Please read your paper topic options on the attached page carefully.  Whichever option you choose, you will have to adhere to the following requirements and due dates.

 BASIC PAPER REQUIREMENTS:

• Your paper must be 600-850 words long.  You must include your word count (count the words actually in your paper—ignore your heading and title) at the end of your paper.
• Your paper must be typed, 12 pt. Times of Arial font, 1” margins.
• You must turn in 2 copies of each “part of your paper” (as detailed below).  You may want to print a 3^rd copy for yourself as a backup.
• You may not submit the parts of your paper to me via email.  However, if you have questions or want to run your thesis by me before turning the parts of your paper in, you may email them to me.
• Each assignment for this paper is due during a given week.  You may want to pretend the due date is the Monday or Tuesday of every week so I will have time to comment on your writing before the weekend.  You may not work on future parts of your paper without getting my comments.
• Here are the “parts of your paper” and their due dates:
  • Pre-proposal (OPTIONAL):  Write up your paper proposal and turn it in by Thurs., 9/25 or during class on Fri., 9/26.
  • Paper Proposal (MANDATORY):  If you did not do the pre-proposal, you must complete your paper proposal during the week of 9/29-10/3.  All work must be submitted by 4 pm on any given day.
  • Draft 1 (MANDATORY):  AFTER your proposal has been approved, write your first draft of your paper.  This draft is due the week of 10/6-10/10.
  • Draft 2 (MANDATORY):  AFTER getting comments back on draft 1, revise your paper and submit your second draft.  Attach a note with this draft telling which two aspects of your paper you want me to comment on.  This draft is due the week of 10/13-10/17.
  • Draft 3 (MANDATORY):  AFTER getting comments back on draft 2, complete a final revision of your paper, working to completely polish your writing.  This draft is due the week of 10/20-10/24.
  • Critical Reflection (MANDATORY):  AFTER completing your third draft, write a critical reflection of the work you’ve done on this paper.  Handout on this to come.  This is due the week of 10/27-10/31.

PAPER TOPIC OPTION #1:

Choose one of the following characters:  Petruchio, Kate, Lucentio, or Bianca to analyze in your paper.  In you paper you must propose a meaningful (not superficial) argument about who this character is/how s/he is portrayed in the play.  Your analysis of this character must show HOW this character was developed throughout the play to present the portrayal you’re arguing about.  Choose scenes carefully and analyze them for how Shakespeare presents the character.  As always with literary analysis, your comments should be focused on techniques the author is using, not a summary of plot elements.  Your conclusion should discuss how the portrayal of this character is significant to the play as a whole.

PAPER TOPIC OPTION #2:

Choose a minor character (not one of the 4 listed in option 1) in this play to analyze.  For this paper, you must propose a meaningful (not superficial) argument about the FUNCTION of this character in the play.  Choose scenes carefully and analyze them for how Shakespeare presents and uses the character in the play.  Your comments should either touch on the overall significance of this character in the play as a whole in every paragraph OR build an argument until you have proved this by the end of your paper.  A conclusion is probably not necessary for this paper.