Rules for punctuating quotations



Rules for Citing Shakespearean Quotations

There are a few rules you should follow for punctuating quotations from Shakespeare, which are often written in iambic pentameter, and are therefore a type of verse (i.e. poetry), rather than prose. Note that formatting is different for short versus long quotations.

SHORT QUOTATION: If the passage you are quoting is three lines of your own essay’s text or less, keep it double spaced like the rest of your essay. Punctuate the quotation to make it flow smoothly into your own text, as if it were dialogue. Closing punctuation should appear outside of the quotation marks and after the parenthetical citation. For example, your essay could read as follows:

Speaking of how friendships can be altered by romantic interests, Claudio says, “Friendship is constant in all other things / Save in the office and affairs of love” (Much Ado, 2.1.176-77). Here Claudio is commenting on Benedick’s changed nature after his encounter with Beatrice . . . [etc.]

Note that a page number is not indicated, but instead the Act, Scene, and line number(s); the original line break has also been indicated by a backslash (/) and all lines referenced.

The citation is bracketed after the quotation marks and the final period does not go inside the quotation marks but after the brackets. Also note that since it was not clear from the context of the essay itself, the source text has also been cited in shortened form. The reader can then go to the Works Cited list to find out which edition of Shakepeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was being used.

[Exception: Only if the selected quotation ends with a question mark (?) or an exclamation mark (!) as it appears in the original text should the closing punctuation go within the final quotation marks.]

LONG QUOTATION: If the passage is four lines or more of essay text then the quotation is usually introduced by a colon (:). Indent the passage on both sides of the page by ½” and do not use quotation marks (unless they appear in the original text for dialogue). The passage should be single spaced and final punctuation should appear before the parenthetical citation (in this case it is a question mark, but it would also be the case if a period). Example:

Shakespeare’s mature blank verse has much of the rhythmic flexibility of his prose; both the language, though richly figurative and sometimes dense, and the syntax seem natural. It is also often highly appropriate to a particular character. Consider, for instance, this speech from Hamlet, in which Claudius, King of Denmark (“the Dane”), speaks to Laertes:

And now, Laertes, what’s the news with you?

You told us of some suit. What is’t Laertes?

You cannot speak of reason to the Dane

And lose your voice. What wouldst though beg, Laertes,

That shall not by my offer, not thy asking? (1.2.42-46)

Notice the short sentences and the repetition of the name “Laertes,” to whom the speech is addressed. Notice, too, the shift from the royal “us” in the second line to the more intimate “my” in the last line, and from “you” in the first three lines to the more intimate “thou” and “thy” in the last two lines. Claudius knows how to ingratiate himself with Laertes.

Note that no backslashes are necessary as the original line breaks have been retained. Also, since it is clear from the essay’s context that Hamlet is being cited, then no mention of the play need be made in the parenthetical citation.

If you are citing dialogue that switches between different characters in a long quotation, then indicate the character at the beginning of his or her lines (an abbreviated version of the name is acceptable – the key is to alleviate any confusion, as well as to be consistent).

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