Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay is an ideal exercise for students to demonstrate their analytical skills. The essay could be an exercise in describing the attributes of a character in a play or could be a test of gauging how much knowledge has been gained after reading about a character in a story or text. Analysis of characters without actually meeting them is not easy. It required a bit of experience. Here are some tried and tested methods that can be employed to simplify the process of character analysis.

• If you have a choice of topic, choose one you are familiar with. A character analysis essay can be easily written when you are familiar with the story. For example, an essay on Romeo from the famous Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet would indeed be an interesting and engaging exercise. You would have read the play at some time in your school career. Also, readers would be very interested in it. There is a practical angle to it. A research paper would take considerable amount of time to complete. The exercise is simplified, If you are familiar with the story and characters.
• An analysis of popular characters would also mean that readers would be familiar with them. They would be interested in reading about them only if they notice a fresh approach. As a writer, it therefore becomes important that you highlight characteristics in a way not attempted before. Write in your own unique style and make a conscious effort to include fresh and new content.
• Readers may not have read a story before, but a character would be familiar to them. The essay writing exercise should stress on defining the role a character plays in the story in detail. A short paragraph with the storyline can be included for the benefit of readers. It could be presented in a short concise manner by introducing characters in the sequence they appear within the story. The explanation would enable a character analysis to be made in relation to the other characters for better understanding of readers. For example, the story of Batman could include other characters like Robin, Catwoman, or The Joker as they appear in it. A brief description of Gotham City would help in presenting these characters.
• Read the whole story and identify the character in context to emotions displayed. Analyze whether the character is learned, illiterate, hot headed, stubborn, or kindhearted. Base your essay analysis on what drives the character. It could be the desire to acquire wealth or love for another person. A troubled childhood or friction between other members of the same family could trigger a thought process that could take shape as the story progresses. Establish how society reacted to norms set at the time when the story was written. A play by Shakespeare would depict different characteristics based on the Victorian era, while a modern day character would react to a situation differently. The character analysis essay can be based on different methods, but the one you are comfortable with would prove to be the best option.

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