Starter quiz
- When writing an analytical essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what might your final paragraph do?
- introduce your thesis
- review the play
- summarise the plot of the play
- conclude the essay ✓
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- 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy. How might Shakespeare expect his audiences to respond to the plot and characters?
- with supernaturalness
- with laughter ✓
- with anger
- with sadness
- with tears
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- 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy. What are some common features of Shakespearean comedies?
- the supernatural
- a happy ending ✓
- marriages in Act 5 ✓
- misunderstandings ✓
- Kings and Queens
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why might some argue that the supernatural is presented as ambiguous?
- The supernatural characters both create chaos but also restore order. ✓
- The supernatural characters have servants but also magical powers.
- The supernatural characters do cruel things but they are also funny. ✓
- The supernatural characters speak to each other but not to the human characters.
- A supernatural character gives an apologetic epilogue but he created the chaos. ✓
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- Match these evaluative sentences about the supernatural, an important idea in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', to their endings.
- The supernatural is scary because⇔it has the power to alter who you love, and who you are. ✓
- The supernatural is scary but⇔you could also interpret it as harmless and fun. ✓
- The supernatural is scary so⇔Shakespeare might be asking us to consider darker ideas in his comedy. ✓
- When writing an analytical essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', you will include a ______ in your introduction which states the main idea you want to develop and maintain throughout your essay.
- 'thesis' ✓
Exit quiz
- Starting with the first sentence, order the possible structure for a concluding paragraph in an analytical essay on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
- 1⇔A sentence with a specific response to your thesis.
- 2⇔An evaluative comment about Shakespeare's intentions.
- 3⇔A general comment about why the play is still important and popular.
- When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there are some terms which can help you understand what you should include. Match the key terms to their definitions.
- thesis⇔an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay ✓
- evaluation⇔making a judgement or comment about something ✓
- general idea⇔an idea that is not tied to a particular detail ✓
- specific idea⇔an idea that is tied to a particular detail ✓
- writer's intentions⇔what a writer wants to achieve or explore in their work ✓
- When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what should you include?
- analysis of quotations
- evaluation of writer's intentions ✓
- general summary of the plot
- a response to your thesis ✓
- a general idea about why the play remains popular ✓
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- When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what could the final sentence of your conclusion do?
- ask the reader a question about the play
- repeat your thesis for the third and final time
- offer a counter argument to your thesis
- include a quotation
- consider why the play remains popular and important ✓
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- A pupil said of writing conclusions to essays about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': "You should always include quotations." How would you correct them?
- Repeat quotations you have already analysed, but don't include any new ones.
- Only include quotations from the last scene of the play.
- Include quotations in your main body paragraphs rather than your conclusion. ✓
- Include quotations and, crucially, analysis of these quotations.
- Include general quotations, or ones that are specific to your thesis.
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- When writing a conclusion to an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', your first sentence could be a specific response to your...
- 'thesis' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Conclusions can follow a three part structure moving from the specific to the general.
- The first sentence of a conclusion could be a specific response to the thesis you have argued throughout your essay.
- The second sentence of a conclusion could be an evaluative comment about the writer's intentions.
- The final sentence of your conclusion could consider why the text remains popular and relevant.
- You don't need to include quotations in a conclusion.
Common misconception
Conclusions should include quotations.
Conclusions are about summing up your overall argument (your thesis) rather than continuing to develop it via analysis of new quotations.
Keywords
Thesis - an idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay
Evaluation - making a judgement or comment about something
General idea - an idea that is not tied to a particular detail
Specific idea - an idea that is tied to a particular detail
Writer's intentions - what a writer wants to achieve or explore in their work
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