Teacher – Write a 2-page explication selected from Beowulf or Macbeth.
An explication is a technique involving close analysis of a short excerpt taken from a lengthy work. It is
neither a summary nor a paraphrase but an interpretation that reveals deeper meanings. You will explore
language, considering elements like allusions, settings, themes, point of view, characterization, rhythm,
symbolism, tone, foreshadowing, irony, and/or anything else that brings clarity to certain meanings of a
work. Be sure to “set up” the passage you are explicating and identify the work’s title, author and line
numbers in the first paragraph. For example, “This explication will explore lines 47-67 in Beowulf.” This
essay is about focus not range.