English 3H
Mr. Phelan
CASS (Critical Analysis with SECONDARY SOURCES) Paper
Macbeth
A TYPED outline: Due: Friday, 2/5/2016
Final Paper Due: Thursday 2/11/2016
Length: Min. 3 Pages/Max. 5 Pages
Topics:
1. Do the witches (or weird sisters) control the events in the play? Why or why not?
2. Does Shakespeare want us to believe that the witches are real, supernatural, and/or projections of
Macbeth's imagination?
3. What is the function of (dramatic, situational, and/or verbal) irony in the play?
4. What kind of marriage do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have? Do you think it is a good one? Why or why
not?
5. How would you characterize Lady Macbeth? Does her appearance in the sleepwalking scene alter your
perception of her from previous scenes? Why or why not?
6. One of the major themes in Macbeth is appearance vs. reality. What effect do the episodes or instances
dealing with appearance vs. reality have on our understanding of the play?
7. What is the purpose of comedy and the comedic characters in Macbeth? (Think Porter Scene)
8. What is the importance of imbalances of nature in Macbeth? (The Great Chain of Being)
9. Macbeth is the central character in the play who is described as both brave Macbeth and butcher
Macbeth. Which of these descriptions fits Macbeth best?
10. Who is responsible for Macbeth’s downfall? (The witches, Lady Macbeth and/or Macbeth himself?)
11. How is the mood of evil developed in Macbeth? (Consider the setting, themes, actions of the
characters, etc.)
12. What is the importance of the supernatural elements in Macbeth? How do they affect the action of
the play?
13. The motif of sleeplessness is introduced early in the play and carried throughout. What causes these
sleep disturbances? What ends them for each of the characters involved? Is sleep regarded as a soothing
balm for a life well-lived? (Remember that sleep is often another metaphor for death.)
15. How is Macbeth an example of a Shakespearean tragic hero? What is his tragic flaw and how does it
affect the events of the play?
16. Do gender roles actually have an impact upon the course of events in this play? (Consider, for
example, the roles of Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff—and even the witches)
17. The characters and actions of the play Macbeth suggest very strongly what qualities a good king needs
to have. What are those qualities, and who, if anyone possesses them? (Consider comparing Duncan,
Macbeth and/or Malcolm)
18. What is the purpose of soliloquies in Macbeth? How do they reveal the stages in the process of
Macbeth’s and/or Lady Macbeth’s downfall or moral decline?
19. In what ways is Shakespeare significantly changing the original historic record of the real Macbeth in
his play?
20. Shakespeare writes in several “nods” (meaning, flatteries) to the king of England at the time Macbeth
was produced. Which particular scenes, events, or characters would it be plausible to say that the king
was pleased with?
21. What would have been the attitude of Shakespeare’s audience toward the supernatural events in
Macbeth? After all, three witches, a ghost, and extremely odd events in nature are included for a reason.
Explore what those reasons are.
Make your own topic
Choose one interesting aspect of the play as the focus of your paper. Find at least two sources that
examine this central idea and reference them in your analysis. The following ideas represent some
research possibilities:
A.
B.
C.
Motifs or symbols
Theme
Historical Elements/Older works Shakespeare based this one on
Using both quotes from the text, two OUTSIDE SOURCES, and your own words, write a welldeveloped research paper that proves your thesis statement.
All sources must be authoritative; that is, they MUST be scholarly. You may not use sources
outside of the library databases or library books unless approved by the teacher.
Avoid using .com, .net, .org type websites outside the school databases. Sources that are a fulllength chapter or article in a book or periodical pertaining to your topic will be more helpful.
You may not use anything from Wikipedia or any encyclopedia. You may not use any material
from Spark Notes, Cliff’s Notes, Pink Monkey, or any other commercially prepared study guide
of that nature. Other unacceptable sources include plot summaries such as Bloom’s “Plot
Summary,” Foster Masterplots, and Schmoop.com.
Format for Paper
Paragraph 1:
Paragraphs 2 - ?:
Closing Paragraph:
Include thesis, author/playwright, title
Uses unity and coherence to prove thesis
Restatement of thesis/connect to new thought/wrap-up paper
with a clincher
Helpful/Mandatory Hints
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Never use the following words: I, me, mine, you, your, yours
Mention the author or playwright and the piece of work within the first paragraph
The definition of a thesis: what you are going to talk about and how you are going to
prove it=thesis
Use transitional words and phrases
Check for unity and coherence
Proofread your paper
Book titles should be italicized
Place short works in quotes
Criteria Required
A TYPED outline (Due: Friday 2/5)
Works Cited Page = A minimum of three properly cited entries (Including Macbeth)
Submission to turnitin.com
MLA FORMAT...Final copy which is typed using the following format:
o size 12 font
o times new roman
o double spaced
Note: Any paper not submitted to turnitin.com will NOT be accepted.
