For our last paper, which will serve as the “final” for this class, you will write a character analysis on Macbeth. A character analysis requires you to pick a character and analyze their importance to a story, but there are plenty of ways to approach this essay. You can consider how the character interacts with others and the meaning of their relationships. Are they broken? Do they flourish? How do their relationships differ from one another?

You can talk about how the character changes from the beginning to the end. What is their goal? Do they achieve it? If they do, how? If not, why not? What are their triumphs and passions? Their failures and shortcomings? Do these traits contribute to their successes or downfalls?

Be sure to add in their physical characteristics and how they reflect the character’s emotional ones. Do their physical traits mirror their personal growth? Is there evidence of this in your character? How do they speak? What do they wear? And what does this say about them?

You may also consider tensions like man vs. self, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. supernatural, man vs. (insert here). Remember to include the genre of the work and the historical context of it. What is happening during the time period the author is writing? How does this affect the work and the character? For the paper, you may choose any character from Macbeth.

There are so many ways to enter this essay, but when you exit, you should’ve met the following guidelines:

3 full pages for the first draft (4 full pages for the final, so if you have trouble expanding, aim for 4 pages)
MLA format
3 + credible, accurate sources (one may be the work itself)
in-text citations (remember to cite which information comes from which source)