1. How to Properly Quote Shakespeare
For a Literary Essay

2. Title
Whenever you write the title of any play, it must be italicized. Othello must therefore be italicized.

3. In-Text Citations
Cite the act with a capitalized roman numeral followed by a period: V.
Cite the scene with a lower case roman numeral followed by a period: iii.
Cite the lines
Cite line and page numbers up to 101 like this: 34-37; above 100, you repeat only the last two figures: (but of course, and ).
Correct: (V.iii ) Incorrect: (Act V. Scene iii. Lines )
(Since our text doesn’t cite the line numbers you may use page number in place of lines. HOWEVER, please note that the proper way is to cite the lines)

4. Quotations When quoting 1-3 lines in Shakespeare:
Use quotation marks “” just like you would with any other quote followed by an in-text citation in parenthesis () and a period.
Lines must be separated with a forward slash /.
Example: “All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players”(II.vii ).

5. Block Quotes
For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. After the quote is completed continue writing your paragraph from the left margin. DO NOT end your paragraph with a quote! All the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. (II.vii )

6. Rules for Using Block Quotes
In a short essay such as this:
Only use ONE block quote in the entire essay.
DO NOT quote more than FIVE lines in a Block Quote.

7. Practice
On a sheet of notebook paper, chose one quote of 1-3 lines and one quote of 4-5 lines and write them in the correct format including in-text citations.