1. Introductions and Quoting Shakespeare

2. An introduction needs to do 3 basic things
Hook the reader by presenting the topic in an interesting way.
Your preamble can be external (something beyond the scope of the source but relevant) or internal (focussed on the source material)
Provide a clear thesis that the reader can always revisit at any point in the essay
Provide clarification/criteria that will be used to justify your thesis
ALSO: Always include author and title

3. Student Sample 1

4. Sample Introduction
The urge to be seen as perfect is a desire commonly found among humans. However, even some animals are not immune to these desires. A bird trying to attract the best mate in the forest by creating a perfect nest will fight to the death for a twig that it believes will make its nest excel beyond the rest. The bird will even go so far as to break the incubating eggs in a nest if it contains an item that the bird wants for itself. Similarly in humans, there are people –both real and fictional- that strive for perfection so much so that they begin to weigh ideology above humanity. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, there are characters that fall prey to their own desire to create a perfect life or a perfect society, leading them to abandon their morals—something that makes a person human—and commit horrible acts. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and, to a lesser extent, Macduff weigh ideology above humanity. In doing so they become bitter and accusing, lose their grip on reality and create chaos and war.

5. Sample Introduction
The urge to be seen as perfect is a desire commonly found among humans. However, even some animals are not immune to these desires. A bird trying to attract the best mate in the forest by creating a perfect nest will fight to the death for a twig that it believes will make its nest excel beyond the rest. The bird will even go so far as to break the incubating eggs in a nest if it contains an item that the bird wants for itself. Similarly in humans, there are people –both real and fictional- that strive for perfection so much so that they begin to weigh ideology above humanity. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, there are characters that fall prey to their own desire to create a perfect life or a perfect society, leading them to abandon their morals—something that makes a person human—and commit horrible acts. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and, to a lesser extent, Macduff weigh ideology above humanity. In doing so they become bitter and accusing, lose their grip on reality and create chaos and war.

6. Student Sample 2

7. Sample Introduction
One of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies is Macbeth. This play is considered a tragedy because the protagonist of the play, Macbeth, suffers a terrible downfall as a direct result of his actions. Time and again, Macbeth lies, steals and tricks those around him because of his seemingly limitless desire to posses everything in his reach. However, since Macbeth never considers why he wants power but only focusses on the goal itself, he lives in constant fear, causing him to make foolish decisions. He ends up acting illogically and ignoring the common sense. This leads to a downward spiral form which he is unable to escape.

8. Sample Introduction
One of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies is Macbeth. This play is considered a tragedy because the protagonist of the play, Macbeth, suffers a terrible downfall as a direct result of his actions. Time and again, Macbeth lies, steals and tricks those around him because of his seemingly limitless desire to posses everything in his reach. However, since Macbeth never considers why he wants power but only focusses on the goal itself, he lives in constant fear, causing him to make foolish decisions. He ends up acting illogically and ignoring the common sense. This leads to a downward spiral form which he is unable to escape.

9. Sample 3

10. Sample Introduction
A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves. -Gloria Steinem While society may not have reached the goal that feminist author Gloria Steinem outlined in the famous quote, it has come a long way. Terms such a transgendered, pansexual, or heteroflexible are integrated into daily conversation as much as articles of political dispute or details of the latest Jays game. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is all the more fascinating because it validates both Shakespeare's breadth of genius and the developing notion of what it means to be a sexual human. More so than any other Shakespearean play, Macbeth functions the most vividly as psychoanalysis of the state of humanity's development of a sense of sexual self. The play is about social pressures and the consequent challenges of developing a sexual identity. The relationships in the play, most notable Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, function in essence as a looking glass into how powerful sexual identity is in shaping how people behave and can influence the behavior of others.

11. Sample Introduction
A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves. -Gloria Steinem While society may not have reached the goal that feminist author Gloria Steinem outlined in the famous quote, it has come a long way. Terms such a transgendered, pansexual, or heteroflexible are integrated into daily conversation as much as articles of political dispute or details of the latest Jays game. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is all the more fascinating because it validates both Shakespeare's breadth of genius and the developing notion of what it means to be a sexual human. More so than any other Shakespearean play, Macbeth functions the most vividly as psychoanalysis of the state of humanity's development of a sense of sexual self. The play is about social pressures and the consequent challenges of developing a sexual identity. The relationships in the play, most notable Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, function in essence as a looking glass into how powerful sexual identity is in shaping how people behave and can influence the behavior of others.

12. Citing Shakespeare

13. How to write citations for Shakespeare
There are technically two acceptable ways to cite Shakespeare: classic and modern. In either case you cite act, line and scene. You do not cite page number. Although I often use the classic citation in examples, you should use the modern one. It’s what most schools are using.
Classic (Shakespeare IV, iii, 23-25)
Modern (Shakespeare )

14. Quotes of 4 lines or less
If you quote all or part of a single line of verse, put it in quotation marks within your text.
Berowne’s pyrotechnic line “Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile” (Shakespeare ) is a text-book example of anaphora.
You may also incorporate two or three lines in the same way, using a slash with a space on each side [ / ] to separate them.
Claudius alludes to the story of Cain and Abel when describing his crime: “It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, / A brother’s murder” (Shakespeare –38).

15. Quotes of more than 4 lines
Set verse quotations of more than four lines as block quotations: start a new line and set each line one inch in from the left margin, adding no quotation marks not appearing in the original. If the quotation starts in the middle of a line of verse, reproduce it that way, don’t shift it to the left margin.
Jaques begins his famous speech by comparing the world to a theater:   
                                     All the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. (Shakespeare –42)
He then proceeds to enumerate and analyze these ages.

16. Dialogue Quotations
If you quote dialogue between characters in a play, set it as a block quotation as described above. Begin each part of the dialogue with the appropriate character’s name written in all capital letters. Place a period after the name; then start the quotation. Indent any subsequent lines of the character’s speech an extra quarter inch. When the dialogue shifts to a new character, start a new line. Maintain this pattern throughout the quotation.
The Christians in Venice taunt Shylock about his daughter’s elopement:
SHYLOCK.  She is damned for it.
SALARINO.  That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge.
SHYLOCK.  My own flesh and blood to rebel!
SOLANIO.  Out upon it, old carrion! Rebels it at these years?
SHYLOCK.  I say my daughter is my flesh and my blood.
SALARINO.  There is more difference between thy flesh and hers
than between jet and ivory, more between your bloods than
there is between red wine and Rhenish. (3.1.29–38)
Shylock is clearly very defensive about his daughters involvement.