Write a CHARACTER ANALYSIS essay for one of the following characters in Othello. Othello Iago Desdemona Emilia Cassio In your essay, you must focus on only one character, though you can—of course—mention others.
Think about how your character illustrates various themes in the play. Also consider how your character changes (evolves or devolves) in the play. Length Requirement Your essay needs to be 6 pages, minimum (not counting the Works Cited page). Content Requirements The content should include: Introduction—this may be more than one paragraph it should have an attention-getter it should offer background information about the topic (including the use of at least one source to help with the background—cited correctly) you should NOT write a plot summary of the play, though you SHOULD introduce the character you will be discussing and the position of this character in society.
A clear thesis—though the thesis doesn’t have to be at the end of the introduction, it likely will be. Alternatively, you can design your essay using inductive organization (like on essay exam 1 when your thesis was in the conclusion). Regardless, your thesis must indicate an opinion about the character. Body paragraphs that present support for the thesis. Include support from both the primary text (Othello) and secondary texts. Make sure you use a lot of examples from the play to develop your essay and prove your thesis. Use secondary texts to uphold your claims, and/or to present claims you want to argue against. A conclusion—remind your readers of your main idea and make an observation. Transitions that tie ideas together (a transition should introduce new ideas and/or show the connection between two ideas) Awareness of audience, purpose, and tone—NOTE: Don’t use “I” or “YOU” forms in this essay. Format & Correct Source Usage MLA Style is required for your essay. As you use sources, you need: Correctly formatted in-text citations (including effective signal phrases and parenthetical references) Smooth source integration (the sentences you write with your source information should be clear and understandable) A mixture of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing—with more paraphrasing and summarizing than quoting. A correctly formatted Works Cited page Number & Types of Sources Required Primary Text: Othello by William Shakespeare Secondary Sources:]
A usage of 4 to 8 sources—with at least half from the library database, library books, or critical essays that I give you access to. If you get any secondary sources from the Internet, it is your responsibility to evaluate them carefully. Remember that I have given you access to many Critical Theory sources in our class’s OneDrive Folder (Links to an external site.). If you cannot access the OneDrive, try the Google Folder (Links to an external site.) that I set up. It has the same stuff! Academic Honesty Do not plagiarize or use sources without proper citation. Any essay that is found to be using sources without citing will be given a 0. Any essay that is bought or copied from the Internet or another provider will receive a 0.
