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Plays and Long Poems

References to plays, long poems and works by classical writers should initially be made in full in order to inform the reader of the specific edition used (and thus the editor, translator etc). Subsequent references should be made in an abbreviated form, providing

  • The title of the work in italics
  • The number of the 'act', 'book' etc in small capital roman numerals (I, IV)
  • The number of the 'scene', 'chapter' in arabic numerals (1, 4, 7)
  • The specific line reference or section number in arabic numerals

The numbers in the reference should be separated with full stops, not commas.

Examples

Coriolanus, I. 6. 29-35.

On Agriculture, II. 5. 6-10.

Exercise

1

Write out a subsequent short reference to this Shakespeare passage.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet ed. by Harold Jenkins, The Arden Shakespeare (London: Methuen, 1982).

Act: 2

Scene: 2

Line: 544-570

Check your answer