The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Name ________________________Characterization Essay

For this assignment, you will write an essay on the play (intro, ONE body, conclusion). Your essay will develop one character in the play and use specific details in your discussion. This paper is a major part of your grade this term, so you need to be thorough in your quotation selection as we read the play in order to write a strong paper.

Part I: Choose ONE of the following thesis statements that you will prove in your paper. Circle your first choice. Your introduction should END with one of these sentences that explains what your paper will be about (aka- thesis)

Thesis A: In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the character Romeo is a victim of his love for Juliet.

Thesis B: In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the character Juliet is a victim of her love for Romeo.

Thesis C: In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence supports Romeo through his conflicted relationship with Juliet.

Thesis D: In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse supports Juliet with her conflicted relationship with Romeo.

Thesis E: Throughout William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the conflict created by the minor character, Tybalt, interferes with Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.

Thesis F: In his play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Juliet as strong and rational young woman.

Thesis G: In his play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Romeo as a confused and desperate young man.

Part II: Begin to fill out the outline. Find 4 quotations in the beginning, middle and end of the play (remember the TCQE) that help prove your argument. Don’t worry about the sentences before and after the quotations for now; just fill in the quotations and the ACT, LINE, and SCENE numbers to document each one.

Romeo & JulietBody Paragraph- Final Essay

Directions: For the body paragraph you will include 4 sets of the following types of sentences—Context (C)-Quotation (Q)-Explanation (E)—or TCQE. You will also begin your body paragraph with a topic sentence and end with a clincher/concluding sentence. See outline.

So, what do I do in the…

Context sentences: (summarize the action)

- Statement of PLOT summary- What has happened in the play to this point? Catch us up.- Be sure to use transitions- Try to begin with one of the following:

While… When… Before… After… As…

Quotation sentences: (copy the quotes)

- Begin with your own words / identify the speaker- Place the direct quote in the middle—use “…”- End with your words if possible- Include Act #, Scene #, Line #, and PAGE # at the end of the sentence

(3:2, 14-16, 175)

Explanation/Analysis sentences: (you gotta think here)

- Show the connection between the quote and theme you are trying to prove- Should be a complex sentence- Answer the question: How does the quote prove the theme?- Do NOT just tell us what has happened in the story—do NOT repeat the

introduction sentence—EXPLAIN it- Try using phrases such as:

Romeo realizes that… Despite their hasty decisions… Fate clearly has a major role in the play when…

Lit & Comp Name: _________________

Outline

(Introduction)

Your intro will end with a thesis statement

CQE #1(from beginning of R&J)

CQE #2(from middle of R&J)

CQE #3(from middle of R&J)

CQE #4(from end of R&J)

Your conclusion begins with arestatement of your thesis

Restated Thesis:__________________________________________________________

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Thesis Statement: _______________________________________________________

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Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence: Covers the main idea in your thesis statement. Do not need to repeat the playwright or the title.

_______________________________________________________________________

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Context:

Notes:

Quote #1:

“__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” Act, Scene, Line and Page #

Set-up your quote. What is going on in this part of the play? Only 1 sentence

Don’t forget to embed! Ask yourself…Does this quote make sense with the topic

sentence/thesis? Don’t forget Act, Scene, Line and Page #s! Remember, you should move chronologically throughout

the story

Explanation:

Notes:

Context:

Notes:

Quote #2:

“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” Act, Scene, Line and Page #

Explain how the quote that you choose proves your topic sentence/thesis

NO… “this shows…” or “this proves that…” Should be 1-2 thoughtful sentences

Set-up your quote. What is going on in this part of the play? Only 1 sentence

Don’t forget to embed! Ask yourself…Does this quote make sense with the topic

sentence/thesis? Don’t forget Act, Scene, Line and Page #s!! Remember, you should move chronologically throughout

the story

Explanation:

Notes:

Context:

Notes:

Quote #3:

“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” Act, Scene, Line and Page #

Explanation:

Explain how the quote that you choose proves your topic sentence/thesis

NO… “this shows…” or “this proves that…” Should be 1-2 thoughtful sentences

Set-up your quote. What is going on in this part of the play? Only 1 sentence

Don’t forget to embed! Ask yourself…Does this quote make sense with the topic

sentence/thesis? Don’t forget Act, Scene, Line and Page #s!! Remember, you should move chronologically throughout

the story

Notes:

Context:

Notes:

Quote #3:

“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” Act, Scene, Line and Page #

Explanation:

Set-up your quote. What is going on in this part of the play? Only 1 sentence

Don’t forget to embed! Ask yourself…Does this quote make sense with the topic

sentence/thesis? Don’t forget Act, Scene, Line and Page #s!! Remember, you should move chronologically throughout

the story

Explain how the quote that you choose proves your topic sentence/thesis

NO… “this shows…” or “this proves that…” Should be 1-2 thoughtful sentences

Notes:

Clincher/Transition:_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Concluding Paragraph:- restates the thesis- gives us a little more insight about the character- leaves the reading thinking about a trait/behavior that the character possesses

Intro and Conclusion Essay

Introduction: at least 5 sentencesSentences 1-2: Begin with a discussion of your theme idea—do not mention the book in the first two sentences. Comment on the ideas behind your theme.

Sentence 3-4: give a big plot overview that summarizes the novel.

Sentence 5: thesis statement

Sample:Love does not always bring out the best in an individual. As a mater of fact,

feelings of love can interfere with a person’s ability to think clearly. Strong emotions can result in positive experiences like euphoria but also sleepless nights, loss of appetite or even sadness. Romeo epitomizes these characteristics in his experiences with both Rosaline and Juliet. In the beginning, middle and end of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Romeo as a confused and desperate young man.

