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

Last Updated: October 12, 2023

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been viewed 389,763 times.

MLA (Modern Language Association) format is a popular citation style for papers and essays. You may be unsure how to quote and cite play using MLA format in your essay for a class. Start by following the correct formatting for a quote from one speaker or from multiple speakers in the play. Then, use the correct citation style for a prose play or a verse play.

Template and Examples

how to quote a play in an essay

Quoting Dialogue from One Speaker

Step 1 Include the author and title of the play.

  • For example, if you were quoting a character from the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, you would write, In Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , the character Honey says...

Step 2 Name the speaker of the quote.

  • For example, if you are quoting the character George from the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, you would write, “George says,…” or “George states,…”.

Step 3 Put the quote in quotation marks.

  • For example, if you are quoting from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , you would write: Martha notes, "Truth or illusion, George; you don’t know the difference."

Step 4 Put slashes between verse lines.

  • For example, if you were quoting from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure , you would write: Claudio states “the miserable have no other medicine / But only hope.”

Quoting Dialogue from Multiple Speakers

Step 1 Put a blank space between the body of your paper and the first line.

  • You do not need to use quotation marks when you are quoting dialogue by multiple speakers from a play. The blank space will act as a marker, rather than quotation marks.

Step 2 Indent the speaker names 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the left margin.

  • MARTHA. Truth or illusion, George; you don’t know the difference.
  • GEORGE. No, but we must carry on as though we did.
  • MARTHA. Amen.

Step 3 Indent the dialogue ¼ inch (0.63cm) from the left margin.

  • Verse dialogue is indented 1 ¼ inch (3.17cm) from the left margin.

Step 4 Include the stage directions.

  • RUTH. Eat your eggs, Walter.
  • WALTER. (Slams the table and jumps up) --DAMN MY EGGS--DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!
  • RUTH. Then go to work.
  • WALTER. (Looking up at her) See--I’m trying to talk to you ‘bout myself--(Shaking his head with the repetition)--and all you can say is eat them eggs and go to work.

Citing a Quote from a Prose Play

Step 1 Put the citation in the text using parentheses.

  • If you are quoting dialogue from one speaker, place the citation at the end of the quoted dialogue, in the text.
  • If you are quoting dialogue from multiple speakers, place the citation at the end of the block quote.

Step 2 Cite the author’s name.

  • For example, you may write: “(Albee…)” or “(Hansberry…)”

Step 3 Note the title of the play.

  • For example, you may write, “(Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ...).”
  • If you have mentioned the title of the play once already in an earlier citation in your essay, you do not need to mention it again in the citations for the play moving forward.

Step 4 Include the page number and the act number.

  • For example, you may write, “(Albee 10; act 1).
  • If you are including the title of the play, you may write: “(Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 10; act 1).”

Citing a Quote from a Verse Play

Step 1 Place the citation in-text.

  • For example, if the quote appears in act 4, scene 4 of the play, you will write, “(4.4…)”.

Step 3 Include the line number or numbers.

  • For example, if the quote appears on lines 33 to 35, you will write, “(33-35).”
  • The completed citation would look like: “(4.4.33-35)”.

Expert Q&A

Christopher Taylor, PhD

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  • ↑ http://penandthepad.com/quote-essay-using-mla-format-4509665.html

About This Article

Christopher Taylor, PhD

To quote and cite a play in your essay using MLA format, start by referencing the author and title of the play in the main body of your essay. Then, name the speaker of the quote so it’s clear who’s talking. For example, write, “In Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the character Honey says…” After introducing the quote, frame the dialogue with quotation marks to make it clear that it’s a direct quote from a text. If your dialogue is written in verse, use forward slashes to indicate each line break. For more tips from our English co-author, including how to quote dialogue between multiple speakers in your essay, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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

MLA style provides guidelines for citing both small and large passages of plays in the body of your text. In addition, MLA requires you to note any plays you reference on a separate works cited list. How you include quotes from a play in your text will depend on how whether you're quoting a single character or dialogue between multiple characters.

