Complete a researched critical essay of a minimum of 4 full pages in which you analyze and interpret Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
The critical essay must follow classic essay structure: the introduction with thesis, the body, and the conclusion. The body of the essay must support the thesis by using information and examples from the play and must include additional, documented information from four academic sources from the library databases. You need to make an argument about the plays overall meaning. Your thesis cannot be focused on the author or the authors life (biographical readings are not allowed for this assignment).
Your textbook may count as only one source, regardless of the number of literary works that you cite from it. You are required to obtain at least four sources from the librarys databases, such as the Literature Resource Center and the History Study Center. Wikipedia, Shmoop University, and Spark Notes are not credible sources for academic writing. If you use sources such as these, your essay may not earn credit.
All paraphrases and quotations from your sources, including your textbook, must be documented in strict accordance with MLA standards. The documentation must include attributive phrases and/or in-text citations and a works-cited page. You may refer to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University for updated MLA information and examples.
To eliminate plagiarism, your essay will be processed through Turn It In.
Your completed, researched critical essay must be submitted to the Unit 3 Essay link by end of day on Monday, July 5th.
To be graded and to receive credit, your essay must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF to this link. Other file types and email submission will not be accepted.
Minimum Requirements for the Unit 3 Essay:
4 full pages of your own writing and an additional works cited page
4 or more academic sources from library databases – note: You must also include a citation for the play youre writing about, but the play does not count as an academic source
A clear, arguable thesis which interprets Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Essays about other topics will not earn credit.
Correct MLA 8 formatting and citations must be used.
Formal essay style and grammatical conventions should be used. Avoid first and second person pronouns. Avoid contractions, and be sure to refer to writers by their last names or full names (never first name alone).
