides full bibliographic information for the cited text, you will NOT include a Work Cited or Bibliography page at the end of your paper. Note form is preferable to a list of Works Cited because it allows you to specify how you will document citations from the play in your parenthetical references. (If this were a research paper -- which it is NOT! -- secondary sources would be on a list of Works Cited at the end of your paper.) You do NOT need a list of Works Cited when you are citing only from primary texts and have provided documentation for them in note form.
In your note, refer to the primary work(s) you are discussing by AUTHOR and SPECIFIC TITLE as found on the title page; include the name of the editor and the specific edition (e.g. "2nd Rev. Ed." -- see back of title page); the series title ("The Signet Classic Shakespeare" -- see title page) and give full bibliographic information from the back of title page (publisher, place and date of publication). Present this information according to the correct MLA format for a first reference in note form -- check example for correct order of elements, proper use of punctuation, capitalization, italics, etc. The note should also explain the system used for parenthetical references.
EXAMPLE of a first note reference:
1All quotations are taken from William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth, ed. Sylvan Barnet, 2nd. rev. ed., The Signet Classic Shakespeare (New York: Penguin Putnam, 1998), and will be indicated by the letters MAC followed by specific act, scene and line numbers quoted.
Cite Accurately: Be sure to cite accurately from the text or, should you modify a citation to fit more smoothly into the fabric of your prose, be sure to indicate any omitted words with ellipses (" . . . ") and any changes in vocabulary, verb tense, pronouns etc. in [square brackets], not (parentheses), which could be part of the quotation itself. Example: you might convert Macbeth's first-person statement "I dare do all that may become a man" (MAC I.vii.46) into the following third-person statement: Macbeth states that "[he dares] do all that may become a man" (MAC I.vii.46). Before turning in the final paper, proofread citations by checking them against the book. Be sure that you have cited and documented citations COMPLETELY and ACCURATELY, clearly indicating any omissions and/or changes.
Avoid Sentence Fragments: Your paper should consist of properly punctuated, grammatically complete sentences, not sentence fragments. To avoid sentence fragments when quoting, you can
Citing Verse: Many passages in Shakespeare's plays are in rhyme or in blank verse rather than in prose. When you are quoting fewer than four full lines of verse, the quotation should be integrated into your paragraph (not indented) and enclosed in quotation marks. Capitalize the first word of each line of verse and separate lines with a slash ("/"). Example: "Double, double, toil and trouble;/ Fire burn and caldron bubble" (MAC IV.i.10-11).
- cite only grammatically complete sentences, taking care not to cut off a citation in the middle of a sentence. This strategy avoids fragments but can be awkward and does not allow you much flexibility in constructing your prose. Or, you can
- embed fragmentary quotations into your prose, adding any elements necessary to result in a smooth, grammatically complete sentence. Example: Lady Macbeth's reference to "the babe that milks me" suggests that she has lost a child (MAC I.vii.5). The preceding sentence is grammatically correct, even though the cited passage "the babe that milks me" is a sentence fragment (lacking a main clause subject and verb).
By contrast, quotations of four or more lines of verse are presented as double-indented, single-spaced block quotations (see below); set them out in verse, as they appear on the page in your text (do not run them into paragraphs of prose).
Punctuation of Short Quotations With Parenthetical References:
Frequently, the final punctuation of a citation does not fit the syntax of your prose (e.g. the citation ends with a period, but you are still in the middle of YOUR sentence). For this reason, omit the final punctuation of quotations which are not presented in block form. Immediately following the parenthetical reference, insert whatever punctuation is appropriate to the syntax of your sentence (period, colon, semicolon, comma). Exception: if the quoted passage ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, include it before the final quotation mark AND insert the punctuation appropriate to the construction of your sentence after the parenthetical reference. You may also use ellipses [. . .] at the end of a citation if you wish to indicate that the passage continues beyond what you have quoted.
EXAMPLES:
The first four lines of Macbeth, act IV, scene i, read as follows:
1 Macbeth: Why should I play the Roman fool, and dieThese lines might be incorporated into your prose in the following ways:
2 On mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashes
3a Do better upon them.
3b Macduff: Turn, hell-hound, turn!
4 Macbeth: Of all men else I have avoided thee.When Macbeth asks himself, "Why should I play the Roman fool, and die/ On mine own sword?" (MAC V.viii.1-2), the enraged Macduff replies, "Turn, hell-hound, turn!" (MAC V.viii.3).Each of the examples above is a grammatically complete sentence suitable for inclusion in a formal analytic paper. The first includes two citations, one ending with a question mark and one with an exclamation point. Note that these final punctuation marks are included in the citation (before the final quotation marks), while the comma and period, the punctuation marks appropriate to the construction of your sentence, follow the parenthetical references. In the second grammatically complete sentence ("Macbeth's regret. . . "), note that the final punctuation is omitted from the quotation (there is no period within the quotation marks), while the appropriate punctuation for your sentence (a period) follows the parenthetical reference.Macbeth's regret at the murder of Macduff's wife and children is implied in his response: "Of all men else I have avoided thee" (MAC V.viii.4).
