How to Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format

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How to Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format

When quoting and citing a play in an essay using MLA (Modern Language Association) format, it’s important to follow specific guidelines to ensure clarity and consistency. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate this process:

1. Basic Guidelines for MLA Citation

In MLA format, plays are cited in-text and in the Works Cited page. The format differs slightly depending on whether you are quoting from a play in a printed collection or from an individual work.

2. In-Text Citations

When quoting from a play, your in-text citation should include the author’s last name and the page number(s) where the quote can be found. However, for plays, it’s more common to cite act, scene, and line numbers instead of page numbers, especially if you’re referring to a specific passage.

For Quotes from Printed Collections:

  • Format: (Author’s Last Name Act.Scene.Line)
  • Example: (Shakespeare 3.1.100)

For Quotes from Individual Works:

  • Format: (Author’s Last Name Page Number)
  • Example: (Williams 45)

Note: If the play is part of a collection or anthology, use the editor’s name and the page number(s) in your citation.

3. Formatting In-Text Quotes

  • Short Quotations: If the quote is fewer than four lines, incorporate it into the text using quotation marks.
  • Example: In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the titular character reflects on his ambition: “I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.168–170).
  • Long Quotations: If the quote is longer than four lines, format it as a block quotation. Indent the block one inch from the left margin and do not use quotation marks. Place the parenthetical citation after the final punctuation of the quote.
  • Example:
    In the final act of *The Tempest*, Prospero speaks of his relinquishing of magic: Ye elves of hills, brooks, brooks, standing lakes and groves, And ye that on the sands with printless foot Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him When he comes back; you demi-puppets that By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice To hear the solemn curfew, by whose aid, Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimmed The noontide sun, called forth the mutinous winds, And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault Set roaring war—To the dread rattling thunder Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory Have I made shake, and by the spurs plucked up The pine and cedar; graves at my command Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let them forth By my so potent art. (5.1.33–51)

4. Works Cited Page

For a play, the MLA citation format varies slightly depending on whether the work is a single play or part of a collection.

Single Play:

  • Format:
  Author's Last Name, First Name. *Title of Play*. Publisher, Year of Publication.
  • Example:
  Williams, Tennessee. *A Streetcar Named Desire*. New Directions, 1947.

Play in an Anthology or Collection:

  • Format:
  Author's Last Name, First Name. *Title of Play*. Edited by Editor's Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, pp. Page Range.
  • Example:
  Shakespeare, William. *Macbeth*. Edited by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, The RSC Shakespeare, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp. 56–119.

5. Special Cases

  • Play with Multiple Authors: If the play has multiple authors, list all authors in the Works Cited entry.
  • Example: Gurney, A.R., and John Guare. *The Cocktail Party*. Random House, 1953.
  • Translation: If you’re citing a translated work, include the translator’s name in your citation.
  • Format:
    Author's Last Name, First Name. *Title of Play*. Translated by Translator's Name, Publisher, Year of Publication.
  • Example:
    Brecht, Bertolt. *Mother Courage and Her Children*. Translated by Eric Bentley, Grove Press, 1966.

6. Conclusion

Properly quoting and citing a play in MLA format ensures academic integrity and clarity in your writing. By following these guidelines, you can effectively integrate quotes from plays into your essays and provide accurate citations that adhere to MLA standards.