| font | times new roman |
| size | 12 |
| space | double |
| margins | 1′ |
| format | |
| book titles | italicized if typed, underlined if written |
| articles, short stories, poems | quoted |
| in text citations order | 1. signal phrase2. quote3. cite in MLA prepare to defend |
| signal phrase | signals a quote is approaching, blend your quote |
| quote | – relevant- doesn’t begin with an ellipsis- use only ellipsis in the middle of quote- explain significance |
| in text citation | -last name and page number in parenthesis- place parenthesis before punctuation unless there is a question or exclamation point |
| rules | do not begin or end body paragraphs with quotesdo not italicize/underline/quote your own titledefend quote with at least double length of the quote itself |
| Always write about literature in the | PRESENT TENSE. It is always taking place; it is a part of the eternal NOW. |
| Do not write in first- or second-person point of view (e.g. I, me, we, us, you, your) unless you are told to do so. Everything is assumed to be your opinion, | so telling people “I think” adds words you don’t need. |
| Spell-checking does not equal | proofreading, even for spelling mistakes. |
| Your essay must have a title. true or false | true |
| Avoid contractions (e.g. “can’t, won’t, don’t, etc.). | They make your writing less formal. Replace them with cannot, will not, do not, etc. |
| Statements beginning words like “perhaps” and “maybe” weaken your point because | they give the reader the impression that you’re not sure of what you want to say or that you have not settled on a point to prove. Your essay is not the place for careless speculation. It’s the place for you to develop one line of thinking. |
| MLA FORMATThe format for nearly all instances of in-text parenthetical citation is: | Topic Sentence, Introduce quotation, “Quotation” (Page Number), Analysis, Transition, Introduce quotation, “Quotation” (Page Number), Analysis, Clincher Sentence |
| If you’re writing about a book by J. D. Salinger and use a quote from page 45, your citation should look like this: | (45)That’s it. No commas, no nothing. |
| If you’re quoting from two authors in one sentence: | (Salinger 45; Wallace 29) |
| If you’re quoting from a play written in verse (e.g. Shakespeare), | you include the Author’s last name, the Act # in large Roman numerals, Scene # in small Roman numerals, and line numbers: (II.iv.34-38) |
| When quoting from poetry, | you put a backslash (/) at each line break so that the reader knows when a new line of poetry starts. (E.g. “Consider the human capacity for suffering / Our insatiable appetite for woe” (1-2).) |
| Where is the play set? | Kitchen |
| Why did the neighbor come to the victim’s house? | To discuss sharing a telephone |
| What happened to owner of farm? | He has been found dead with a noose around his neck |
| Where do the men go when they leave the women alone? | Upstairs |
| Where is the spouse of the victim? | In the county jail |
| The sheriff is | Mr.Peters |
| Who discovered the body? | Mr.Hale |
| Held for murder | Mrs.wright |
| Wife of neighbor | Mrs.hale |
| Wife of sheriff | Mrs,peters |
| County attorney | Mr.henderson |
| Loved to sing | Minnie foster (the bird) |
| The dead | Mr.wright |
| With the character who discovered the body | Harry |
| Was instructed to light the stove | Frank |
| What was odd about the killer’s choice of weapon | There was a gun in the house |
| The protagonist in the play | Mrs.peterson |
| Motive | Reason the person did what they did |
| Author of the play | Susan glaspell |
| What happened to the irregular stitching on the quilt | Mrs.H fixed it |
| 5 important items | Bird cage, rope, bird, preserves, and the quilt |
| Playwright | the author of a play |
| Play | a story acted out live, using dialogue and action |
| Drama | a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance |
| Script | A cluster of knowledge about sequences of events and actions expected to occur in particular settings. |
| Closet drama | drama suited primarily for reading rather than production |
| One-act play | when the entire play takes place in a single location and unfolds as onie continuous action |
| Act | one of the main divisions of a play or opera |
| Scene | a division of an act into smaller parts |
| Conventions | all literary works are consisted of codes or rules which a reader naturalizes by assimilating these conventions into the world of discourse and experience that, in the reader’s time and place, are regarded as real or natural |
| Monologue | A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group. |
| Role | – ElementAsk who? An actor’s portrayal of someone in a playstepping into the space/reality of another person, sustaining belief in that position, and representing for example that person’s relationships and point of view. |
| Situation | – ElementAsk what? What is happening in the scene? |
| Place | – ElementAsk where? Space is where the dramatic action takes place. It refers both to the imagined place of the dramatic action and the physical space that the students have to work in. |
| Action | – ElementAsk How? Action is what each person in role is doing and thinking alone and with others. It’s how the drama is being shaped. |
| Tension | – ElementTension is the force that drives the drama. It’s created by obstacles that those in the drama have to overcome. The element of tension heightens the dramatic intensity and creates suspense or unease. |
