Romeo & Juliet Essay

Samples

Introduction

• Introduction
• Hook
• Transition sentence (connects hook to plot summary)
• TAG (title, author, genre - play) and Plot summary (4-5 sentences summarizing the play/relate to your topic)
• Transition sentence (introduces essay topic/connects plot summary to thesis)
• Thesis statement (clarifies topic and answers So What?)

Hook Statements

• Startling fact, statistic, information:
• Two citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692. Eventually, nineteen were hanged, and another was pressed to death (Marks 65).
• A meaningful quotation from the work or another source:
• Ex. “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (3.1.57). This familiar statement expresses the young prince’s moral dilemma in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

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Hooks Cont’d

• Craft a universal idea about life or people based on the thesis/topic of your essay:
• The terrifying scenes a soldier experiences on the front probably follow him throughout his life—if he manages to survive the war.

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Hooks to Avoid

• Definitions of terms
• Cliches - overused expressions
• “The early bird catches the worm.”
• “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
• Questions
• Have you ever wondered..?

Transition Sentences

• Transition from hook to plot summary:
• Clearly/specifically explain the connection between the hook idea and the play Romeo and Juliet
• Provide a rationale for choosing the hook
• Transition from plot summary to thesis:
• Introduce your essay’s specific focus or topic

Thesis

• Include the essay topic, literary elements and your claim/argument:
• Romeo and Tybalt, not fate, are most to blame for the tragic outcome of the play.
• Through the use of dramatic irony and foreshadowing, Shakespeare presents fate as the force that ultimately determines the tragic outcome of the play.
• (Title of movie, novel, etc.) features characters, themes, and plot events that are based upon the play Romeo and Juliet.
• The play Romeo and Juliet contains characters, themes, and plot events that modern audiences still find relevant.

Introduction Example

“Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you. They are not perfect but are always perfect for you” (Unknown). A great relationship, then, is not a perfect one, but a healthy one. Healthy relationships develop when both parties are invested in the relationship. As demonstrated in the short story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, two people can build a healthy relationship as long as the other person places the needs of the other first. On the other hand, “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” features a failed relationship wherein one person was willing to sacrifice more than the other. [Add several more sentences to retell plot of both stories]. While the relationship between Jim and Della is filled with love, the relationship between the narrator and Sheila Mant lacks love. Each story demonstrates that love is an end result, one that develops when each party willingly places the needs of a partner first. Through characterization and symbolism, O.Henry suggests that without sacrifice and hard work, a relationship will fail to thrive and will end.

Hook

Transition

Plot Summary

Transition

Thesis

TAG

Body Paragraphs: TIQA

T - Topic sentence - provide paragraph topic and lit element

I - Transition, Intro quote #1

Q- Give quotation #1 (integrated using story context)

A - Analyze quote - explain how quote supports topic sentence

T - Transition

I - Introduce quote #2

Q - Give quotation #2 (integrated using story context)

A - Analyze quote - explain how quote supports topic sentence

Repeat the TIQA process one more time for the third point

C- Clincher - summarize evidence and rephrase topic sentence

Integrating Quotes

• Quotes must be smoothly integrated into a sentence you write:
• Choose only the most necessary material to quote (no need to quote entire sentences).
• Begin your sentence by specifically summarizing the context you took the quote from (include speaker’s name if dialogue)
• Seamlessly work the quoted material into the sentence (without quote marks, the reader should not be able to tell where your words end and the quote begins)
• Follow the quote with a citation: (Act #. Scene #. Line #)

Introducing Quotes

Introduction sentences:

• set up/prepare for a quote by providing story context
• are the writer’s own words (no quote)
• provide a specific example of the literary element stated in the topic sentence

Analyzing Quotes

Every quote must be followed by 2 analysis sentences:

• Explain the significance of the quoted material and
• Discuss HOW the quote supports the topic sentence (answer So What?)
• Do NOT simply restate the quote or summarize the plot. Interpret the significance of the quote.

Analysis does not say meaningless words such as:

• That’s why this is important.
• This shows my point.
• That is why it’s true.

Body Paragraph Sample (TIQA one time)

First, if Tybalt would have controlled his temper and refused to fight for trivial reasons, the deaths in the play would never have occurred. When Tybalt identifies Romeo at the Capulet party, he tells his Uncle Capulet that he’ll “not endure [Romeo]” (1.5.82). Lord Capulet tries to calm the hot-headed Tybalt, but Tybalt promises revenge. Although he could have chosen to listen to his uncle, he chose to take offense to Romeo’s presence at the party. Therefore, Tybalt’s vengeful nature is to blame for the deaths in the play. Secondly, …

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Introduce quote

Transition

Analyze

Quote

Integrated Quote

Transition

Conclusion

Conclusions should:

• Thesis: restate (in different wording) the thesis
• Summary: summarize EACH piece of evidence from each body paragraph (6 sentences minimum in this essay)
• Final Clincher: connect back to the hook/offer insight into its meaning in terms of this play (several sentences)

Conclusion Example

Through the relationships featured in “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” O. Henry and Wetherell demonstrate how the “perfect” relationship develops. First, Jim and Della are a perfect match for each other because they are both willing to give up their most cherished material possessions in order to make the other person feel loved. This couple was “wisest” in their love because of their selfless sacrifice. On the other hand, the narrator and Sheila Mant were doomed to failure because of a lack of selflessness on Sheila’s part. Although the narrator is willing to sacrifice his love of fishing while on the date with Sheila, she is far too self-absorbed to notice. Her selfishness seals the fate of the relationship. A “perfect” person does not exist; however, as these two authors clearly believe, perfect relationships are possible through selfless sacrifice.

Restate thesis

Summary of #1

Summary of #2

Final Clincher