Proper Quote Integration Practice
British Literature
What is wrong with this paragraph?
Both Hester and Chillingworth committed sins.
Hester Prynne committed the sin of adultery, her greatest
sin was in initially marrying a man she did not love. “She
marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to
marry him. (p. 121). It also says: “She deemed it her crime
most to be repentant of, that she had ever endured and
reciprocated the lukewarm grasp of his hand, and had
suffered the smile of her lips and eyes to mingle and melt
into his own.” (pgs. 121-122.) Chillingworth commits sins
against others, “A man burdened with a secret should
especially avoid the intimacy of is physician (113.) This
quote shows how Chillingworth is a sinner.
Quote Integration Reminders
 The quote you are using should be relevant and illustrate your
point.
 All quotes must be introduced, cited and expanded on.
 Example: Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery; however,
her greatest sin was in initially marrying a man she did not
love. Hester does not understand “how she could ever have
been wrought upon to marry [such a man]! She deemed it her
crime most to be repented of, that she had ever endured and
reciprocated the lukewarm grasp of his hand” (121). Although
Hester was once able to conceive that she loved
Chillingworth, she now realizes that it was only because she
did not know true love. While she used to think of this
domestic scene as happy long ago, she now sees how dismal it
is and counts it among "her ugliest remembrances” (122).
Example Two
Hamlet deals with issues of duty and revenge. This
theme is most evident in the character Hamlet. “So art thou
to revenge when thou shalt hear.” (1.5.12). Hamlet also
says, “Haste me to know ‘t, that I, with wings as swift/As
meditation or the thoughts of love,/May sweep to my
revenge.” (58-59) which explains that Hamlet intends to
revenge his father swiftly. King Hamlet also embodies
revenge. “Murder most foul, as in the best it is,/But this
most foul, strange, and unnatural” (1.5.33-34).
Revised
Example:
King Hamlet explains to his son that “[t]he serpent that did sting thy
[father] / [n]ow wears his crown” (1.5.46-47). The ghost’s allusion
to Claudius as a “serpent” mirrors the biblical deception of Satan –
disguised as a serpent – who tempts Adam and Eve; Claudius,
unlike Satan, succeeds in usurping a throne he has no right to,
unlike the devil who tries but fails to usurp god’s throne. Much
like the spoiled garden, there is something damaged and “rotten in
the state of Denmark” (1.5.77). Reinstating and redressing the
“unnatural” balance of Claudius’s ascension to the throne is
paramount for order to be restored to Denmark (1.5.31).
Ways to introduce a quote:

Introduce a quote with a complete sentence and a colon.
Hamlet reveals his plan to Horatio and Marcellus : “As I perchance hereafter shall think
it meet/ to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.191-92).

Use an introductory or explanatory phrase followed by a comma.
Hamlet reveals his plan to Horatio and Marcellus when he says, “As I perchance hereafter
shall think it meet/ to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.191-92).

Make the quotation part of your own sentence without any
punctuation between your words and the quote. This is where you
should be with your quote integration.
Hamlet reveals his plan to Horatio and Marcellus ; he asks them to ignore him if he later
puts on “an antic disposition” (1.5.191-92).
If you chose the option above, you may have to change something in the
original text to make the quote fit in your sentence. To do this place
the change in brackets [].
Ways to introduce a quote:




Introduce a quote with a complete sentence and a colon.
Use an introductory or explanatory phrase followed by a comma.
Hester shows her sympathy for Dimmesdale when she tells him,“That old man! –
the physician! – he whom they call Roger Chillingworth – he was my husband!”
(371)
Make the quotation part of your own sentence without any punctuation
between your words and the quote. This is where you should be with
your quote integration.
While she used to think of this domestic scene as happy long ago, she now sees how
dismal it is and counts it among "her ugliest remembrances” (122).
*If you chose the option above, you may have to change something in the
original text to make the quote fit in your sentence. To do this place the
change in brackets []. Hester rebukes the town’s people when she acknowledges
that “Roger Chillingworth [is her] husband” (371).
Expanding on a quote
Do’s
 Do write 2-3 sentences after the
quote that ties it to the assertion
you are making.
 Do refer back to a quote by
repeating part of the quote.
 Do expand on the quote. In
some cases, just plopping a
quote in is worse than not
including one in the essay. It
confuses the reader.
 When you explain a quote your
explanation should some how
refer back to your thesis.
Don’t
 Repeat what the quote says
 Don’t refer to a quote by
saying “this quote shows”
 Don’t simply move to the
next point. If the quote is
important enough to be in
your essay, it is important
enough to be discussed.
 Don’t narrate your essay. You
should avoid saying things like
“this quote is included to
prove my thesis”
Citing a Quote
 All citations should always be done in MLA format.
 The citations should be in parenthesis (). It should include
the author (if writing about more than one work) and the
page number. The period goes after the closing
parenthesis.
Practice
Directions: Integrate the following quotes into your own
sentence that explains their meaning.
“Thou this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t” (2.2.22324).
2. “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is
southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw” (2.2.403-04).
3. “…The play’s the thing/ Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of
the King” (2.2.634-35).
1.