Your final paper assignment is to write a 4-5- page essay on one of the topics below. Be sure that your paper has a strong central argument and that it supports this central argument with specific evidence from the plays (quotations, references to details of the plot or characterization, etc.).  Each question asks you to compare three different plays.

Option 1:  The Power of Performance.  At least in certain scenes, every play we have read analyzes the role of the theater or other kinds of performances in human societies.  By analyzing three scenes from three different plays (one scene from each play), discuss what these plays suggest about the value or importance of theater or performance.  In developing a thesis about the larger significance of Shakespeare's depiction of theater or performance, you may wish to consider the following:  What function does theater / performance have within the world of these plays?  What power does it have?  Why is it valued or devalued?

Option 2:  Romantic Love.  Most of Shakespeare’s plays comment in direct or indirect ways on romantic love (that is, love that has both a sexual and a companionate element).  By analyzing three scenes from three different plays (one scene from each play), discuss what these plays suggest about the value or importance of romantic love.  In developing a thesis about the larger significance of Shakespeare's depiction of romantic love, you may wish to consider the following:  What function does romantic love have within the world of these plays?  What power does it have?  Why is it valued or devalued?