Assignment Directions:
Respond to the prompt below in a minimum 2 page essay. This will likely be longer than five paragraphs because there is a lot of information to address in the prompt.
Your essay must address all parts of the prompt and be correctly formatted using MLA formatting guidelines.
You must use at least three pieces of direct evidence from the play and this evidence must be cited correctly.
Writing Prompt:
In his plays, Shakespeare uses characters to develop his message or theme. Select one of the characters in Othello and analyze how Shakespeare develops him or her over the course of the play. What do we know about this character and how do we know it?
Does this knowledge change over the course of the play? How? How does his/her role contribute to the development of the theme? What was Shakespeare telling audiences of his time? Is this message relevant to us today? Why or why not?
Some tips for completing this assignment:
1. Choose a theme you have identified in Othello.
2. Decide which character from the play best develops this theme.
3. Describe your initial observations about this character – their personality, their actions, their beliefs, their values, etc. Include evidence from the play that shows this.
4. Describe how this character’s personality, actions, beliefs, values, etc may have changed over the course of the play. Include evidence from the play that shows this.
5. Describe how this character contributes to the theme you selected in step 1. What did this character do that relates to the theme? Include evidence from the play that shows this.
6. Provide your opinion on what you think Shakespeare’s message to his audience was. State whether you believe this message is still relevant to audiences and readers today and why or why not.
Your introduction MUST end with a thesis statement that will prepare me to read about a character and a theme in Othello. Here is a sample thesis statement that you can use:
In Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, the theme of __________________ is developed through the character ________________.
How to cite evidence from a play using MLA formatting guidelines:
When citing Shakespeare plays, list the ACT, SCENE, and LINES in parenthetical citations (page numbers are NOT included), separated by periods. Enclose the citation in parentheses.
For example: (Shakespeare 1.3.14-17) refers to Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 14 to 17 of Othello.
A works cited page is not required.
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