Gladhill Learning Commons FAQ: Citations

When quoting from a play that does not have line numbers (such as Fences by August Wilson) in MLA style, use this format:

(Author Last Name page number; act number.scene number)

(Wilson 61; 2.1)

If the author is obvious from the context, you don't need to include their name in-text. For example:

Wilson highlights the theme of psychological barriers in Fences when Bono says, "Some people build fences to keep people out...and other people build fences to keep people in" (61;2.1).

For more information, see page 126 in the MLA Handbook.

If you are citing a play that has line numbers, such as a Shakespeare play, use the following format:

(Author last name act number.scene number.line numbers)

For example:

(Shakespeare 3.3.165-171)