Citing an author:
Follow the following examples:
(A)
“After breakfast, Adele and [Jane] withdrew to the library” to study (Bronte 151).
Note that there are times when it may be necessary to insert words into an author’s
quote. This is done for clarity. However, those words and/or group of words must have
hard brackets around it/them in order that they may be set apart from the author’s
words.
(B)
After leaving Thornfield, Jane’s journey was “very tedious: fifty miles one day, a night
spent at an inn . . . [with] an evening arrival at the great town” (Bronte 361-2).
Note that ellipses are used when there are words removed from an author. This will tell
your audience that, while you are directly quoting an author, the quote is incomplete.
Note that none of the above quotes are written EXACTLY as they are in the text.
Oftentimes it is unnecessary and even awkward to use an entire line from the text.
Therefore, use only those words that will support your thesis and correspond with your
writing style.
Note: Ten points will be deducted for each day your assignment is late. You may only hand in an
assignment for three days after the due date. It then becomes a zero.
Example:
Tuesday – Full credit
Wednesday – 10 point deduction
Thursday – 20 point deduction
Friday – 30 point deduction
Saturday – no credit received
Rubric: Each element is worth up to 10 points for a total of 180 points
(6 points for completion/4 points for quality of execution).
Opening Paragraph
___________ Developed Introduction that provides sufficient context for topic and
argument
___________ Thesis Statement Included (Provides trajectory for Paper)
___________ Introduces Author and Title
Body Paragraphs 2 – ?
___________ Includes Transitional/Topic Sentence
___________ All Quotes Support Thesis and Maintain Unity and
Coherence (quotes are integrated with sufficient context and explanation)
___________ At least three outside source citations and three in-text citations of reasonable
length are used to support proofs of thesis.
___________ Each piece of evidence is analyzed and explained. Information used is
correct.
___________ Proper Citations Are Used
___________ Includes Transitional/Clincher Sentence
Closing Paragraph
__________ Transitional Sentence
__________ Thesis is Re-Stated in interesting way
__________
Conclusions Re-State Support from Body Paragraphs in
__________ Conclusions provides bigger picture/New Support/New Context/ So what? for
Thesis
__________
Conclusion/Clincher Sentence
Overall Content
__________
_________
__________
Proper Length (Minimum 3 Pages, Maximum 4 Pages)
Unity and Coherence Maintained
Correct Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
__________ Style (Writing is concise and displays strong diction, variety in sentence construction,
etc)
Sample Analytical Sentence Outline- Literary Analysis Paper
The first steps are to create essential questions, then gather evidence to help support your answers
to the questions. Try to focus on 4-5 questions and then decide one to focus on as your main
topic. Each question may become a body paragraph. Once you’ve settled on a topic, you can list
categorical subtopics (body paragraphs) that will support your thesis. Your thesis is also a
working thesis, where you will need to revise or update as your write.
Thesis: To truly show the corruption of the Medieval society of England, Chaucer gives voice to
various characters from different social classes using a satirical and sometimes critical tone.
Paragraph 1: Wife of Bath
Topic Sentence: The Wife of Bath’s Tale shows the corruption of knights and the
underlying problems of the chivalric code.
Evidence: (Include quotes from primary AND secondary sources)
-Knight raped a girl
-Woman has power and sends out knight on a quest- reversal
-The knight gets what he wants in the end with a loyal and beautiful wife- hyperbole
Paragraph 2: Knight’s Tale
Topic Sentence: The Knight’s Tale displays the skewed focus of the society, who care
more about money and victory in battle than true love or individuals’ desires.
Evidence: (Include quotes from primary AND secondary sources)
-Theseus builds giant arena for the battle
-Arcite prays to Mars for victory (ironically wins but does not get the girl)
-Emily doesn’t get her wish for chastity and is told to marry
Paragraph 3: Merchant’s Tale
Topic Sentence: The Merchant’s Tale displays the lack of respect in marriage due to the
societal practice of arranged marriages built on status instead of love.
Evidence: (Include quotes from primary AND secondary sources)
-May cheats on January in a Pear Tree
-January is “blind” to see May’s true nature because he picks her for her looks
-Damien does not respect his elders due to the forced marriage of May and January
Paragraph 4: The Summoner’s Tale
Topic Sentence: In the Summoner’s Tale, the church is a target due to the corruption of
the friar, supposedly working for the church, but really working for money for himself.
Evidence: (Include quotes from primary AND secondary sources)
-Friar preaches about greed and anger to a man who shows neither characteristic
-Friar is not intelligent, trying to share a fart amongst multiple other friars
-Friar commands wife to feed him and take care of him in a selfish manner
You get the idea? Nah'msayin?
Note: You will most likely need to add transitional words to your topic sentences once the order
of the body paragraphs is set.