Quoting a Play in Your Essay

Whenever you quote a play in your essay, MLA style requires you to include an in-text citation showing where the quote came from. For a play, this will include the abbreviated title of the play, and the section of the play in which the quote is found.

If you are quoting a single character's dialogue, or stage directions, in your paper, you can simply include the quote within quotation marks as part of your sentence.

If quoting a verse play, lines are separated by a slash /. Take the following from Shakepeare's "Measure for Measure":

In asking for his pardon, Claudio states "the miserable have no other medicine/But only hope" ( Measure , 3.1.2-3).

In the in-text citation, " Measure " show's the play's title, "3" is the act number, "1" the scene number, and "2-3" the lines on which the quote appears. Note that each item in the play's division is separated by periods. '},{'content':'If you're quoting a play that does not have scenes or lines, include the act, and note it as such, so it is not confused with a page number.

For example, Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" has no scenes, so you might cite it as follows:

Betty's anxiety is shown by her worry toward Tommy. "He's going to fall in. Make Martin make him move back" ( Cloud , act 2).

Quoting Dialogue From Multiple Characters

One of the features of plays is that multiple characters speak to each other in dramatic form. If you quote two characters speaking to each other this way in your paper, it is formatted as a block quote. Include a blank line between the body of your paper and the first line of your quote.

When dialogue switches characters, include a blank line between each character's lines. Each line in the block quote must be indented 1 inch from your the rest of your paper's text, and if a character's speech runs more than one line, each additional line is indented an additional 1/4-inch. The names of characters are written in full caps -- don't forget to include an in-text citation after the quote.

This quote is from Aristophanes's "The Birds":

PISTHETAIROS: I never saw so many birds! They make me nervous.

EUELPIDES: You said it. When they lift their wings you can't see where you're going. ("Birds", párodos)

Greek plays are divided into named subsections, such as episodes and strophes -- the name of each subsection should be included when citing a Greek play. In this case "párodos" is the choral section including the quote.

Including a Play on Your Works Cited List

In MLA style, an additional page is added after the last page of your paper to include all items that were cited in your essay.

When you quote or reference a play in your writing, you place a reference on this page to give the information of the book or anthology in which you found the play. Your reference will include the name of the author, the play title, the publication information, and the format in which it was found. MLA arranges this information in the following order:

Author Lastname, Firstname. Title of Play . Publication Location: Publisher, Year of Publication. Format.

For example:

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9 . New York: Theater Communications Group, 1985. Print.

If you are referencing a play that has been translated and/or edited, include the translator's and/or editor's name after the title of the play:

Pirandello, Luigi. Six Characters in Search of an Author . Trans. Edward Storer. Ed. Adam Frost. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1998. Print.

Plays in Anthologies

Plays will often be included in a multivolume work or anthology. If you are citing a specific play that is included in an anthology, the anthology name should be included in italics after the play title.

In addition, the pages the play appears on within the anthology should be included after the year of publication. Here's an example of an anthology citation:

Aristophanes. The Frogs . Four Comedies . Trans. and Ed. Dudley Fitts. New York: Harcourt, 1962. 69-156. Print.

Note that if the translator and editor are the same person, you list "Trans." first.

Plays Found Online

To include a play found online your reference list, you will replace the publisher information with the name and date of the Web page on which you found the play. Also note the source format as "Web." You do not need a URL to cite a Web source in MLA, but you need to indicate the date you last accessed the Web page. Format your citation as follows:

Author Lastname, Firstname. Title of Play . Name of Web page . Name of website, last date Web page was updated. Web. Date you accessed Web page.

Here is an example:

Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure . The Complete Works of William Shakespeare . Massachusetts Institute of Technology, n.d. Web. 16 March 2015.

Note that "n.d." means "no date." You can use this in place of the update date for a webpage, or publication date for a book, if no date is available.

