Formatting References for Plays
General Rule
Italicize the titles of plays.
For example: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Quoting a Verse Play
(A play written in poetry form.)
1) In the parenthetical reference after each quotation, indicate the act, scene, and line numbers
of the quoted material. Separate these three pieces of information by periods. Do not use page
numbers.
For example: (1.1.45-46)
- For line number ranges that are under 100, indicate the full numbers, like this: 55-60.
- For line number ranges above 100, provide only the last two digits of the second number,
like this: 311-14. Unless, of course, the quotation spans different hundred groups, such
as: 298-301.
2) If you quote all or part of one line of verse, place it within quotation marks in your text.
*The period comes after the parenthetical citation.
For example: Theseus encourages Philostrate to “[s]tir up the Athenian youth to merriments”
(1.1.12).
3) If you quote two or three lines, place them within quotation marks in the same way as above,
but use a slash with a space on each side to separate the lines.
*The period comes after the parenthetical citation.
For example: Theseus encourages Philostrate to “[s]tir up the Athenian youth to merriments. /
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth. / Turn melancholy forth to funerals” (1.1.12-14).
4) If you quote four or more lines, provide it as a block quotation. Do not provide quotation
marks. A colon is typically used when introducing a block quotation, although this is not always
the case. If the quotation starts in the middle of a line of verse, reproduce it that way (do not
change it by shifting that specific line to the left margin).
*The period comes before the parenthetical citation.
For example:
When the Fairy asks Puck if he is the one some call “Hobgoblin” and “Sweet Puck,” Puck
affirms that he is that one:
Though speakest aright;
I am that merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Oberon and make him smile
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal;
And sometimes lurk I in a gossip’s bowl
In very likeness of a roasted crab
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her withered dewlap pour the ale. (2.1.42-50)
© Jalaine Weller, 2015
Quoting a Prose Play
(Prose means written or spoken language in ordinary form. In other words, not poetry.)
1) In the parenthetical reference after each quotation, indicate the author’s name and the page
number. If you indicate the name of the play in the sentence, provide only the page number.
2) If a quotation runs four lines or fewer when typed out in your paper, put it in quotations and
incorporate it into the text like you would for any regular quotation.
*The period comes after the parenthetical citation.
For example: In The Dumb Waiter, irritated with Gus, Ben exclaims, “When are you going to
stop jabbering?” (1599).
3) If a quotation runs more than four lines, provide it as a block quotation. Start the quotation on
a new line and indent the quotation one inch from the left margin. Do not provide quotation
marks. A colon is typically used when introducing a block quotation, although this is not always
the case. *The period comes before the parenthetical citation.
For example:
Although Ben disagrees, Gus explains that the house does belong to Wilson:
It’s his place all right. Look at all the other places. You go to this address, there’s a key
there, there’s a teapot, there’s never a soul in sight—(He pauses.) Eh, nobody ever
hears a thing, have you ever thought of that? You never see a soul, do you?—except the
bloke who comes. You ever noticed that? I wonder if the walls are soundproof. (He
touches the wall above his bed.) Can’t tell. All you do is wait, eh? Half the time he
doesn’t even bother to put in an appearance, Wilson. (Ibsen 1606)
Citing Dialogue Between Two or More Characters in Either Type of Play
(1) Citing dialogue will appear similar to a block quotation. Begin each part of the dialogue by
indicating the character’s name and indent this one inch from the left margin. (2) All characters’
names should be written in all capital letters followed by a period. Then begin the quotation of
dialogue. (3) Indent all subsequent lines of speech an additional quarter inch following that
speaker’s name. (4) When the dialogue shifts to another character, start a new line indented
one inch from the left margin and follow the same rules as explained previously.
For example: (Provide quotation marks only if present in the original source.)
As the players begin to practice, Puck is bemused by them and provides further comic relief for
the audience:
PUCK. (aside) What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here
So near the cradle of the Fairy Queen?
What, a play toward? I’ll be an auditor;
An actor, too, perhaps, if I see cause.
QUINCE. Speak, Pyramus. Thisbe, stand forth.
BOTTOM (as Pyramus). “Thisbe, the flowers of odious savors sweet—”
QUINCE. Odors, odors.
BOTTOM. “—Odors savors sweet;
So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisbe dear.
But hark, a voice! Stay though but here awhile,
And by and by I will to thee appear.”
PUCK. A stranger Pyramus that e’er played here. (3.1.57-69)
© Jalaine Weller, 2015