Final Project on Romeo and Juliet: Literary Essay

I. Write an essay on one of these topics:

• express your perspective/opinion on an important theme/issue (ex. young love, fate, arranged marriage, etc.)
• analyze one aspect of the writer's craft; for instance, write about the meaning of a symbol or write about the importance of metaphor in the text
• analyze one of the characters
• compare/contrast the play to another text or to a historical, personal, and/or current situation or event in real life
• If you would like a specific topic to write about, here is one:

Write an essay in which you answer these questions: What caused the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet? Was it fate? Youth and innocence? Anger and hatred between feuding families? Were certain individuals more at fault than others, certain character flaws such as impulsiveness or vengefulness? What message does this tragedy show the readers?

Here are a few examples of causes and some supporting evidence from the text:

Fate

Act 1 Prologue: line 6 Star-crossed lovers; Sc 4: 113-120
Act 3 Sc 1: 124-25, 142 “Fortune’s fool”; Sc 5, 54-57
Act 5 Sc 1, 16-25 “I defy you, stars”; Sc 3, 110-12 “inauspicious stars”

Anger and feuding
Act 1 prologue lines 3-5; Act 3.1; 5.3, 301-305

Excessive passion/irrational love

Act 2 prologue lines 5-14; Act 2.3. 71-72, 101; 2.6.9-15



Romeo and Juliet's desperation and impulsiveness: Act 3, Scenes 2 , 3, and 5; Act 4.1; Act 5.1 and 5.3

For all essays, be sure to include:

1. a thesis statement in your introduction
2. at least 5 paragraphs overall
3. at least 3 quotations with elaboration
4. an outline and at least one draft

II. Process:

1. Choose a topic. Freewrite in your notebook (list, chart, web, or write stream of conscious entry). What do you mainly want to show about your topic? What do you know about it? What questions do you still have about it?
2. Choose 3-5 quotations that support your topic. Make this chart:

SpecificQuotation                               Inferences                                                              Interpretation

 (act, scene, line number)    (what does this quotation mean in your own words?)               (how does this      
                                                                                                                                                   quotation  
                                                                                                                                                  connect to your 
                                                                                                                                                  topic? 

     3. Develop a thesis statement.

     4. Write an outline.

     5. Draft.

III. Sample Literary Essays

1. 5-paragraph essay on Edgar Allen Poe's writing techniques: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/five_par.htm
2. Essay on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: "Your Heart Is a Weapon the Size of your Fist" by Mary Borsellino (taken from The Girl who Was on Fire edited by Leah Wilson). We will read this in class.