Drama Essay GuidelinesLength: 2-3 pages of text (750-1000), double spaced with an additional works cited page of 1-2 sources.Format: Use MLA manuscript format. For more about MLA Format, see the Cours
Drama Essay Guidelines
Length: 2-3 pages of text (750-1000), double spaced with an additional works cited page of 1-2 sources.
Format: Use MLA manuscript format. For more about MLA Format, see the Course Directions folder.
Topic: For this essay, you'll develop a thesis about your chosen play/film. You will use evidence from both the text and film and some sources to support your argument. In other words, you do NOT merely summarize, or even just explain the play, but think deeply about a text and film through all of its parts (which you've already done in your drama analysis/essay prewriting discussion). Then you generate an arguable claim that becomes a thesis for a polished essay.
This essay, as you've seen in your prewriting, is somewhat different in that it is really an evaluative comparison. An evaluation is argumentative--you explore the evidence you have from your analysis discussion and then use it to support argumentative topic sentences (that is, ones that someone could disagree with).
One approach
The most common approach is to center your thesis on an evaluation of the film more broadly, asking how does the film fulfill, distort, or achieve the seeming overall intent of the play. You make use elements of drama that you used in your prewriting and use elements of film (lighting, acting, costumes, etc.) like those you used to evaluate Hamlet's soliloquy as paragraph topics.
For example,
Topic Sentence: Other casting choices, like for the character of Ophelia, were fabulous.
Supporting Passages in the paragraph:
In the play, Ophelia is genuinely crazy with grief at Polonius's death. She . . .
In the film Regina Carter appropriately downplays her love for Hamlet, and emphasizes her love for her father. . .
Another approach
From your earlier essay writing, you learned some approaches to generating topics on page 1892-1897. You may use those prompts again if you want a more narrow thesis focused on a few aspects of the play and film. For example, from that list of topic approaches, you could examine the world view of a character from beginning to end and compare it to how the film fulfills or distorts the play's message with regard to that worldview.
For example,
Topic Sentence: Paul's early development from the play to the film makes him seem like another character entirely.
Supporting Passages in the paragraph:
In the first scene, Paul's pessimistic worldview is established in his opening soliloquy. He states " . . .
In the film, this speech is cut into three parts, one of them not appearing until mid-way through the play when on the page Paul is to be much more evolved . . .
Note: Be sure to reference the play as well as the film in either approach!
Thesis: Whether you choose a narrowly focused or more broadly focused thesis, your thesis will be evaluative: Does the film do a good, bad, or indifferent job in adapting the play to screen generally or for some particular element?
Samples:
Zeffirelli's Hamlet, while drastically changed from the original, keeps the spirit of Shakespeare's play alive.
Overheard passages with innovative staging in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet adds complexity to the characterization.
The conflict between Hamlet and Laertes is oversimplified in Zeffirelli's Hamlet.
Sample: Here is a Sinclair student sample (of an overarching evaluation of the film). While this essay is very critical (negative), as you've seen in film reviews, positive or mixed reviews can also be well explained/developed.
Notes about Research: For film, your sources expand to include film scholarship, film reviews (use ones from prominent magazines or newspapers), actor, director, playwright biographical work and more. If you're interested in fashion, for example, exploring how costumes affect characterization is a possible narrowed thesis focus and area for research.
Follow the Conventions Writing about Drama
Include author's full name, the title of the work in italics (Plays are in italics because they are whole works--whereas "poems" and "short stories" are presumed to be parts of larger collections) and the essay's topic and thesis in the introduction.
Have clear topic sentences that relate to your thesis
Avoid use of I or You.
Use page and/or line number(s) after direct quotes or closely paraphrased passages using MLA in-text citations.
Do not try to cram all your thoughts into five paragraphs—use an appropriate number of paragraphs for the topics you have. Correspondingly, avoid a formulaic three-point thesis. Instead have a global thesis and as many paragraphs or topics as you need to support it. Writing an outline of supporting paragraph ideas (even if there are three) does not entail that they need to be listed in your thesis.
Include a brief conclusion.
