Macbeth Final Essay

Please discuss one of the following topics in a well-developed and well-supported essay. The essay should have an introduction, at least 3 body paragraphs, and a thoughtful conclusion. The essay should include 6-9 quotations that effectively illustrate your ideas.

Topic Choices:

1. Choose your favorite speech from Macbeth and analyze it. The speech should be at least 10 lines long.

Your essay will answer three questions in three separate body paragraphs:

1. How does the speech further the plot (i.e. move the story forward)?

2. How does the speech reveal a particular personality trait of a character? Does it explain a change in the character's development or growth? The speech may reveal something about the speaker and/or someone else. Make clear in your topic sentence what aspect of the speech you are addressing.

3. What theme or motif does the speech further? fate vs. free will [chance vs. agency] appearance vs. reality order vs. disorder manhood natural vs. unnatural ambition guilt vs. conscience honor pride loyalty disease/cure planting/growing clothing bravery vs. brutality

2. What is a man? How does Lady Macbeth define a man? How does Macbeth? Malcolm? Macduff? What are the subtle differences between at least three characters' definitions for manliness?

3. Think about the evolution of the Macbeths' relationship. How would you define the relationship in Act 1? How do the events of Act 2 affect the relationship? What is happening between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act 3, the last time the audience sees them together? Are the Macbeths in love? Come to a significant conclusion about the Macbeths' relationship and prove it with specific examples from the text.

4. Compare the characters of Duncan and his eldest son, Malcolm. In what significant ways are the two men different? Would Malcolm make a better king than his father? Why?

5. How has Macbeth's murderous thoughts evolved across the play? How has he evolved as a killer? Consider the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's family. What does each murder reveal about Macbeth's changing character and killer instincts? Make an argument and support your ideas with textual evidence.

6. Compare Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff. What do the two women have in common? How do the two women differ? How is Lady Macduff a foil for Lady Macbeth? What is the significance of the similarities and the differences between these two women?

Quotations and Citations

1. Use / marks to separate lines in a speech.

Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, "We will proceed no further in this business. / He hath honored me of late" (1. 7.34-35).

2. Make sure you provide the context BEFORE citing the quotation.

3. Check to make sure you copy the quotations accurately. Check punctuation, capitalization, line breaks, and line numbers.

4. When you use words from the quotation in your analysis, you do not need to cite them. Example: Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, "We will proceed no further in this business. / He hath honored me of late ... " (1.7.34-35). When Macbeth says he wants "no further" discussion, Macbeth asserts himself to Lady Macbeth. His resolve is short lived as her manipulation quickly changes his mind . 5. Do not combine quotations said by different characters! If you use quotations from different characters that directly follow each other, they must be separated and considered two quotations.

IMPORTANT DUE DATES:

_____ Evidence List (10-15 quotations written out) _____ Picture of an Essay

_____ Rough Draft

The Final Draft is due on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. Remember to turn in all prework and rough drafts with the final draft.