Quoting Shakespeare in the MLA style can be difficult, as you may not be sure how to quote the numbers of acts, verses, and lines, rather than the pages. To follow the MLA style, you will need to format the Shakespeare quotes in the text correctly and use the quotes within the text accordingly. You should also cite the writer in the bibliography at the end of the work. Whether you're quoting Shakespeare at MLA for a class assignment or an essay for an assigned reading, you can get the quotes right in just a few steps.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Format Shakespeare Quotes in Text
Step 1. Enclose a single line of verse in quotation marks
If you are only quoting one line from a verse from a Shakespeare play, enclose it in quotation marks. Make sure to include all punctuation in quotation marks.
For example, you could write: "Prospero feels condemned by his decision and says, 'Hell is empty.'
Step 2. Use slashes when quoting two or three lines of verse
If you are using a quote that contains more than one line of verse, separate each line with a slash (/). This will help the reader understand that the verses appear on separate lines. You don't need to put a space on each side of the bar.
For example, you could write: "In the play, Prospero refers to the temporality of life, stating: 'We are the stuff that dreams are made of, and one surrounds our little life."
Step 3. Put more than three lines of verse in block quotes
If you are including a longer quote from the work that spans three lines or more, start it on a new line 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the left margin, and do not enclose it in quotation marks.
- For example, you could write: "The character Ariel tries to calm down with a song that describes fear as a fleeting one:
At the bottom of the sea, five fathoms, lies your father;
Coral is made from their bones;
Those over there are pearls, but it was her eyes:
There is nowhere, that can dissolve
That the sea does not change into something
delicious and strange.
Sea nymphs play for him every hour: Tan, talán.
Can't you hear them? Now I hear them: so, the bells toll, talán ".
Step 4. Use block quotes to quote dialogue between characters
Apply the same block citation format, that is, 2.5 cm (1 inch) on the left margin. Begin each section of dialogue with the character's name in capital letters and place a period after it, followed by the quote. Indent ¼ inch (0.64 cm) on the left margin to all subsequent lines the character speaks on. Start a new line when the dialogue changes to a new character and you don't use quotes.
- For example, you could write: "The play's first betrayal moment involves two characters abandoning their authority figure:
ANTONIO. Let us all shipwreck with the king.
SEBASTIAN. Let's say goodbye to him."
Method 2 of 3: Create an In-Text Citation
Step 1. Put parentheses at the end of the quote
In-text citations should always appear at the end of the citation in parentheses, even if you're citing three or more lines of text in a bulk citation. The citation must appear after the last line of the bulk citation.
- For example, you could write: "Prospero feels condemned by his decision and says: 'Hell is empty and all the demons are here.' (1.2.15-16.)".
- An example with block quotes would be: "The first moment of betrayal of the work involves two characters who abandon their authority figure:
ANTONIO. Let us all shipwreck with the king.
SEBASTIAN. Let's say goodbye to him. (1.1.4-5) ".
Step 2. Abbreviate and italicize the title of the work
The in-text citation begins with the title of the work. Please abbreviate according to MLA guidelines and italicize the abbreviation.
- You can find a complete list of abbreviations for Shakespearean titles on the Internet Shakespeare Editions:
- If you are only dealing with a Shakespearean play at work and you refer to it once, you do not have to include an abbreviation of the title in subsequent quotes.
- For example, you could write a Macbeth quote like: "A good omen is the second witch says: 'My thumbs tingle: / Something evil is coming.' (Mac. 4.1.57-58)".
- Or, if you have already referred to the work once, omit "Mac" in the quote and use only the numbers: "(4.1.57-58)".
Step 3. Write down the act, scene, and line numbers separated by dots
Use numbers, instead of Roman numerals, to record this information. You don't need to add the words "act", "scene" or "line" in the quote, just the numbers. Use a hyphen between the line numbers if the quote spans more than one line.
For example, you could write: "A good example of an omen is given by the second witch: 'My thumbs are tingling: / Something evil is coming.' (4.1.57-58.)". This means that the quote comes from Act 4, scene 1, lines 57-58
Step 4. Include a number quote when referring to the work in a sentence
If you want to refer to the act and scene of the date in a sentence, use numbers instead of Roman numerals. You don't have to include the words "act" or "scene" when referring to the quote in a sentence.
For example, you could write: "In 4.1, the second witch brings a few lines of omen."
Method 3 of 3: Quote Shakespeare in a Bibliography
Step 1. Start with the author and title
List the author's last name first, then the first name: Shakespeare, William. Write the full title of the work in italics, and separate the author and title with a period.
For example, you could write: “Shakespeare, William. The Tempest "
Step 2. Include the publisher's name
Look for the publisher's name in print or online. It usually appears on the back of the cover in the text. Write "Ed." and then the full name of the publisher. Include more than one if there are multiple editors.
For example, you could write: “Ed. Tucker Brooke "or" Ed. John Keene and Lawrence Mason”
Step 3. Add the information about the publisher
Write down the city in which the text was published, as well as the name of the publisher and the year of publication.
For example, you could write: "New Haven, Yale University Press, 1947."
Step 4. Write down the support of the work
Write "Printed" if you accessed the work in print, and use "Web" if you consulted the work online.
For example, the full quote would be: “Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Tucker Brooke. New Haven, Yale University Press, 1947. In print”
Step 5. Cite the publisher's name first if the citations are the publisher's work
If you used the editor's notes and editorial changes or decisions for most of your citations, include the editor's name first in the citation. You should also include the publisher's information.
For example, you could write: “Furness, Horace Howard, ed. The Tempest. By William Shakespeare. New York, Dover, 1964. Printed”
Step 6. Add additional information if you are citing an anthology
If you are accessing the work from an anthology or collection of Shakespearean works, be sure to cite it correctly. You will need to include the name of the anthology or collection in the citation, as well as the publisher and publisher information. You should also include the page numbers of the anthology you have consulted.
- For example, if you were citing an anthology with one volume, you would write: “Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1974. 1306-42. Printed".
- For an anthology with more than one volume, you should write down the number of this one you have accessed: “Shakespeare, William. As you like. The Annotated Shakespeare. Ed. A. L. Rowse. Vol. 1. New York, Clarkson N. Potter, 1978. 334-89. Printed".