| Symbol | – ElementWhere an object or action in a scene means more than it is. |
| Mood | – ElementThe atmosphere of the piece. This is the overriding feeling of a scene or part of a scene. |
| Focus | – ElementFocus is the point that demands the audience’s attention. It is the central event, character, theme, issue or problem of a drama or part of a drama. The term “focus” is also used to refer to a place or moment in time that captures the essence of the dramatic action. The third way the term “focus” is used is to refer to the student’s focus or concentration on their work. |
| Mime – Convention | – ConventionA form of theatre performance in which action and character are suggested using gesture, movement, and facial expression without words or sounds. Can be a highly sophisticated silent art form in which the body is used as the instrument of communication. In drama, mime enables the students to explore and represent ideas and events through movement and gesture. |
| Flashbacks and flashforwards | – ConventionMoving back and forward in time in order to extend understanding of themes and characters. |
| Freeze-frame | – ConventionA convention in which the members of a group use their bodies to make an image or tableau capturing an idea, theme, or moment in time; also called a group sculpture or tableau. It’s like a photo image. |
| Narration | – ConventionA convention in which a person explains to the audience the action that occurs within a drama. |
| Soundscape | – ConventionA sequence of sounds shaped to enhance action and mood in a drama. |
| Split Stage | – ConventionWhere action is taking place on opposite sides of the stage, to show different perspectives on a certain situation or event, or to show two things happening at once but in different places. |
| Repetition | – ConventionRepeated ideas, images, words which help to reinforce an idea or create a symbol |
| Monologue/ soliloquy | – ConventionOne actor speaks independently, clarifying ideas or feelings without the interruption of anyone else. An extension of this is soliloquy, where that actor is alone on stage. |
| Slow Motion | – ConventionThe process of slowing down and exaggerating movements, facial expression, and gesture to heighten tension or to isolate a particularly important moment. |
| Chorus of voices | – ConventionA chorus of voices is a group using their voices together to make patterns of sound, or say words or phrases together for emphasis |
| Chorus of Movement | – ConventionA chorus of movement is a group moving together with a sense of purpose. The movement may be repetitive or stylised. A chorus of movement can heighten the moment or create a particular spatial or visual effect. |
| Spoken thoughts | – ConventionIn this convention a person in role speaks the private thoughts of their character to add tension or provide information. This can be done when the other characters in the scene freeze or whilst other characters have a quiet conversation amongst themselves. |
| Voices in the Head | – ConventionIn this convention a student who is not in role comes and speaks the thoughts of another person in role. This is to add to the understanding of the character in role, so it should give important information about them, and express their personality. |
| Hamlet | Prince of Denmark; -Protagonist-upset that his uncle killed his father to become king and married Hamlet’s mother-pretends to be crazy to give him time to figure out how he can get revenge-struggles with himself about his hesitation to get revenge |
| Claudius | King of Denmark, and Hamlet’s Uncle; Antagonist-secretly murdered his brother to become king and marry the queen-plots with Laertes to poison Hamlet when he thinks that Hamlet may know his secret |
| Gertrude | the Queen; Hamlet’s mom-marries Claudius soon after the king dies-there is no evidence in the play that she knew about the murder but her sudden marriage to Claudius is suspicious-Hamlet thinks she is weak-accidentally drinks the poison that is intended for Hamlet |
| King Hamlet/The Ghost | -murdered by his own brother-appears before three soldiers, who recognize him as the dead king-asks Hamlet to avenge his death-though he is disgusted that his wife Gertrude married Claudius, he asks Hamlet not to hurt her |
| Polonius | advisor to King Claudius-father of Ophelia and Laertes-a windbag and a rambler of wisdom-spies on Hamlet for the king-Hamlet stabs him as he is hiding behind a curtain |
| Laertes | son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia-is given advice by his father about how to behave in France-returns from France when he learns of his father’s death-after Ophelia’s death, he plots with Claudius to stage a sword fight in which Hamlet will be poisoned |
| Ophelia | Hamlet’s girlfriend-daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes-her father tells her not to see Hamlet and her brother tells her Hamlet may not have good intentions toward her-Hamlet insults her when he is pretending to be crazy-she commits suicide after Hamlet kills her father |
| Horatio | loyal friend of Hamlet-promises to help Hamlet throughout the play-watches the king during the play to see if he is guilty-goes to the graveyard with Hamlet-though he wants to drink the poison too at the end of the play, Hamlet asks him not to so that he can live and help fix things in Denmark-the only main character in the play to survive |
| Marcellus | a soldier who is Hamlet’s friend-sees the ghost of Hamlet’s father-swears to Hamlet that he will keep what he sees a secret |
