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Read essay assignment and please follow the exactly instruction and example carefully especially the black bold letter in the pdf.

1.Choose ONE of the following topics and craft a scintillating, well-written essay of six full pages in response.

Your essay must include the following:

• a focused interpretive argument about the meaning of The Taming of the Shrew and/orI Henry IV. Keep plot summary to a minimum; assume that your reader has read the playsonce, but may be unaware of deeper implications.
• a clearly-stated thesis statement early in the essay which articulates your argument. Thisstatement should do more than just announce the topic of the paper, and it should avoid the”similarities and differences” formula. Underline your thesis statement.
• at least one passage from the script which you analyze closely. This section of your paper should demonstrate your attention to nuances of language and imagery, subtleties of characterization, and key ideas and issues; it should also demonstrate your ability to closely paraphrase the meaning of the passage correctly and place that passage in its proper dramatic context. You should use the Oxford English Dictionary to explain the meaning of at leastone key word.

2. paper style:

Opening paragraph of the essay:

The opening paragraph of your essay should announce your topic and give the reader sufficient background so that s/he can understand the interpretive controversy you are addressing. Often, the opening paragraph includes the thesis statement, but it is not required.

Body of the essay:

The body of your essay should lay out evidence for your interpretive position and explain to the reader how that evidence supports your thesis. The intellectual quality and refinement of your analysis of the Shakespearean text is crucial to the success of your essay, so look for the following:

• the general sense of the passage. Overall, what is the argument of the speech or line?
• key lines or phrases. Often, Shakespeare includes key lines or phrases which encapsulatethe meaning of a passage, so those should get your special attention.
• the tone of the passage. Does the choice of language reveal joy, anger, sarcasm, manipulativeness or anguish? How do you imagine the actor saying these lines?
• the “subtext” of the passage. Are there elements of the speaker’s character revealed that he or she may not explicitly state? What in the text indicates those elements to you?
• the dramatic context of the passage. To whom is the character speaking? What is s/he seeking to accomplish by saying these words? What happens right before and right after the character says these words?
• imagery and metaphors. Much of the meaning of Shakespearean writing is carried in his choice of images and metaphors. What are the key images and metaphors, and what do they contribute to the meaning of the passage? Don’t move too quickly to “symbol-hunting.”

Conclusion of the essay:

The concluding paragraph of your essay should not simply paraphrase the opening paragraph or summarize the essay. Certainly it is appropriate to remind your reader in a sentence or two what you have been arguing, but the bulk of your concluding paragraph should be devoted to answering the question, “SO WHAT?” In the final paragraph, you can assume that you have sufficiently supported your thesis in the body of the essay. The final paragraph should therefore be devoted to suggesting the larger significance of your thesis, why your argument is interesting, important, or relevant.

3. Citation :

When quoting prose, you do not need to acknowledge the line breaks with slashes.

INCORRECT: Sly’s vehement denials that he has worn “no more doublets than backs, no more stockings / than legs, nor no more shoes than feet” (The Taming of the Shrew Ind. 2.8-9) suggest that he feels the need to convince others about hisidentity.

CORRECT: Sly’s vehement denials that he has worn “no more doublets than backs,no more stockings than legs, nor no more shoes than feet” (The Taming of the ShrewInd. 2.8-9) suggest that he feels the need to convince others about his identity.

BASIC GUIDELINES:

1. • Block quotation should be reserved for quotations of longer than 20 words. The length ofanalysis should be at least as long as the quotation itself. If you quote four lines, forexample, you should devote at least four lines to close analysis.
   • Each block quotation should follow a loose formula:
     • first, introduce the passage to the reader, reminding him or her where it falls within the plot (who is speaking to whom about what subject and why). Don’t just give line numbers–rather, sketch out the dramatic context.
     • second, quote the passage.
     • third, analyze the passage closely, drawing the reader’s attention to what you see asthe most important and telling elements of the passage.