Plays are cited differently from other books in MLA because they have structural elements — acts, scenes, and line numbers — that replace page numbers in citations. The format also changes depending on whether you're citing a published text, a play in an anthology, or a live performance. Verse plays (Shakespeare, Marlowe, Sophocles) use act.scene.line numbers, while prose plays use page numbers.
The central question when citing a play is whether you're working from a written text (a book, an anthology, an online edition) or from a performance (a live show, a film, a recording). Text-based citations credit the playwright as author; performance-based citations foreground the director or performers.
Published Play — Single Edition
When you cite a play published as its own book, the format is similar to citing any other book. If the edition has an editor (common for classical and Shakespeare editions), include the editor's name.
Play Without an Editor
Works Cited:
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Viking Press, 1949.
In-text citation:
(Miller 32)
Play With an Editor
Most editions of Shakespeare and classical drama are scholarly editions with an editor who wrote the introduction, notes, and textual apparatus. Include the editor:
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, Arden Shakespeare, 2006.
In-text citation:
(3.1.56–59)
What to notice:
- Shakespeare is the author, but the editors are credited with "Edited by"
- The in-text citation uses act.scene.line — not page numbers — because Hamlet is a verse play
- The publisher is the imprint (Arden Shakespeare), not the parent company
Play With a Translator
For plays originally written in another language, include the translator:
Works Cited:
Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard. Translated by Laurence Senelick, W. W. Norton, 2006.
In-text citation:
(Chekhov 41)
Play With Both an Editor and a Translator
Works Cited:
Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by Ruby Blondell, edited by Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm, Hackett, 2015.
In-text citation:
(Sophocles 22)
Play in an Anthology
Plays assigned in literature courses often come from anthologies. The citation uses the container system: the play is the work, and the anthology is the container.
Basic Format
Works Cited:
Wilson, August. "Fences." The Norton Anthology of Drama, edited by J. Ellen Gainor et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, pp. 1840–908.
In-text citation:
(Wilson 1856)
What to notice:
- The play title is in quotation marks because it's a shorter work inside a larger container
- The anthology title is in italics
- Include the editor(s), edition, publisher, year, and page range
- In-text citations use page numbers from the anthology
When the Play Title Is Italicized in an Anthology
If a play was originally published as a standalone work (which is the case for most full-length plays), some instructors prefer italics rather than quotation marks even when citing from an anthology. Check with your instructor. Both approaches are acceptable in MLA:
Wilson, August. Fences. The Norton Anthology of Drama, edited by J. Ellen Gainor et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, pp. 1840–908.
Classical Play in an Anthology
For Greek tragedies and other classical plays in modern anthologies:
Works Cited:
Euripides. "Medea." Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien. The Norton Anthology of Drama, edited by J. Ellen Gainor et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, pp. 112–48.
In-text citation:
(Euripides 125)
Play Found Online
If you accessed the text of a play on a website rather than in a printed book:
Works Cited:
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Project Gutenberg, 29 Aug. 2006, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/844.
In-text citation:
(Wilde 14)
If the website provides act and scene divisions but no page or line numbers, cite by act and scene:
(Wilde, act 2)
For plays on academic databases like JSTOR or Drama Online:
Works Cited:
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Translated by William Archer. Project Gutenberg, 6 Jan. 2003, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2542.
In-text citation:
(Ibsen 28)
In-Text Citations — Verse Plays vs. Prose Plays
The single most important distinction for in-text citations is whether the play is written in verse or prose. This determines what numbers go in the parenthetical.
Verse Plays — Act.Scene.Line
Verse plays — Shakespeare, Marlowe, Sophocles, Molière (in verse translation) — are cited by act, scene, and line number, separated by periods:
(3.1.56–59)
This tells the reader: Act 3, Scene 1, lines 56–59.
Rules:
- Use arabic numerals (3.1.56), not roman numerals (III.i.56), unless your instructor requires otherwise
- Separate act, scene, and line with periods — no spaces
- Use an en dash (–) for line ranges, not a hyphen
- Do not use "act," "scene," or abbreviations like "Act" or "Sc." — just the numbers
The soliloquy begins with the most famous question in English drama: "To be, or not to be — that is the question" (3.1.56).
Prose Plays — Page Numbers
Prose plays — Miller, Williams, Wilson, Hansberry, Wilde — are cited by page number, just like other prose sources:
Willy insists that "he's liked, but he's not well liked" (Miller 33).
(Hansberry 47)
If your edition divides the play into acts but has no line numbers, you may cite by act and page:
(Miller, act 1, p. 33)
But most instructors prefer just the page number if it's unambiguous.
Quoting Dialogue From a Play
Play dialogue has special formatting rules in MLA. Regardless of length, quoted dialogue from a play is always presented as a block quotation with character names in uppercase.
Single Speaker
The soliloquy opens with Hamlet's most recognizable question:
HAMLET. To be, or not to be — that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles. (3.1.56–59)
Format rules:
- Character name in uppercase (or small caps), followed by a period
- Subsequent lines by the same speaker are indented to show continuity
- The parenthetical citation follows the last line, after the period for block quotations
Multiple Speakers
When quoting dialogue between two or more characters, start each speaker on a new line:
The exchange reveals the power dynamic between the two characters:
HAMLET. Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel?