The next example incorporates passages taken from The Tempest:
When Prospero shows Alonso his supposedly drowned son playing chess with Miranda, Alonso is afraid that it is but "a vision of the island" (TEMP V.i.176). Miranda is equally amazed when she first sees Alonso, exclaiming, "O wonder!/ How many goodly creatures are there here!/ O brave new world/ That has such people in't!" (TEMP V.i.182-5).In the first sentence, the final punctuation of the citation has been omitted (there is no punctuation preceding the final quotation mark); in the second, the exclamation point from the citation has been preserved. In both cases, the parenthetical reference is followed by a period, the final punctuation required by the syntax of your prose (a grammatically complete sentence which requires a final period).(In all examples above, note the use of capitalization and slashes o indicate the beginning and end of lines of verse.)
FIX THIS SECTION
Block Quotations:A quotation of more than three type-written lines of prose (or four or more lines of verse) should be set off as a single-spaced block quotation (note how example looks below): double indent (two tabs) and omit quotation marks. In this case, final punctuation of the quoted material precedes the parenthetical reference, which is not followed by punctuation.
Longer quotations (four or more lines of verse, or prose passages that would take up more than three lines in your paper, regardless of numbering in the text) should be single-spaced and double indented (one more tab than for a new paragraph). Block quotations should preserve verse lines as found in your text (i.e., you should type a hard return at the end of each line of verse). Prose passages should be typed like a regular paragraph (do NOT hard return to preserve the line format found in your edition). Follow standard rules of capitalization (capitalize proper nouns and the first word of each sentence). Omit quotation marks and place final punctuation of the quotation at end of line quoted, before the parenthetical documentation:
PUNCTUATION FOR BLOCK QUOTATIONS: A quotation of more than three type-written lines of prose (or more than three full lines of verse) should be set off as a single-spaced block quotation (note how example looks below): double indent (two tabs) and omit quotation marks. In this case, final punctuation of the quoted material precedes the parenthetical reference, which is not followed by punctuation. Quotations of more than three lines of verse are treated as block quotations: set them out in verse, as they are on the page in your text (do not run them into paragraphs of prose). If you are quoting less than three full lines of verse, you may run them together, but mark the end of each line with a slash (/).
Toward the end of The Tempest, Prospero bids farewell to his magic: Here we see that Prospero's magic is equated to poetry. . .. . . But this rough magic
I here abjure; and when I have required
Some heavenly music (which even now I do)
[. . .] I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.(TEMP V.i.50-7)[Paper continues, double-spaced, below the indented, single-spaced quotation.]
Note that here, the final punctuation of "I'll drown my book" is at the end of the quoted line, preceding the parenthetical reference (which is not followed by punctuation).
Punctuation with parenthetical references: When you are quoting fewer than four full lines of verse, the quotation should be integrated into your paragraph (not indented) and enclosed in quotation marks. Capitalize the first word of each line of verse and separate lines with a slash ("/"). In these cases, final punctuation is moved from the end of the quotation to immediately AFTER the parenthetical reference. An exception: question marks or explanation points which are part of the quoted passage remain within the quotation marks; in that case, the parenthetical reference is still followed by whatever punctuation is appropriate to the construction of your sentence (period, colon, semicolon, comma).
Longer quotations (four or more lines of verse) should be single-spaced and double indented (one more tab than for a new paragraph) in a block which preserves verse lines. Omit quotation marks and place final punctuation of the quotation at end of line quoted, before the parenthetical documentation:
Toward the end of The Tempest, Prospero bids farewell to his magic: Here we see that Prospero's magic is equated to poetry. . .. . . But this rough magic
I here abjure; and when I have required
Some heavenly music (which even now I do)
[. . .] I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.(TEMP V.i.50-7)[Paper continues, double-spaced, below the indented, single-spaced quotation.]
Note that here, the final punctuation of "I'll drown my book" is at the end of the quoted line, preceding the parenthetical reference (which is not followed by punctuation).
Be sure to consult the ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST (which I will use in grading your papers) both BEFORE AND AFTER writing your first draft. Proofread carefully, and be sure that you do not make the errors included on the checklist!
Don't forget to give your paper a title which identifies the play discussed and gives your reader some idea of what you are arguing (your thesis). The paper title should not be underlined or italicized, but the title of most primary texts should be. (Exception: the titles of individual lyric poems are enclosed in "quotation marks," not italicized or underlined.)
Avoid using the first or second person (I, we, you). The implication of first-person references is that your paper is just a statement of personal opinion, and thus no more valid than opposing opinions; why should the reader care what you think? Instead, aim for a tone of objective neutrality, which is rhetorically more effective than a statement of opinion ("I believe"; "I think") in convincing the reader of the objective validity of your argument.
Use the present tense in writing about literature. The past tense is appropriate for discussion of historical context or to refer to events that occur before those recounted in the text, but keep discussion of what occurs in the text in the present tense.
As necessary, modify citations so that the quoted passages fit smoothly into the syntax of your sentences. Be sure to indicate any changes in the citation using [square brackets], not (parentheses), since parentheses could be part of the material you are quoting. Indicate any omitted words or lines with ellipses [. . . ].
Remember: this essay is NOT a research assignment. Do not cite secondary sources. As appropriate, you may bring in information from lecture, the Introductions in the texts and the study guides without documentation. To avoid plagiarism, be sure to state this information in your own words -- do not cite the guides or introduction directly.
On italics vs. underlining: either is acceptable, but pick one and use it consistently -- don't use both in the same essay.
Consult ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST (which I will use in grading your papers) BEFORE AND AFTER writing your first draft. Be sure that you do not make the sort of errors listed on this checklist!
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