Short Essay Instructions: Read each of the following questions carefully and choose ONE prompt for your response. Beneath the questions, include a short essay that appropriately responds to the question. Be sure to include textual evidence (including citations) in your response to support your claim. Your short essay should be approximately 2-3 paragraphs in length. Be sure to indicate which prompt you have chosen. Question #1
Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; the main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their values. Consider a moment in the play, Macbeth, that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written short essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal, and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Question #2
The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths takes place. Choose a moment like this from the play, Macbeth, and write a well-organized short essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.