Choose one of the prompts below to answer in a timed write. Pick a prompt that will allow you to demonstrate your full understanding of the texts and ability to think critically. You may use Oedipus Rex and Macbeth for textual support. Your essay will be evaluated to whether it meets the following criteria: « Clearly addresses all parts of the writing prompt. + Provides a meaningful thesis, demonstrates a consistent focus, and illustrates a purposeful control of organization. + Thoughtfully supports the thesis and main ideas with specific details and examples. 1. "Minor characters often play crucial roles in drama.” Discuss the roles of Teiresias in Oedipus the King and the Weird Sisters in The Tragedy of Macbeth in terms of their effect on the protagonist and the advancement of the plot. Include specific evidence to support your position. 2. In drama, the role of the wife varies: she can serve as an instigator, an obstacle, a mirror, or a complement to the protagonist. Which role(s) do Jocasta, from Oedipus the King, and Lady Macbeth, from The Tragedy of Macbeth, fulfill? Present specific evidence to support your view. 3. A.C, Bradley wrote of Shakespeare's tragic heroes: “In almost all we observe a marked one-sidedness, a predisposition in some particular direction; a total incapacity, in certain circumstances, of resisting the force which draws in this direction; a fatal tendency to identify the whole being with one interest, object, passion, or habit of mind.” Apply this statement to Oedipus and Macbeth, providing specific evidence to support your views, and incorporating your well-supported opinion of why each protagonist is susceptible to this “predisposition” and whether or not each serves as a tragic hero. 4, The role of fate and free will are crucial to Oedipus the King and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Determine which ONE (Fate OR Free Will) actually leads to the downfall of each protagonist. Include specific evidence to support your stance.