Analysis of Texts
Sam MacDuff
Some tips for approaching the in-class essay and contrôle continu
1. Read the questions carefully and make sure that you understand every part of it (use a
dictionary if necessary).
2. Highlight or underline/circle the key words in the title. (Note that the wording of the essay
question barely changes from one exam to the next; only the passage changes. It is likely that
the question you get in the exam will be similar to your in-class essay question, so learn this
question by heart.)
3. Hopefully you have highlighted form, content, context; how the passage is dramatised;
importance of passage for the play as a whole. These are the main aspects of the passage
which you are being asked to analyse and comment on. (The other points are to do with style –
clear, coherent prose – and the requirement to analyse the passage, not paraphrase it.)
4. If you’re not sure what the key words mean, here are some pointers to help you. Note that
form, content, context, etc, are not discrete; you should consider them together.
Form: is the passage in prose or verse or a mixture? If verse, is it regular iambic pentameter? Are
there any significant deviations from blank verse – e.g., long lines, short lines, shared lines, heroic
couplets…? What kind of exchange is it? Is it a soliloquy or dialogue, rapid exchange or slow
meditation? Think about the tone, which links in to the genre – is it comic or tragic, noble and elevated
or ribald…?
Content: what does the passage actually mean? Who is talking, and to whom? What are they talking
about? First you need to make sure that you understand the basic meaning of the passage, then you
need to go deeper: what are the implied meanings? (Going back to form, what kind of exchange is it?
And jumping forward, what is the context? – you need to think about these three elements together,
not separately.)
Context: skim over the passages immediately before and after the passage you are set. Look for links
to other parts of the play (thematic, linguistic, character, plot – parallels, contrasts, leitmotifs, recurrent
words/images…). Make a note of these links. You may want to use different colours or symbols to
group your notes together.
This should all help you to think about the importance of this passage in the play as a whole. For
instance, what do specific word choices and phrases reveal about the wider concerns of the play as a
whole? How does imagery (e.g., similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, assonance) reveal
more about character or illuminate major themes in the play (e.g, corruption, mortality, madness,
predestination)? What is the structural importance of the passage – how does it link to what goes
before and after? Does it fit into Aristotle’s inverted V plot structure or Freytag’s Pyramid? If so,
how?...
How the passage is dramatised: Consider how the scene would be staged. Try to imagine various
possibilities for performance, ideally with reference to actual stage or film adaptations. Pay attention
to SDs too and implied stage directions. The form, content and context will also guide you – e.g., is
the passage full of action or does it invite reflection on important questions/themes? How is the plot
advanced in the passage? How are the characters developed? Look for conflict or tension in the
passage (either between characters or internally)? Look for irony, esp. dramatic irony, as well as
foreshadowing or links back to earlier passages/ideas in the play. Finally, what indications are there in
the metre or form of the passage to guide actors in interpreting their part and speaking their lines –
Shakespeare’s careful modulation of language is also an essential means of dramatisation.
5. Use this list, or a similar one of your own, as a guide to analyse the passage. Remember that
these aspects are interwoven, not separate. The more thoroughly you analyse the passage now,
the better you will do in the in-class essay and the better prepared you will be for the exam.
6. While annotating the passage (or afterwards), you may want to use different colours, symbols
or lines to group your main ideas together and then put them into a logical, numbered list.
7. When you have done this, you should be ready to write a one-sentence thesis statement and
make a paragraph plan showing how your essay will develop.
8. You should now be ready to write your essay. Remember to use PEE. Good luck!