Many students find Shakespeare essay topics first difficult to choose and then challenging to write on. The thing is that the storyline of most of his works is often very complex and has the interplay of so many characters that readers tend to have a hard time remembering their names and roles, let alone remembering the intricate details of the stories. Picking a topic that encapsulates the gist of the paper is difficult. It demands reading a lot of papers and analyzing them. To make your life easier, we have compiled expert tips on choosing the right topic as well as exhaustive lists of Shakespeare essay topics and questions.
How to Select the Best Shakespeare Essay Topics Topic? Expert Tips
As previously noted, selecting the best topic for your Shakespeare essay requires good reading and critical analysis skills. Here is a set of guidelines that can help you with choosing the proper topic. You can read and learn the guidelines and practice them as much as possible to develop competence in this work:
First of all, skim down the options you have. For example, ask yourself if you would like to analyze settings and scenes, stylistic devices and language, debates or arguments on a piece of writing, characters in the story, symbolism and imagery, underlying concepts, themes, and hidden meanings.
Afterwards, narrow down the options you have and decide whether you want to study one piece or different pieces. Narrowing down the task further, reach a suitable topic by brainstorming of certain specific aspects in the work chosen. After that, consider the accessible sources of information. Try to select a topic on which information is readily available, so you don’t have a tough time later finding credible sources.
Sample List of Shakespeare Essay Topics Topics for You
The thing is that essay topics on Shakespeare’s works are literally infinite since they can relate to his different plays. Here we suggest a list of sample topics you can either write a paper on or use for inspiration to write your own topic:
- Patriarchy in “Cleopatra and Antony”
- Macbeth’s lust for power
- Role of destiny in “Macbeth”
- Hamlet’s articulate approach to the investigation
- Gertrude: an unfaithful wife
- The role of a woman in “Romeo and Juliet”
- Racism in “Othello”
- Role of the Fool in “King Lear”
- Character analysis of Friar Laurence in “Romeo and Juliet”
- The motive of magic in “The Tempest”
- The motive of madness in “King Lear”
- The peculiarities of Shakespeare’s sonnets
Great Examples of Shakespeare Essay Topics Questions
Below you can find some of the questions related to Shakespeare essays. Questions are supposed to be longer than topics. They can be of different kinds including descriptive, analytical, and argumentative. Sample questions are as follows:
- How is the idea of love expressed in one of Shakespeare’s sonnets?
- How is the motive of destiny presented in “Macbeth”?
- Knowing how jealousy destroys everything, why Iago could still not control his jealousy in “Othello”?
- How did the seven soliloquies of Hamlet reveal his character?
- Are Macbeth’s actions directed by the supernatural?
- Should Desdemona have denied the accusation of infidelity?
- Is Gertrude a loving mother to Hamlet?
- Can the witches be held responsible for all the tragedy in “Macbeth”?
- How gender roles are defined in the play “Cleopatra and Antony”?
- Can Othello be blamed for believing Iago?
Some Shakespeare Essay Topics Ideas to Get Started the Essay
In addition to the suggested topics, you can come up with more ideas yourself considering the motives of love, lust, power, magic, destiny, and revenge. The point is that in Shakespeare’s works there are recurring themes of love, deception, power, and gender discrimination in. So you can also formulate your topics considering the interplay of these themes in the play. Just use “Role of” or “Theme of” with any of the motives listed above and make a topic yourself.
Can’t Cope with a Task? Get Professional Help Here
If you follow these guidelines, chances are you will select a topic which will be easy to write an essay on. But maybe you don’t have the required experience, or you are simply so busy with other assignments, quizzes, tests, projects, and exams that you don’t have the kind of time and effort it takes to create a good topic and write an essay on it. In such a case, you can always get expert help from us. Just tell us whether it’s just a topic or a complete essay you need assistance with. We will immediately assign you a professional essay writer to ensure your essay is done within the deadline. If you have questions, contact us any time!