Character Comparison: Select two characters from two different plays ( The Merchant of Venice,Hamlet or Othello, Richard III, The Tempest), for a compare-and-contrast essay. Here are some questions to consider: Are the characters protagonists (the main characters) or antagonists (characters who challenge the main character)? Are they heroic or villainous, consistently noble or corrupt? Or, are they complex characterizations, possibly personas with admirable intentions, but questionable moral flaws? What motivates them? What makes them charismatic, shocking, and/or admirable? How do they fare by the end of their play, and why? What happens to bring about a specific character’s fate, tragic fall, or success? What lessons do these characters teach us about human nature, gender roles, power, duty, integrity, courage, virtue, prejudice, ambition, good and evil, etc. (focus on one or two of these concepts). How does comparing your selected characters help illuminate one or two key concepts in Shakespeare’s texts? Craft a thesis that proposes an interpretation about what these two characters reveal. Be sure to include close readings of passages in each play AND a quote from one of the introductions in The Norton Shakespeare.
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