What is the best way to structure a one hour exam essay on Shakespeare?

There is no single way to write an exam essay! You seek to produce something creative and individual. However, there are some helpful points to remember to help you write a clear and clever answer:a) An essay should have an at least 5 paragraphs: Introduction, 3 different points, and a Conclusion. Make sure in your Introduction you explore the terms of the question and set up an argument that is simple and clear. Often describing tensions within a play can be a useful starting point (e.g. 'In Hamlet , the political and personal are not just pitted against one another - in fact they are tragically fused.')b) Make sure that each new paragraph begins with a conjunction that clearly signposts your argument (e.g. 'However', 'Therefore', 'Similarly', 'By contrast'). Remember to use in the final sentence of each paragraph the terms of the question to show you are sticking to it! Your Conclusion can recap what you have been arguing, but always try to nuance your argument, reveal exceptions and discuss things that may complicate readings. c) Make sure you include at least one critical quote: the best is not to spend time learning these off by heart but trying to rephrase what a critic says (e.g. 'As the critic A.D. Nuttall argues, King Lear presents a vision of universal nihilism') or just quote a catch-phrase of two or three words (e.g. 'T.S. Eliot argues that Othello in final speech seems to be "cheering himself up"...')d) Make sure to consider Shakespeare's plays as live performances! Include useful examples of productions such as interesting staging/lighting/motifs/costume. Mention the bodies/actors on stage that might not be obvious from only the script (e.g. Claudius and Polonius eves-dropping on Hamlet's rant at Ophelia in Act 2 "to a nunnery, go").