The Tempest by William Shakespeare

ENG 1302 Research Essay: Shakespeare’s The TempestnAssignment: The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate the skills you have gained throughout this semester: analysis of literature; understanding existing debates, conversations, and questions that surround literature, and entering into such critical discussions successfully. This essay allows you to focus on the dramatic form, specifically TheTempest. Your argument should reflect independent thinking and intellectual curiosity. This assignment gives you practice in academic inquiry—formulating a research question, identifying sources, contextualizing information, synthesizing sources, and arguing your perspective. You should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the function of dramatic elements such as plot, dramatic sequence, characterization, theme, and style, as well as understand their effect on audience. Sources:You will provide evidence for your assertion using not only your own analysis of the play, but also the critical analysis argued by scholars in no fewer than two secondary, scholarly sources. Your third source will be the play itself. Requirements: State your thesis—be clear, concise, and specific—early in your paper, forecasting the argument that follows; Paragraph topic sentences follow the pattern and language set by the thesis; Present evidence in the form of direct quotes and paraphrases from primary and secondary sources proving your claims. You must provide a minimum of two scholarly sources (1 scholarly library book and 1 journal article from the library databases). You cannot use any sources or any titles containing the words “Summary,” “Review,” or “Overview.” Library Ebooks are acceptable. Reach a minimum of 1500 words, but do not exceed 1800 words (this does not include your heading, header, or Works Cited page); Block quotes of any text are unacceptable. Demonstrate that you understand and can apply the concepts and terms for reading and interpreting drama that we have studied; Follow all 2016 MLA guidelines for formatting your paper and citing your sources; andUse the version of the play located on ecampus.Reminder on Scholarly Article Selection:
ENG 1302 Research Essay: Shakespeare’s The TempestA secondary, scholarly article must fulfill the following criteria: Published in a peer-reviewed journal Include a works cited page and at least 7 pages in length Must contain an argument, and not just a retelling of the play (like Sparknotes, Schmoop, etc.) Audience: Your intended audience is a group of readers who are familiar with The Tempest by William Shakespeare. You should, therefore, refer to specific examples to support your thesis, but you do not need to summarize the plot. You may assume that the audience appreciates the play as a work of literature. Your tone, vocabulary, diction, and so on should always be appropriate for academic writing and should respect the diversity of your audience. . Revenge and Forgiveness: Some critics argue that The Tempest is a play in which nothing happens; this is based on Prospero’s abandoning his revenge plan and choosing to forgive his enemies. Analyze the presence ofrevenge and forgiveness in the play. What is the cost of revenge? Who benefits from forgiveness? Why does Prospero decide to forgive? You will analyze how and why Prospero’s motivations change over the course of the play in order to reach an arguable them.