University of California Twelfth Night and I Henry IV Essay Write a scintillating, well-written essay of 6 pages in response. You must narrow the scope of

University of California Twelfth Night and I Henry IV Essay Write a scintillating, well-written essay of 6 pages in response. You must narrow the scope of your thesis and argument to fit the page limit. Please follow the guideline for quotation.Your essay should feature the following:

a focused interpretive argument about the meaning of Shakespeare’s plays. Keep plot summary to a minimum; assume that your reader has read the plays once, but may be unaware of deeper implications.
a clearly-stated thesis statement early in the essay which articulates your argument. This statement should do more than just announce the topic of the paper, and it should avoid the”similarities and differences” formula. Underline your thesis statement.
at least one passage in which you analyze a passage from the playscript closely at some length. This section of your paper should demonstrate your attention to nuances of language and imagery, subtleties of characterization, and key ideas and issues. Fully explain the meaning of all details or quotations you cite, and place details and quotations in their dramatic context.

Writing question:

At first glance, Sir Toby Belch from Twelfth Night and Sir John Falstaff from I Henry IV andHenry V are remarkably similar characters–both are fallen knights, both enjoy copious drink and hearty merriment, both are ringleaders of a small community of fellow revelers, both have vexed relationships with figures of authority. Compare and contrast these figures, focusing on ONE element or quality that you find particularly important, revealing, or significant. Develop a thesis about how and why Shakespeare revises this popular character type across the two plays. Pay some attention to the question “so what?” as you are developing your analysis: why is the element or quality you’ve analyzed important to our understanding of these characters and the plays in which they appear?

DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS: This question might be developed in several ways:

• treat Sir Toby Belch as a revision of Sir John Falstaff: what element(s) did Shakespeare choose to change when he returned to this character in Twelfth Night? Exactly how did he change him? Why?

