A simple, good literature essay structure
The best essays are the ones which show a detailed and enthusiastic understanding of the text and ones which are logical, convincing and direct. The key thing to remember is that the purpose of an essay is to argue a point and/or answer a question. You must keep that argument to the fore as you plan your response and then write your essay.
Below is a simple essay structure with a sample topic and response.
Why was the character Macbeth a tragic hero?
The Introduction:
restates the topic or question with a response
includes the title and author of the text
provides general points or statements as reasons to support your argument
eg In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth was a tragic hero because he was initially a great man who allowed his greatest weakness to destroy him, those he loved and all who got in his way.
The body of the essay
Your essay should have at least four main points where only one point at a time is discussed in the form of a paragraph.
Each paragraph should:
start with one reason which backs up your argument/statement
provide at least one example from the text to support your statement
provide a short quote to support each example
an explanation of how or why these quotations and these examples support the statement at the start of the paragraph as well as relating to the main argument
the explanation part of the paragraph should be the longest.
In the opening scenes of the play we learn that Macbeth is a victorious soldier of the Scottish army. For example, in Act One, scene three, a 'bloody soldier' tells Duncan what an amazing fighter Macbeth is: "...for brave Macbeth - well he deserves that...