Need help with a citation? Try our citation generator .

  • Pellissippi State Community College Library: MLA Style Guide - Drama
  • Purdue University Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited -- Electronic Sources

Jon Zamboni began writing professionally in 2010. He has previously written for The Spiritual Herald, an urban health care and religious issues newspaper based in New York City, and online music magazine eBurban. Zamboni has a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Wesleyan University.

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How to Cite a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples

Published on March 6, 2019 by Courtney Gahan . Revised on March 5, 2024.

When citing a play with numbered lines, the MLA parenthetical citation should include the author name and the act, scene and line number(s). If the lines are not numbered, include the page number instead.

When quoting dialogue, include the character names in all capitals followed by a period, and pay attention to indentation.

You can also try our free MLA Citation Generator to help create citations for plays.

Table of contents

Citing plays in mla, how to quote dialogue from a play, plays in an mla works cited list.

An MLA in-text citation contains the author’s last name and a page number:

If the text of the play includes act, scene, and line numbers, replace the page number with the act, scene, and line numbers, separated by periods:

If the text uses lines only, clarify what the numbers mean by writing “line(s)” beforehand in the first citation of that play, separated from the author name or title with a comma. Subsequent citations of the same play can omit “line(s).”

Citing multiple plays by one playwright

In papers focusing on multiple works by one playwright (for example, the works of Shakespeare), use the italicized play name instead of the author name in each citation:

To avoid repeating play names throughout your dissertation, the MLA style guide recommends writing the full name in the first citation, then using abbreviations for subsequent mentions.

If your research is focused on Shakespeare , there are universally accepted play name abbreviations you can use. Do not devise your own, as your supervisor will be expecting these standard abbreviations:

When quoting multiple lines of dialogue from a play or screenplay:

  • Set the quote on a new line, indented half an inch from the left margin.
  • Start the dialogue with the character’s name in capital letters, followed by a period.
  • If a character’s dialogue runs over one line, indent subsequent lines a further half inch.
  • Add the citation at the end, after the punctuation mark.

Throughout the play, memory is connected with both religion and fantasy:

The Works Cited section is where you list the full references for sources cited in the text. The reference for a play looks different depending on whether it was published as a whole book , collected in an anthology , or performed live.

If the play is published as a stand-alone book, it looks the same as a standard MLA book citation .

MLA format Author last name, First name. . Publisher, Year.
Friel, Brian.  Faber and Faber, 1981.
(Friel 57)

Collection or anthology

If the play is published in an anthology or collection, place a period after the play’s title, followed by full details of the book in which it appears.

MLA format Author last name, First name. . , edited by Editor first name Last name, Publisher, Year, Page range.
Shakespeare, William. . , edited by John Jowett et al., 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 1998, pp. 2501–2565.
(Shakespeare 1.2.20)

If there is no named editor, simply omit this part and proceed straight from the anthology name to the publisher information.

Live performance

MLA format Author last name, First name. . Directed by Director first name Last name, Publisher, Day Month Year, Theater Name, City. Performance.
Parker, Trey, et al. Directed by Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, 20 Feb. 2019, Prince of Wales Theatre, London.
(Parker et al.)

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Gahan, C. (2024, March 05). How to Cite a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/how-to-cite-a-play/

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How To Cite A Play In MLA – Formatting & Examples

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How-to-cite-a-play-in-MLA-Definition

In academic writing , proper citation practices are essential to acknowledge the intellectual contributions of authors and to uphold the integrity of scholarly discourse. For scholars, students, and writers engaged in the study of drama and theatre, understanding how to cite a play in MLA format is important. This guide delves into the intricacies of citing plays in MLA, providing a step-by-step elucidation of the citation process for various play types, including classic and contemporary works.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

  • 1 How to cite a play in MLA – In a Nutshell
  • 2 Definition: How to cite a play in MLA
  • 3 How to cite a play in MLA: In-text citations
  • 4 How to cite a play in MLA: Works Cited list

How to cite a play in MLA – In a Nutshell

  • When quoting from a play in an essay, MLA style requires you to add an in-text citation indicating the source.
  • Including quotes from a play in your work will vary based on whether you are quoting a single character or dialogueue between numerous characters.
  • In MLA format, an additional page is inserted after the last page of the academic essay to list all sources acknowledged within.