ONE Body Paragraph: at least 14 sentences—follow the TCQE format Topic sentence Context (plot) statements that tell the reader what is going on in the quoted

situation Quote that supports your theme and page number Explanation that justifies your theme (Repeat Context, Quote and Explanation= total of 4 CQEs) Clincher

Sample TCQEs:

Thesis: In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a victim of his love for Juliet.

Romeo falls victim of his love for Juliet. In the beginning, Romeo sneaks into the Capulet courtyard in order to speak to Juliet. After Juliet Warns him of the dangers of trespassing, Romeo responds, “And but thou love me, let them find me here” (2, 2, 81, 75).

Thesis: In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Romeo as a confused and desperate young man.

Throughout the play, Shakespeare depicts Romeo as a confused boy desperate for love. First, Romeo enters the scene moaning and whining about Rosaline, a firl he claims to love; however, she does not reciprocate his feelings. Romeo proclaims, “Mishappen chaos of well-seeming forms, feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health” (1:1, 184, 21). He struggles to comprehend the fact that Rosaline has chosen a life of chastity because he is in love with her.

Conclusion: at least three sentencesSentence 1: reword your thesis statement

Sentence 2-3: Return to your initial idea from you introduction sentence#1. Comment on your theme idea as it pertains to people in general, then add a little more insight on a particular trait/behavior of your character.

Sample:Romeo desperately suffers from his undying love for Juliet. Even dream couples

often have hefty circumstances they must overcome to be with their true love, and even dream couples struggle with love interfering with their ability to think clearly. As for Romeo, he may have been confused and desperate in love, but he was willing to take any risk to be with his beloved Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis PaperChecklist

_____ I have typed my name and the date in the upper right hand corner.

_____ I have a title for my essay.

_____ I have three paragraphs—an intro, 1 body paragraph and a conclusion.

_____ I have double-spaced my essay.

_____ I have written my essay in 12-point font.

In my introduction…

_____ I have included a general discussion, a transition to my thesis and my thesis statement (which is copied word for word from my outline packet).

In my body paragraph…

_____ I have included a topic sentence that connects to the main idea in my thesis.

_____ I have 4 sets of CQE

_____ I have introduced all of my quotations (context).

_____ I have embedded all of my quotations.

_____ I have provided the act, scene, line and page number in parentheses after every quote.

_____ I have explained HOW the quotation supports the topic sentence (explanation, not plot summary).

_____ I have used transitions throughout my body paragraphs to indicate that I am moving on to the next idea.

_____ I have written a clincher that restates the topic sentence and brings closure to the paragraph.

In my conclusion…

_____ I have reworded my thesis statement, and have not included the playwrite nor the title of the play.

_____ I have also included a transition to general discussion.

_____ I have concluded my paper with a general thought. And Finally…

_____ I have color coded (underlined in different colors) my Context, Quote, and Explanation (4 sets)

_____ I have proofread my paper for spelling, punctuation and usage errors.

One More Time…

_____ I have check for and changed –thing words.

_____ I have written in present tense.

_____ I have embedded all of my quotations.

_____ I have used active verbs and avoided using to be to and –ing verb

_____ I have written complex sentences.

_____ I have omitted contractions

_____ I have checked for spelling and punctuation errors.

_____ I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Romeo and Juliet and this writing process.

Name________________________

EssayScoring Guide

Beginning Developing Accomplished Exceptional

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Ideas and Content

May misrepresent or lack required novel information. Not one main idea to control essay.

Main idea present in the essay, but some details may get off track of thesis. Contains basic story information in quotes, but richer development would help persuasion.

Main idea controls the essay, and content is richly and accurately stated. Uses quotations that directly prove the thesis.

Goes above and beyond the expectations of this component. No suggestions for improvement.

OrganizationEssay does not demonstrate two or more of the following for the body:*Context sentences as helpful background to quotation*Quotes are embedded*Explanation directly analyzes quote in relation to theme*topic sentence clearly words thesis*clincher wraps up central message of body

Intro is lacking or missing enough components to be effective

Conclusion is lacking or is missing enough components to

Essay demonstrates an effort towards effective context, embedding and explanation, but may be seriously lacking in one component.

Introduction contains necessary information but does not act as an effective lead-in to essay

Conclusion contains necessary information but does not act as an effective wrap-up to the essay

Essay demonstrates a proficient and effective use of all intro, body, and conclusion components.

Goes above and beyond the expectations of this component.No suggestions for improvement.

be effective

Voice(includes word

choice, sentence fluency)

The paragraph is built almost exclusively on short, simple sentences.Word choice shows repetition or lacks sophistication.

Transitions are inappropriate or lacking.

The language is functional but could be smoother, more sophisticated.

Attempt at some sentence variety.

Word choice is appropriate.

Transitions are present but do not create smoothness or sophistication of paper.

Embedding uses repetitive introductions to quote.

The paragraph reads smoothly and with attention to sophistication in sound and sentence structure variety.

Word choice shows sophisticated grasp of vocabulary.

Transitions are sophisticated phrases that create smoothness and sophistication of sound to paper.

Embedded quotes use a variety of introductions.

Reworded Thesis statement shows variety in word choice.

Goes above and beyond the expectations of this component.No suggestions for improvement.

Conventions(includes spelling,

mechanics, grammar and

usage)

Multiple errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar distract the reader. Proofread?

The writer has a reasonable control over the conventions of writing. Some errors distracting or repeated.

The writer shows control over the standard conventions. Writing proofread, very few errors.

Goes above and beyond the expectations of this component.No suggestions for improvement.

Working Deadlines/Required Conferences

Introduce essay assignment and choose thesis: _________________________________

Find 4 QUOTES and gain quote approval by: _________________________________

Complete and gain OUTLINE approval by: _________________________________

Essay due by: _________________________________

Work/Lab days:

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