you might trace the development of each character in the course of his particular play–do you sense a change in our attitude toward these characters as the play progresses? What accounts for that change (or lack of it)?
you might trace this character’s relationship with another character–say, Toby’s with Aguecheek and Falstaff’s with Prince Henry–paying close attention to what that relationship reveals about Toby’s and Falstaff’s character or function within the play.
you might trace how these characters illuminate one of Shakespeare’s central ideas, themes or issues within both plays, though in perhaps subtly contrasting or vastly different ways. 你好
你好
English 657
Mr. Lanier
Tips on Writing Essays
Your essay must have a clearly-announced, well-worded thesis statement, typically (though not
always) stated in your opening paragraph. Underline your thesis statement in the final draft before
turning in your essay.
Qualities of an acceptable thesis statement:
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your thesis statement must argue one side of a valid and interesting interpretive issue.
An thesis which argues an obvious point or a point which is not really a matter of interpretive
controversy won’t garner a high grade. For example, the thesis statement “I Henry IV and
Henry V address problems of honor and kingship” shows very little interpretive thought
about the topic.
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your thesis statement should announce the topic of your essay, but it should also
announce your position on that topic. For example, the statement “The Taming of the
Shrew and I Henry IV feature practical jokes” only announces the topic of the essay. By
contrast, the statement “In The Taming of the Shrew and I Henry IV Shakespeare suggests
that practical jokes are a means of exerting non-violent power” announces the topic and
introduces an interpretive position on the topic.
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your thesis statement should avoid the “X and Y have similarities and differences”
formula. For example, the statement “Though Shakespeare includes women in the military
worlds of I Henry IV and Henry V, their roles are different in the two plays” tells the reader
little other than the topic of the essay will be “women.” If the writer were to go on to explain
how and/or why those roles were different, this thesis statement might be fruitfully
developed. Asking “how?” and “why?” is an excellent development technique.
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your thesis statement should include language which is specific and refined. For
example, the statement “Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Boar’s Head characters is more
negative in Henry V than in I Henry IV” includes the undefined and vague word “negative”
which might have any number of meanings. If the writer refined the term “negative” by
making it more specific, this thesis statement might be fruitfully developed: “Shakespeare’s
portrayal of the Boar’s Head characters in I Henry IV stresses far more of their humor and
camaraderie than their portrayal does in Henry V.” As you draft, you should try to identify
the least specific word in your thesis and choose a more specific substitute; you may need
to do this several times to refine your idea.
Not all theses are created equal. You are aiming for a high quality thesis, an argument that
demonstrates you’ve thought in a sophisticated and refined way about the issue at hand. What
distinguishes A, B and C papers is the relative quality of the thesis. If your essay lacks a thesis,
expect no higher than a C on the assignment.
Three further suggestions:
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LESS IS MORE. It is wise to narrow your topic to something quite specific (“relationships
between mothers and daughters in Shakespearean comedies”) rather than to try to address a
broad topic (“women in Shakespeare”) in a short space. The number one reason that
students produce unspecific, unrefined essays is that they’ve chosen too broad a topic.
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English 657
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Mr. Lanier
The more specific your topic, the more time you’ll have to discuss citations and refine your
interpretive claims.
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY. Many students frame issues in terms of “more” or “less,” i.e.,
“Henry has more honor in I Henry IV than in Henry V.” Though a focus on quantity is
sometimes appropriate, it is often more helpful to focus on the precise nature of a quality.
For example: “the nature of Henry’s conception of honor changes from I Henry IV to Henry
V; in the former play, he focuses on individual battlefield courage, whereas in the second
play he stresses the honor of military brotherhood.”
AVOID PREMATURE EVALUATION. Avoid making quick judgments about whether a
work or character is “good” or “bad,” i.e., “Shakespeare’s Henry V is an unsuccessful
character because he is inconsistent.” Such judgments often spring from one’s own quite
debatable preconceptions and assumptions (is Henry V inconsistent, or is he ambiguous? Is
this inconsistency purposeful on Shakespeare’s part?). For the purpose of papers for this
class, your argument would be better directed to considering why Shakespeare chooses to
make certain artistic choices.
Opening paragraph of the essay:
The opening paragraph of your essay should announce your topic and give the reader sufficient
background so that s/he can understand the interpretive controversy you are addressing. Often, the
opening paragraph includes the thesis statement, but it is not required.
Four formulaic openers to avoid:
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The “from the dawn of time” opener: “From the dawn of time, mankind has long wondered
about…” or “for many years scholars have been debating X…”
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The “Captain Obvious” opener: “There are many similarities between men and women”
or “Macbeth, a play by Shakespeare, is about murder….”
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The “Webster says” opener: “Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘freedom’ as ‘the condition of
being free’….” or “According to the New Collegiate Dictionary, the word ‘cat’ has several
meanings….” (Only use a dictionary to define a word if the meaning you are using is
significantly different from normal usage; always prefer The Oxford English Dictionary
unless you have a reason for using a different dictionary.)
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The “everyone believes” opener: “In the Renaissance, all women were regarded as secondclass citizens” or “Americans believe in the work ethic.” (Remember that in any period or
culture, there is always room for nuanced differences in beliefs and practices. For historical
background on the Renaissance, consult and cite the background sections you’ve read from
The Norton Shakespeare.)
Body of the essay:
The body of your essay should lay out evidence for your interpretive position and explain to the
reader how that evidence supports your thesis. The intellectual quality and refinement of your
analysis of the Shakespearean text is crucial to the success of your essay, so look for the following:
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the general sense of the passage. Overall, what is the argument of the speech or line?
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key lines or phrases. Often, Shakespeare includes key lines or phrases which encapsulate
the meaning of a passage, so those should get your special attention.
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Mr. Lanier
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the tone of the passage. Does the choice of language reveal joy, anger, sarcasm,