Definition: How to cite a play in MLA

An MLA parenthetical citation for a play with numbered lines should include the play’s title, author, act number, scene number, and line numbers. Without line numbers, refer to the page the text appears on. Capitalize, punctuate, and indent dialogueue as necessary.

  • Banquo: I’ll have it done.
  • Macduff: Wbonnet he bonneth lost, noble Macbeth bonneth won. (Shakespeare 1.2.94–95)

How to cite a play in MLA: In-text citations

An MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and page number:

  • (Beckett 8)

Replace the page number with the act, scene, and line numbers, separated by full stops if they’re included in the play:

  • (Shakespeare 1.3.188–90)

If the text only employs lines, clarify wbonnet the numbers represent by including “lines” before the author’s name or title in the first citation of tbonnet piece. Subsequent references to the same play may omit “lines.”

  • (Malcolm, lines 15–26)
  • (Malcolm 35–40)

Multiple plays by the same author

In articles focusing on many works by a single playwright, italicize the play title instead of the writer’s name in each reference.

  • ( Macbeth 1.3.188–90)

The MLA style manual suggests using abbreviations after the initial reference to avoid repeating play titles throughout your dissertation . If your study is on Shakespeare, you can utilize commonly accepted acronyms for play titles.

  • ( Mac . 2.1.25)

Quoting dialogueue

When quoting several dialogueue lines from a play or film:

  • Place the quotation on a new line with a half-inch left margin indent.
  • The discourse should begin with the character’s name in capital letters and a full stop.
  • If a character’s discourse extends beyond one line, indent the subsequent lines by a half inch.
  • Add the citation following the punctuation mark.

How-to-Cite-a-Play-in-MLA-Quoting-dialogue

How to cite a play in MLA: Works Cited list

The Works Cited section contains the citation information used in the text. The citation format depends on whether it was published as a book, an anthology, or a live performance.

If the play is published as a book, the citation format is identical to the standard MLA format.

Author last name, First name. . Publisher, Year.
Vin, Brian. Translations. , 1983.
(Vin 57)

Collection or anthology

Put a full stop after the play’s title if published in a collection or anthology, and then give the complete details of the sourcebook.

Author last name, First name. . , edited by Editor first name Last name, Publisher, Year, Page range.
Austen, Jane. . T , edited by Success Oceo et al., 2nd ed., Marvel UP, 1995, pp. 2503–2568.
(Austen 1.2.20)

If there is no editor listed, simply remove this section and proceed as illustrated above.

Live performance

To reference a live performance of a play, provide the date and location of the performance. Include the theatre company as well.

Author last name, First name. . Directed by Director first name, Last name, Publisher, Day Month Year, Theater Name, City. Performance.
Smith, Ethan, et al. . Directed by Casey Jason and Ethan Smith, 20 Feb. 2019, Prince Edward Theatre, London.
(Smith et al.)
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How to cite a play in MLA with a one-act play?

MLA style ensures tbonnet your reader knows the play being cited. Italicize the work’s title with the page number or scene, act , and lines and only use the full title in the initial citation.

How to cite a play in MLA with no author?

Use a shortened version of the work’s title when a source’s author is unknown. If the work is short, enclose the title in quotation marks ; if longer, italicize the title and include the page number.

How to cite a play in MLA with multiple lines

Quotes longer than four prose lines or three verse lines should be placed in a separate block of text without quotation marks. Begin the quotation on a new line, double-spacing throughout and indenting it by 1/2 inch from the left margin.

