What does an essay outline look like?
Most essay outlines will never be handed in. They are meant to serve you and no one else. Occasionally, your professor will ask you to hand in an outline weeks prior to handing in your paper. Usually, the point is to ensure that you are on the right track. Nevertheless, when you produce your outline, you should follow certain basic principles. Here is an example of an outline for an essay on Hamlet: thesis: Despite Hamlet’s highly developed moral nature, he becomes morally compromised while delaying his revenge. I. Introduction: Hamlet’s father asks Hamlet not only to seek vengeance but also to keep his mind untainted. II. Hamlet has a highly developed moral nature. A. Hamlet is idealistic. B. Hamlet is aware of his own faults, whereas others are self-satisfied. C. Hamlet does not want to take revenge without grounds for acting. III. Hamlet becomes morally compromised while delaying. A. The turning point in Hamlet’s moral decline is his killing of Polonius. B. Hamlet’s moral decline co