manipulativeness or anguish? How do you imagine the actor saying these lines?
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the “subtext” of the passage. Are there elements of the speaker’s character revealed that
he or she may not explicitly state? What in the text indicates those elements to you?
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the dramatic context of the passage. To whom is the character speaking? What is s/he
seeking to accomplish by saying these words? What happens right before and right after the
character says these words?
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imagery and metaphors. Much of the meaning of Shakespearean writing is carried in his
choice of images and metaphors. What are the key images and metaphors, and what do they
contribute to the meaning of the passage? Don’t move too quickly to “symbol-hunting.”
NEVER, EVER ASSUME THAT A QUOTATION IS SELF-EXPLANATORY. Show your
reader what you see as the crucial quality of the passages you quote.
Be aware of obvious counter-arguments, and answer them in the course of your discussion.
Conclusion of the essay:
The concluding paragraph of your essay should not simply paraphrase the opening paragraph or
summarize the essay. Certainly it is appropriate to remind your reader in a sentence or two what you
have been arguing, but the bulk of your concluding paragraph should be devoted to answering the
question, “SO WHAT?” In the final paragraph, you can assume that you have sufficiently supported
your thesis in the body of the essay. The final paragraph should therefore be devoted to suggesting
the larger significance of your thesis, why your argument is interesting, important, or relevant.
Let’s say that you have argued that “the crucial moment in Hal’s development from prince to
king is his killing of Hotspur on the battlefield of Shrewsbury, a public act of military honor on
which he draws throughout his French campaign in Henry V.” Why is this claim interesting or
significant? You might suggest that your argument reveals something important about conceptions
of kingship in the Renaissance; you might suggest that your argument changes our understanding
of Shakespeare’s attitude toward war or battlefield heroism; you might suggest that your argument
speaks to the psychology of leadership. Whatever you choose, you need not “prove” the significance;
you need only point to it, explaining it carefully.
Basic mechanics:
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Double-space the essay (even block quotations).
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Your essay should have a title, something that alerts the reader to your basic argument. Not
“Essay #1” or “Honor in Shakespeare,” but “Petruccio’s Cruelty in The Taming of the Shrew”
or “Henry V and the Tainted King.”
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If you are quoting from The Norton Shakespeare only, then there is no need to include a
“Works Cited” sheet. If, however, you are quoting from any other source(s), include a
“Works Cited” sheet in an appropriate bibliographical format.
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Proofread your final essay. Spelling and punctuation most definitely count. It is very
damaging to your credibility as a writer if you’ve misspelled a main character’s name or the
title of a play, particularly in the opening paragraph of the essay.
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English 657
Mr. Lanier
Tips on Quoting Correctly
General rules:
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Italicize or underline the titles of all books, plays, journals, and long poems.
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In the case of Shakespeare plays, you can cite lines from plays using act, scene and line
numbers. Use Arabic, not Roman numerals. EXAMPLE:
“Nor can imagination form a shape / Besides yourself to like of” (Tempest 3.1.56-7)
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If you cite from the introductions in The Norton Shakespeare, you can cite just the book and
the page number. EXAMPLE:
“The first Tudor woman to translate a play was the learned Joanna Lumley” (The
Norton Shakespeare 12)
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For all other kinds of citation, you must use either MLA or Chicago style citation system, and
you must include the work in the “Works Cited” section of your essay.
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Save direct quotation for moments where you are analyzing in detail.
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NEVER, EVER ASSUME A QUOTATION IS SELF-EXPLANATORY.
To cite correctly, you must be able to recognize the difference between verse and prose. Verse
and prose are distinguished in three ways:
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verse is in iambic rhythm, whereas prose often has no discernible rhythmical pattern. You
can hear the rhythm of lines by speaking them aloud.
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prose lines typically extend to the margins of the page, whereas verse lines often break before
reaching the margins.
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each verse line begins with a capital letter, even the line begins in the middle of a sentence,
whereas capitalization occurs within prose only at the start of new sentences.
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English 657
你好
Mr. Lanier
There are two ways of including citations in your work, in-text and block quoting. They have
different sets of guidelines.
In-text citation:
BASIC GUIDELINES:
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less than 20 words should be cited in the text; more than 20 words should be block-quoted.
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All in-text quotations must be integrated into your own sentence structure. (TEST: if you
remove the quotation marks, will your sentence read correctly?)
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Avoid overusing in-text quotations, lest your text seem a patchwork.
RULES:
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When quoting verse, you must acknowledge line breaks with slashes.
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INCORRECT: When in his first soliloquy Hamlet speaks of “an unweeded garden
that grows to seed” (Hamlet 1.2.135-6), he is alluding to the fall of the Garden of
Eden, a fall which Eve, the first woman, caused.
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CORRECT: When in his first soliloquy Hamlet speaks of “an unweeded garden /
That grows to seed” (Hamlet 1.2.135-6), he is alluding to the fall of the Garden of
Eden, a fall which Eve, the first woman, caused.
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When quoting prose, you do not need to acknowledge the line breaks with slashes.
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INCORRECT: Sly’s vehement denials that he has worn “no more doublets than
backs, no more stockings / than legs, nor no more shoes than feet” (The Taming of
the Shrew Ind. 2.8-9) suggest that he feels the need to convince others about his
identity.
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CORRECT: Sly’s vehement denials that he has worn “no more doublets than backs,
no more stockings than legs, nor no more shoes than feet” (The Taming of the Shrew
Ind. 2.8-9) suggest that he feels the need to convince others about his identity.
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Your parenthetical acknowledgment of your source should not fall within the quotation
marks.
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INCORRECT: Most commentators fail to examine the meaning of the word “brave”
in Miranda’s famous comment “O brave new world (Tempest 5.1.183)”.
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CORRECT: Most commentators fail to examine the meaning of the word “brave”
in Miranda’s famous comment “O brave new world” (Tempest 5.1.183).
