What is a claim in essay writing

A claim is the main argument of an essay. It is probably the single most important part of an academic paper. ... ✓ A claim defines your paper‟s goals, direction, scope, and exigence and is supported by evidence, quotations, argumentation, expert opinion, statistics, and telling details. ✓ A claim must be argumentative.

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i would say that these are the two thesis statements best for a literary analysis essay on recurring themes in shakespeare's romeo and juliet:

1.  in romeo and juliet, shakespeare demonstrates that love comes in a variety of forms, be it romantic, familial, or between friends.

2.  shakespeare explores the struggle for identity through the character of juliet in his play romeo and juliet.

the other theses aren't reoccurring in this play. 

explanation:

"a" because he is appealing to logic as oppose to appealing to the audience's emotions.