English

Style and Formatting Guide for Citing a Work of Drama The following information is an adapted version of the style and formatting guidelines found in the MLA

Handbook, 8th ed. (2016), published by the Modern Language Association. This sheet is to serve as a ready-

reference; more in-depth descriptions can be found in the handbook.

• If there is an author listed, use the

author’s last name. In the absence

of an author, the title of the work

should be used in an abbreviated

form.

• Numbers are usually written in

Arabic numerals for acts and

scenes.

⇒ (5.165) refers to Act 5, line

165 of a play.

Use quotation marks when you are quoting one character and the passage is three lines or less, as shown

in this sample essay on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House (1.3.4):

Nora makes a fruitless attempt to reassure Torvald before she leaves when she says, “I’ve heard that

when a wife deserts a husband’s house just as I’m doing, then the law frees him from all responsibility. In any

case, I’m freeing you from responsibility. …There has to be absolute freedom for us both” (3.442-445).

Notes:

It is not necessary to use ellipses at the beginnings or endings of quotes or paraphrases to indicate that words

have been omitted. For more information on quoting fiction and the use of ellipses and brackets, please see our

“Style and Formatting Guide for Direct Quotations.”

• However, some instructors may prefer the

use of Roman numerals for acts and scenes.

⇒ (IV.i.22-36) refers to act 4, scene 1,

lines 22 through 36 of Shakespeare’s

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

• Periods are used to separate the various

numbers presented in the citation.

• Titles of dramatic works are italicized

when mentioned in the text and should be

abbreviated in citations.

⇒ The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of

Shakespeare's most enduring plays.

⇒ (Tragedy)

• Quotations and paraphrases from

works of drama, or plays, are

parenthetically cited based on

textual division (such as act,

scene, book, and/or part) (1.3.4).

In-text citations should reflect the format of the source listed in the Works Cited section. For example,

if the source from the Works Cited section is italicized, it should also be italicized in the in-text citation.

Notes:

In the case of a drama written in verse-form, the rules for quoting poetry would apply. For more information

on quoting poetry, please see our “Citing Poetry” guide.

If a play is not divided into chapters or books (i.e. Aeschylus’ trilogy The Oresteia: Agamemnon, The Libation

Bearers, and The Eumenides), you should cite just the line numbers.

Note:

All Works Cited entries are double-spaced. Please check the MLA Handbook for formatting the citations of

electronic texts.

A PLAY IN AN ANTHOLOGY:

Author’s Name. Title of Work. Title of Anthology, Editors/Translators, Publishing House, Year, pp. Page

Numbers.

Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. The Norton Anthology:

World Masterpieces, edited by Maynard Mack, et al, Norton, 1992. pp. 1958-2010.

A FREE-STANDING PLAY:

Author’s Name. Title of Work. Publishing House, Year.

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Theater Communications Group, 1992.

If you quote more than one character or more than three lines, set off the quotation by indenting one

inch. Begin with the character’s name typed in all capitals followed by a period. Indent subsequent lines

a further 1/4 inch:

Mrs. Linde pressures Nora to reveal the source of her loan. Nora, however, remains resolute:

MRS. LINDE. Now don’t try to hide it, Nora. You think I can’t guess who loaned you the forty

-eight hundred crowns?

NORA. Are you out of your mind? How could you think such a thing? (2.201-206)

Last modified 6/13/16