Properly formatting titles of plays, poems, articles, chapters, and other creative works is important when writing an essay. One aspect of formatting creative work titles that is often confusing is whether or not to underline the title. In general, play titles should be underlined or italicized when directly referenced in the body text of an essay, while titles of other creative works like poems, articles, songs, etc. are placed in quotation marks without italics or underlining.
Underlining or Italicizing Play Titles
The basic rule is that play titles should always be either underlined or italicized when directly referenced in the body text of an essay. This serves to distinguish the play title from the surrounding sentence text. Underlining is the preferred method in MLA style, while italicizing is preferred in APA and Chicago styles. Whichever style is being followed, consistency is key.
For example, if referencing Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet in an MLA formatted essay, the title would appear as:
Romeo struggles with his love for Juliet throughout Romeo and Juliet.
Or in APA style:
Romeo struggles with his love for Juliet throughout Romeo and Juliet.
The key thing is that the play title is distinct from the rest of the sentence text through either underlining or italics. This lets the reader know this is the title of a creative work rather than just part of the prose.
Placing Play Titles in Quotation Marks
If the play title is incorporated into the body of the sentence, rather than standing on its own, it should be placed in quotation marks instead of underlined or italicized. For example:
Shakespeare brilliantly portrays the theme of young love in “Romeo and Juliet.”
Or
One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet,” tells the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers.
In these cases, the play title is part of the grammatical structure of the sentence rather than a standalone reference, so quotation marks are used instead of italics or underlining to set it apart.
Formatting Other Creative Works
The rules are slightly different for titles of other creative works like poems, short stories, essays, magazine/journal articles, songs, etc. Unlike play titles, these should always be placed in regular quotation marks without italics or underlining when directly referenced in an essay.
For example:
Emily Dickinson explores themes of mortality in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death.”
Or
J.K. Rowling introduced readers to the world of magic in her first Harry Potter book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
For unincorporated titles, regular italics are used instead of quotation marks:
Dickinson’s poem Because I could not stop for Death deals withcoming to terms with death.
This distinction of quotation marks for directly referenced creative work titles versus italics for titles within the flow of a sentence helps clearly differentiate the title from the rest of the text.
Exceptions and Special Cases
There are some exceptions and considerations to keep in mind when deciding how to format creative work titles in essays:
Bibliographies: All creative work titles are normally formatted in italics regardless of type in a bibliography or reference list since they are all citations.
Long play/book titles: If a play, book, etc. title is very long, it can be partially omitted and referred to in a descriptive way within the body text instead of a direct quote requiring formatting.
Familiar titles: Very famous works like Romeo and Juliet or Harry Potter may at some point not require formatting as the title becomes part of common vernacular. Thesis statements and key references should still be formatted for clarity.
Electronic sources: Page numbers are not applicable to electronic sources,so chapter or section titles can be referred to with regular quotation marks instead of italics or underlining in lieu of page numbers.
Foreign languages: Follow the formatting conventions of the language being referenced rather than English formatting rules when dealing with titles in other languages.
Proper formatting of creative work titles is important for consistency and clarity in essays. Understanding the basic rule of underlining or italicizing play titles while using quotation marks for other works like poems, stories and songs will help correctly implement title formatting. Exceptions and edge cases ensure all styles and scholarly requirements are followed. Following the right formatting standards avoids confusion and creates a clean, professional final written work.