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When introducing an in-text quotation, the punctuation before the quotation should be no
different than if the phrase were included without quotation marks.
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INCORRECT: When Aaron states that he would cause havoc, “as willingly as one
would kill a fly” (Titus Andronicus 5.1.142), we are reminded of Titus’s bizarre
discussion of killing a fly earlier in the play.
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CORRECT: When Aaron states that he would cause havoc “as willingly as one
would kill a fly” (Titus Andronicus 5.1.142), we are reminded of Titus’s bizarre
discussion of killing a fly earlier in the play.
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English 657
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Mr.
After the in-text quotation, the final punctuation should follow the parenthesis
acknowledging your source.
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INCORRECT: By calling for “a pot o’ th’ smallest ale”, (The Taming of the Shrew
Ind. 2.73) Sly reveals to the audience that he has not really changed his lower-class
personality.
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CORRECT: By calling for “a pot o’ th’ smallest ale” (The Taming of the Shrew Ind.
2.73), Sly reveals to the audience that he has not really changed his lower-class
personality.
Block quotation:
BASIC GUIDELINES:
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Block quotation should be reserved for quotations of longer than 20 words. The length of
analysis should be at least as long as the quotation itself. If you quote four lines, for
example, you should devote at least four lines to close analysis.
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Each block quotation should follow a loose formula:
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first, introduce the passage to the reader, reminding him or her where it falls within
the plot (who is speaking to whom about what subject and why). Don’t just give line
numbers–rather, sketch out the dramatic context.
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second, quote the passage.
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third, analyze the passage closely, drawing the reader’s attention to what you see as
the most important and telling elements of the passage.
RULES:
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A block quotation should be indented; it should NOT be surrounded by quotation marks.
(EXCEPTION: if the source passage includes quotation marks, you should include the
quotation marks from the original.)
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A block quotation of verse should be formatted just as it appears in the original. A block
quotation of prose should follow the paragraph breaks of the original, but need not duplicate
the line breaks.
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Typically, the sentence preceding a block quotation ends with a colon.
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Start a new sentence after the block quotation.
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Block quotation should be used sparingly.
INCORRECT:
Ariel’s second song establishes a number of key themes,
“Full fathom five thy father lies; of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his
eyes; nothing of him that doth fade but doth suffer a sea-change into something rich and
strange” (Tempest 1.2.397-402).
as well as illustrating the redemptive nature of Prospero’s magic.
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English 657
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Mr. Lanier
CORRECT:
Ariel’s second song, sung to Ferdinand in order to lead him to Prospero and Miranda for the first
time, establishes a number of key themes:
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made.
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange. (Tempest 1.2.397-402)
This passage suggests the redemptive nature of Prospero’s magic. The image of the drowned father
corresponds not only to Alonso but to Prospero himself, left to die at sea. However, the song
imagines a resurrection of sorts. Through the magical action of the sea, the father’s dead body
transforms into a more glorious incarnation, “something rich and strange” (Tempest 1.2.401). The
song assures its listener that what might otherwise “fade” (Tempest 1.2.400) is not lost at all. At this
point in the narrative Ferdinand may not register the benevolent implications of Ariel’s song, but the
audience does.
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English 657
你好
Mr. Lanier
Rubric for grading essays:
Many students are interested in the standards I use to evaluate your essays and short writing
assignments. Below I’ve listed those standards. If you are interested in getting help in meeting these
standards, please drop by to see me during office hours. I’ll be happy to discuss how to improve your
writing or argumentation.
Once again, please note that the central distinguishing element in evaluating essays is your
argumentative claim, or thesis. The thesis is the single distinguishing element of good college-level
writing–all else follows from it. If you do not understand the concept of a thesis, make sure to ask.
An “A” essay:
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has a clearly indicated argumentative claim to which all elements of the essay are relevant.
The quality of the claim is also important: if the claim is easy to make, is obvious, is
unsurprising or unenlightening, or simply replicates points in class, the paper is relegated to
“B” status;
supports its argumentative claim with evidence from the text. An “A” paper is careful to fully
contextualize the evidence it uses, and secondary materials are engaged critically, not merely
cited;
attends to the implications of the argumentative claim (“so what?”), often in the final
paragraph(s);
is primarily persuasive and analytic in intent;
exhibits a stylistic flair and mastery (if not mastery, at least an awareness of distinctions
between diction levels and word meanings) and uses a variety of stylistic resources to
communicate its point (imagery, well-constructed sentences, an organization that reflects the
argumentative strategy of the paper). I often call this “recursive or sophisticated style” in
class. Overly formulaic essays are relegated to “B” status;
is fair to its opposition;
is free of recurring surface errors or errors in fact.
A “B” essay:
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has a discernible argumentative claim at its center. Most, if not all, of the essay is relevant
to this argumentative claim. The quality of the claim is also important–a “B” paper makes
a safe or obvious claim;
supports its central claim with evidence from the text. Some citations may not be fully
contextualized or may be incorrectly woven into the text;
does not attend to the implications of the argumentative claim (“so what?”). One giveaway
of this is a final paragraph that summarizes what has come before;
is partly persuasive and analytic in intent. Sometimes “B” essays move to evaluation
prematurely;
exhibits stylistic care and uses a few stylistic resources to communicate its point. Some “B”
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English 657
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Mr. Lanier
essays modify the standard three-paragraph essay form to reflect the thesis;
is fair to its opposition;
exhibits some minor recurring surface errors, or minor errors in fact.
A “C” essay:
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instead of establishing an argumentative claim at its center, establishes a central topic, i.e.,
“there are many similarities and differences in the women of Taming of the Shr…
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