Macbeth and Summer Reading Compare/Contrast Essay

Informative/Explanatory Writing In classic tragedies, the important characters experience downfalls, usually caused by something within themselves. For example, in the Shakespeare play Macbeth, one of Duncan’s problems is that he trusted people who were not worthy of being trusted; Macbeth’s problems stem from his ambition to become king and his willingness to do anything to attain it; and Lady Macbeth’s problems stem from her blindness to the repercussions of calling on the spirits of darkness. Assignment: Write a compare/contrast essay using one character from your summer reading book (A Tale of Two Cities, Watership Down, or Jane Eyre) and a character from Macbeth. Analyze the central themes of the works and how they are related to the characters' personalities. Explain the internal problems the characters have and what caused the conflict and/or tragedies that result. Guidelines: Choose two characters, one from the summer reading book and one from the play Macbeth. Include a clearly defined thesis statement in your introduction where you make a statement about the characters’ personalities and the conflicts that result. Your entire paper must work to support this thesis statement. Avoid plot summary. Instead, use specific references to the two characters to develop your analysis. Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner. Specify the titles and authors of the literature you choose. This is a formal paper, so demonstrate an awareness of your audience by typing in 12 point Times New Roman without ‘you’ or ‘I’. Bring your essay to a thoughtful, original conclusion. Typed rough draft is due ________________________________. Final draft is due ______________________________________. No late work will be accepted.