Steps of an intro:

  1. Hook. Question (no 2nd person words), quote by someone famous, a statement meant to get a reaction, a statistic, a mini story.

In the sample below, I have chosen to use a famous Shakespearean quote not from Othello. I have avoided the word you and I have drawn the reader in without plunking him or her directly on the topic—tease them a little, like a trying to get a guy interested without being sexual in your writing.

  1. General info on topic. I tell the reader, my topic is Shakespeare and his staying power. That staying power is universal themes and the timelessness of sets that can change.
  2. Summary of play. Introduce the reader specifically to Othello.
  3. Thesis. Here’s my argument: Shakespeare still matters, because people still care about 1, 2 and 3. Lay it out that plainly. This is why he matters, this is what can be seen in Othello.

You must do all of these steps in this order.

Sample intro

“To be or not to be? That is the question.” This is perhaps one of the most quoted lines ever. It is not, because the world has memorized Hamlet, but because people universally ask the question when times are hard whether it is better to live or not to exist. That is the beauty of Shakespeare, that he despite or perhaps because his flowery language can break down a truth that lasts for all time. William Shakespeare died over five hundred years ago, yet he is still studied and watched for pure entertainment when so many of his peers have been forgotten. One can see Romeo and Juliet set as garden gnomes and Taming of the Shrew set in a trailer park. His sets are malleable; his language is evocative and poetic; and he draws on themes that matter to people throughout time. This statement holds for the play, Othello. Othello is the story of an outsider and a black man who marries a noble white woman. The main character is hated by the antagonist, Iago for denying him a promotion and a rumor of transgressions with his wife. Iago sets out to destroy Othello and works everyone in the play as pawns in his ultimate chess game. There are countless themes seen in Othello that still ring true today; specifically, Shakespeare draws on the audience’s connection with the exploitation of weakness, struggles and resentments felt between husband and wife, and the complicated love between parent and child.

I’m returning many of your papers ungraded, because nearly no one has done this right. I made the error in assuming that since you’re seniors and I know what goes on in LA9 and have taught Am Lit, you’ve done this skill before. Let’s practice getting it right. By the way, you don’t even need the script to be able to do this.