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  • What Is the Best Approach on How to Quote a Play in Your Essay?

What Is the Best Approach on How to Quote a Play in Your Essay?

I can bet that at least once in your entire life in school you have asked the question, “how to quote a play?” Yes, it is a perfectly normal academic question that students worldwide have been asking with no solution in sight. Well, that is at least until we came along to offer online help in formatting papers written with the help of information gathered from plays. However, first, you have to learn what a play is and how they are developed.

A play is a very informative piece of literature, customarily shown on television or in a theatre, on stage. Sometimes plays are broadcast over the radio and often involve conversations between two or more people thus the need to learn how to quote a play MLA. Most people agree with the fact that to fully appreciate the theme of any play it is better to watch it rather than read it. Students and institutions of learning have taken to using plays, more so the information they possess in the course of their studies.

Information is an important element in any written assignment such as a research paper. Students can learn how to quote plays from our website with ease. Therefore, students can learn how to properly acknowledge the various elements that culminate to the production and distribution of such rich sources of information.

Now you fully enjoy the benefits of theatre in your writing by quoting a play and recognize the various aspects that culminate in their production. The people featured in a play are the actors; these actors perform their craft on a stage for people to watch. The people who are watching the play are the audience, for whom the play is written. The director helps the actors of the play too follow a pre-written script and, by definition, direct the actors’ moves and actions in the play.

Each play provides interesting and informative themes to students who can learn how to cite a play in an essay. However, the understanding and interpretation of the play are at the mercy of the audience, the directors and actors play their part to inspire and inform them as best as they can. Also, the directors can give new life to old or forgotten plays to allow them to reach many more audiences with the message in every line of their plays.

Very good examples of such plays include Shakespeare’s plays which were written a long time ago but are still being used today. Students can learn how to quote lines from a play using some of the samples of Shakespeare’s earlier plays from our website, absolutely free.

Creativity and Learning How to Quote A Play in an Essay the Right Way

The question as always been, “can lessons delivered through the use of plays assist lecturers to meet goals and objectives established in formal education?” Shakespeare’s plays have often been reproduced using current technology; however, the original message remains somewhat the same for use with MLA in text citation play. The play writers and directors often have control of the delivery and genre of the plays.

Thus, you realize the need to pick up skills on how to cite lines from a play. Naturally, scholars are expected to give credit to the producers of any, and all, plays they use in their research when working on their assignments thus the need to seek for our help on how to quote a play in an essay.

Learn How to Cite Lines from A Play MLA for Your Papers

There are different types of plays that students can learn how to quote from a play in their papers. These differences arise from changes to the presentation and delivery of the play; each of which can be used by students of all disciplines. Here are the seven notable types of themes most commonly used by students when quoting plays in their written assignments and research papers;

  • Drama – Addresses social and family structures characteristic of the society today.
  • Symbolic/ expressionistic – Refers to people’s ideas and opinions passed on by the actors.
  • Tragedy – They have a sad end to their story as a result of any number of reasons.
  • Comical – Offers its audience a happy ending and often has elements of humor.
  • Tragi-comedy – This play is both comical and tragic at the same time.
  • Melodrama – This type of play has both a protagonist and an antagonist. The emotions run high for this type of play, however, the hero always finds a way to win.
  • Experimental – this play, as the name suggests, is a test where anything is possible.

If you visit our website, you can learn how to cite lines from a play MLA using our database of comprehensive templates and samples that can be used to correctly quote plays by formatting the citations and works cited entries.

Guide on How to Quote A Play in an Essay Example Online

When trying to learn how to cite quotes from a play in an essay particularly from a published play, the format is basically the same as that of a book as is evident with the templates provided on our website. Also, you should note that an in-text play citation is derived from a corresponding works cited entry.  When you want to learn how to quote a play in an essay example are provided for you to follow through and edit them yourself.