POLONIUS. By th' mass, and 'tis — like a camel indeed.
HAMLET. Methinks it is like a weasel.
POLONIUS. It is backed like a weasel.
HAMLET. Or like a whale.
POLONIUS. Very like a whale. (3.2.375–82)
What to notice:
- Each new speaker starts on a new line with their name in uppercase
- The indentation aligns the dialogue text, not the character names
- A single parenthetical at the end covers the entire exchange
Prose Play Dialogue
For prose plays, the formatting is the same — block quotation with uppercase character names — but the citation uses page numbers:
WILLY. I'm the New England man. I'm vital in New England.
LINDA. But you're doing wonderful, dear. You're making seventy
to a hundred dollars a week.
WILLY. But I gotta be at it ten, twelve hours a day. (Miller 33)
Citing a Live Performance
When your source is a live performance you attended — not the published text of the play — the citation format changes significantly. The play title comes first (not the playwright), and the entry emphasizes the director, performers, theater, and date.
Basic Format
Title of Play. Directed by Director Name, performance by Lead Actor(s), Theater Name, City, Day Month Year.
Example
Works Cited:
Hamlet. Directed by Sam Gold, performance by Oscar Isaac, St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, 15 Apr. 2025.
In-text citation:
(Hamlet)
What to notice:
- The play title is italicized and comes first — it functions as the author element
- The director and performers are credited but are not the "author"
- The theater name and city replace the publisher
- The date is the date of the performance you attended
- In-text, cite the title in italics since there's no single author
When to Emphasize the Director or Performer
If your analysis focuses on a director's interpretation or an actor's performance, you can start the entry with that person:
Works Cited (director emphasis):
Gold, Sam, director. Hamlet. Performance by Oscar Isaac, St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, 15 Apr. 2025.
In-text citation:
(Gold)
Works Cited (performer emphasis):
Isaac, Oscar, performer. Hamlet. Directed by Sam Gold, St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, 15 Apr. 2025.
In-text citation:
(Isaac)
Citing a Film or Television Adaptation
Film and television adaptations of plays are cited as films or TV episodes, not as plays. The key difference: the director (not the playwright) is typically the author.
Film Adaptation
Works Cited:
Branagh, Kenneth, director. Hamlet. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1996.
In-text citation:
(Branagh)
Film Adaptation on a Streaming Platform
Works Cited:
Luhrmann, Baz, director. Romeo + Juliet. Bazmark Films, 1996. Amazon Prime Video, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EBWINI.
In-text citation:
(Luhrmann)
Television Adaptation
Works Cited:
"Macbeth." Great Performances, season 38, episode 10, PBS, 6 Oct. 2010.
In-text citation:
("Macbeth")
If you need to credit the playwright in your discussion of a film adaptation, do so in your prose rather than in the Works Cited entry:
Kenneth Branagh's 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet uses the full, uncut text of the play (Branagh).
In-Text Citation Quick Reference
| Source Type | Works Cited Starts With | In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Play (single edition) | Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. | (3.1.56–59) |
| Play with editor | Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by… | (3.1.56–59) |
| Play with translator | Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard. | (Chekhov 41) |
| Play (anthology) | Wilson, August. "Fences." | (Wilson 1856) |
| Play (online) | Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. | (Wilde 14) |
| Prose play | Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. | (Miller 32) |
| Live performance | Hamlet. Directed by Sam Gold… | (Hamlet) |
| Film adaptation | Branagh, Kenneth, director. Hamlet. | (Branagh) |
Common Mistakes
- Using page numbers for verse plays. Shakespeare and other verse dramatists are cited by act.scene.line (3.1.56), not by page number. Page numbers vary across editions; act-scene-line numbers are universal.
- Using roman numerals for act and scene. MLA 9th edition recommends arabic numerals (3.1.56), not roman (III.i.56), unless your instructor specifies otherwise.
- Confusing the published text with a performance. If you read the play in a book, cite the book. If you watched a live performance, cite the performance. If you watched a film adaptation, cite the film. Don't mix elements from different formats.
- Omitting the editor for Shakespeare editions. Scholarly editions of Shakespeare are edited texts. Omitting the editor misrepresents the source — the editor's choices (spelling, punctuation, stage directions) shape the text you're reading.
- Formatting dialogue as a regular quotation. Play dialogue is always a block quotation with character names in uppercase, even if you're quoting only one or two lines. Don't run dialogue into your prose paragraph.
- Citing the playwright as the author of a film adaptation. In a film citation, the director is the author. Credit the playwright in your prose if needed, not in the Works Cited entry.
What's Next
Now that you know how to cite plays, explore related guides:
- How to Cite a Poem or Song in MLA Format — for citing poetry and song lyrics with line numbers
- How to Use Block Quotes in MLA Format — the complete guide to formatting quotations
- How to Cite a Book in MLA Format — for citing play editions as books
- How to Cite a Video in MLA Format — for film and television adaptations
If you're working in Archivero, save a play to your library and the Works Cited entry — including the editor, translator, and edition details — is generated automatically.
