Choose one of the prompts below and write a two-page, double-spaced, thesis-driven essay. The essay must have an introduction that includes a strong thesis statement, two body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion.

1. What is Macbeth’s tragic mistake in the second act?
2. Ambition is not a tragic mistake because it is a thought or desire. It is not a specific action. Look for a specific action that Macbeth performs that results in the play’s tragic events.
3. How does Macbeth elicit pity and fear in the audience?
4. How does Macbeth warn monarchs about the dangers of tyranny?
5. In what ways can Lady Macbeth be compared to Grendel’s mother?

Keep the following in mind when writing your essays:
1. The introduction should be brief (3-5 sentences). Use it to set up the topic for the reader.
2. The thesis should either be the first or last sentence in the introduction. And it must answer the prompt’s question in a single, clear sentence. The thesis should present an argumentative claim that the body paragraphs will support.
3. Each paragraph (2 total body paragraphs) should lead with topic sentences that express the paragraph’s main idea. The topic sentence’s claim should support the thesis’s argument.
4. Use direct quotes from the text to support the topic sentence’s claim. Keep direct quotes short (2-3 lines of poetry). Use only the evidence that is necessary to prove the paragraph’s claim.
5. In-text citations are required for direct quotes. Otherwise, the essay is considered plagiarized. Give the author credit.
6. For a review of in-text citations for MLA, please visit Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL): MLA In-Text Citations
7. For a review of in-text citations for APA, please visit Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL): APA In-Text Citations
8. Thoroughly analyze the evidence. Explain how the evidence supports the paragraph’s claim.
9. The conclusion should be brief (3-5 sentences), and it should wrap up the essay’s argument.
10. Do not use outside research for this assignment. I am using this assignment to assess students’ ability to analyze the text they are reading.

*Note: No more, no less than two pages. Writing to a page limit like this will help improve the precision of your editing skills because you will need to be exact. As such, the essay should have no more than 4 paragraphs: 1 introductory paragraph, 2 body paragraphs, and 1 concluding paragraph. Points will be deducted for essays that exceed or do not meet the length requirement.