The agreed-upon format for MLA quoting a play, the in-text citation would have the writer of the poem’s last name and the page number. The bibliography entry for a play in MLA style of writing should include (in that order);

  • The play writer or director’s full names
  • The title of the play
  • The name of the publisher
  • Year of publication

Study How to Cite A Line from A Play with Us Online

The lessons learned from plays has greatly helped students get better in their studies and also helped educators to deliver valuable lessons and assignments to the scholars through various plays. Students have come a long way in their pursuit of knowledge of how to cite a line from a play from various online websites. However, when you study how to quote plays MLA with the help of our samples and templates online you will be on the right track to formatting your play citations and references all on your own.

The idea that there is educational, student-oriented content in plays drove most, if not all, institutions of learning worldwide to incorporate them into the learning processes. However, there are only a handful of companies offering useful and comprehensive guides on how to cite quotes from a play online. We are among the few companies providing free unlimited access online citation generators for students in addition to the samples and templates available on our home page.

You should trust in our ability to pass on the knowledge we have on how to quote a play in a paper for any style of writing. We offer to format your APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard citations and bibliography entries. Therefore, to get assistance with quoting a play MLA do not hesitate to seek our help. We are here for your continued academic progression.

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IMAGES

  1. 5 Ways to Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format

    how to quote a play in an essay

  2. Quoting a prose play in MLA style

    how to quote a play in an essay

  3. How to Cite a Play: Line Citation Guide

    how to quote a play in an essay

  4. 5 Ways to Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format

    how to quote a play in an essay

  5. How to Cite a Play: Line Citation Guide

    how to quote a play in an essay

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

    how to quote a play in an essay

VIDEO

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  5. 🎭 Ready to quote? Play "Who Said What" and prove your film, TV, and pop culture knowledge. 🍿🌟

  6. Guess the Movie by its Iconic Quote 2024 🎬🗣️

COMMENTS

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

    To quote and cite a play in your essay using MLA format, start by referencing the author and title of the play in the main body of your essay. Then, name the speaker of the quote so it’s clear who’s talking.

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

    Learn how to format in-text citations and works cited entries for plays in MLA style. See examples of quoting single and multiple characters, verse and prose plays, and online sources.

  3. How to Cite a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples - Scribbr

    Learn how to cite a play in MLA with numbered lines, page numbers, or character names. See examples of in-text citations and Works Cited entries for different types of plays.

  4. Quoting a prose play in MLA style - YouTube

    See how to quote a prose play in MLA style in an essay.

  5. Cite Plays & Poems - Cite MLA Style 9 - LibGuides at COM Library

    For your Works Cited page, when citing a play from a book you'll need to include both the book publication information and the play information. The examples below are for a print book. If the book is an eBook, it will also require the location of the eBook, generally the database provider and URL. Structure. Play author.

  6. How to How a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples

    To citation a play in MLA, include the author name, actually, scene and line(s). When quoting dialogue, include type names in capitalized write. FAQ

  7. How To Cite A Play In MLA ~ Formatting & Examples - BachelorPrint

    When quoting from a play in an essay, MLA style requires you to add an in-text citation indicating the source. Including quotes from a play in your work will vary based on whether you are quoting a single character or dialogue between numerous characters.

  8. How to Cite a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples | SCC ...

    To cite a play in MLA, include the author name, act, scene and line(s). When quoting dialogue, include character named in capital letters.

  9. How to quote a play MLA? - StudentShare

    When you want to learn how to quote a play in an essay example are provided for you to follow through and edit them yourself. The agreed-upon format for MLA quoting a play, the in-text citation would have the writer of the poem’s last name and the page number.

  10. How to Cite a Play in MLA Style | Format & Examples ...

    Quoted multiple plays by one screenwriter. In papers focusing on multiple works on one playwright (for example, the works of Shakespeare), how the italicized play name instead of the author name in each citation: In-text citation with show label. ( King 1.3.188–90)