Read the play through once, without stopping to ask questions or make notes, to get a sense of the whole drama. Begin with any "stage directions" or writer's notes that set each scene. Pay attention to the characters' interactions with one another, and get to know their personalities. Notice the details of setting and the atmosphere they create.
Read the drama again, this time making notes in the margins, underlining or highlighting key passages or creating lists. Identify common themes, repeated ideas or images that help the reader understand the playwright's purpose. Make a list of the main and supporting characters and their roles in the drama, including appearance, character traits and conflicts with other characters.
Select an aspect of the drama that is intriguing and contributes to the purpose of the play: theme, characterization, setting, imagery and symbols or plot. Recognize overlapping elements, such as Lady Macbeth's madness and the symbol of the blood on her hands after planting the bloody dagger on the servant. Create a thesis sentence that makes an assertion about the drama, intellectual, emotional or both: "The most fascinating character in Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, is not the murderous king but his power-mad lady."
Begin the body of the essay with a brief summary of the play. Organize the paper according to its purpose, such as to explain the reasons why Lady Macbeth is more fascinating than the King; to compare and contrast their character traits; or to analyze the supernatural elements of the play. Connect the body paragraphs by using transitional words and repetition.
Include supporting details from the play, explaining their relationship to the main ideas of the essay so the reader is persuaded to agree with the writer's interpretation. Introduce reference materials, such as essays written by scholars of Shakespeare, to support the main points. Cite examples from the play and the research materials according to Modern Language Association documentation style.
Draw conclusions from the analysis: "Lady Macbeth's gradual descent into madness is the tragedy of an intelligent, ambitious woman living in the shadow of males who try to control her destiny." Briefly summarize the reasoning that led to this conclusion. End the essay with a synthesis of the original thesis statement and the conclusion: "Lady Macbeth steals the leading role in the drama as a socially and psychologically repressed woman who can only gain power by manipulating the men in her life. This is the tragedy of the play."
Attach a works cited sheet in Modern Language Association style that lists all references used in the essay.