| Fortinbras | Prince of Norway-his father, was killed by Hamlet’s father-Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor-Hamlet admires how Fortinbras acts to get revenge for his father |
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | -old school friends of Hamlet-Claudius asks them to spy on Hamlet to figure out why he has gone crazy-Hamlet realizes they are spying on him, rather than being his friends-are sent to England with Hamlet, along with a letter from King Claudius instructing the King of England to kill Hamlet-they are killed when Hamlet changes the instructions to read that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are to be killed instead |
| What does the acronym MLA stand for? | Modern Language Association |
| What is MLA? | A method of citing references in research papers. |
| Documenting one author in reference in a text. | This point has been argued before (Frye 197). |
| Documenting one author by name in a text. | Frye has argued this point before (197). |
| You should not use the authors’ last names in the citation if the authors’ names appear in the text. | True |
| You only use “et al” when you are citing a text with more than three authors. | True |
| When you use quotations in the text, you place the citation before the last quotation mark. | False |
| You only use block outed when quoting more than 4 lines (not sentences) of text. | True |
| Block quotes | The entire block quote is indented, only used when author is mentioned in the text, page number at end is outside the period, quotation marks are not used. |
| Correct way to cite a website. | The Modern Language Association was founded in 1883 (mla.org). OR According to the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) website, the MLA was founded in 1883 (mla.org). |
| Which is true of a Works Cited page? Circle all that apply.a. Starts new page numbered sequentiallyb. Page is not numberedc. Placed after the body of the paperd. “Work(s) Cited” is centered, without quotation marks, italics, or underlininge. Include all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized sourcesf. Do not need to include sources where titles are used in textg. Start each entry on new line, regular left marginh. Font type should be different then the body of the paperi. Indent the second and all subsequent lines five spaces (“hanging indent”)j. Margins should be changed to 1.5 all aroundk. Double-space all linesl. Do not include web sites because they do not count as sourcesm. Alphabetize by the author’s last name, book title, or website name | A,C,D,E,G,I,K,M |
| How are author’s names listed on the Works Cited page? | Alphabetically in reverse order (Holt, Mary M.) |
| How to cite two authors. | Use both last names in text cite and in Works Cited: Best, David, and Sharon Marcus. |
| How to cite more than two authors. | Use last name of first author and et al in text |
| Trifles begins with set description of Mrs. Wright’s kitchen as | messy and hastily abandoned. |
| Why would Sheriff Peters and the County Attorney be interested in knowing about the bird Mrs. Hale finds in Mrs. Wright’s sewing basket? | It establishes Mrs. Wright’s motive. |
| What happened to Mrs. Wright’s bird? | Mr. Wright killed it. |
| Mrs. Hale accuses herself of what crime? | not visiting Mrs. Wright more often |
| Which of the following are two ways the crime scene has been altered by the end of the play? | The stove has been fired up and Mrs. Wright’s quilt has been altered. |
| Which of these is not one of the “trifles” Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters notice at the Wrights’ farm house? | the sealed windows of the farmhouse |
| What alternative explanation (other than murder) does Mrs. Wright give for her husband’s death? | She doesn’t give one, but she maintains her innocence. |
| Who are the first characters to see the ghost of King Hamlet? | … |
| The initial hint of interstate conflict appears in Act I. Which character mentioned is also the son of a recently-deceased king? | … |
| What signal is given to signal that the ghost must disappear? | … |
| Which of the following is NOT a piece of advice Polonius gives Laertes? | … |
| Where does Laertes go to school? | … |
| When the ghost appears again in Act I, which of the following characters sees it? | … |
| The ghosts instructions are for Prince Hamlet to take revenge, but to specifically avoid hurting: | … |
| What does Polonius ask Reynaldo to do? | … |
| What is the purpose of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern returning to Elsinore? | … |
| The most famous soliloquy of all time occurs in Act III: Hamlet’s “to be or not to be.” What is the topic he is discussing? | … |
| When Ophelia attempts to return the gifts that she says Hamlet once gave her, she indicates that the things themselves were “all the more sweet” because of: | … |
| When Hamlet asserts that “of those that are married now, only one shall live,” who is the one? | … |
| Claudius tells Polonius that he will send Hamlet to: | … |
| When asked about the title of the play-within-a-play, Hamlet calls it: | … |
| What is the purpose of the play-within-a-play? | … |
| Hamlet has an opportunity to kill Claudius, but does not act on it. Why? | … |
| Who is killed in Gertrude’s closet? | … |
| When the ghost reappears in Act III, who sees it? | … |
| When Claudius is speaking to his court, what reason does he give for not sending Hamlet to jail for the murder of Polonius? | … |
| Claudius exhorts the King of England to do what? | … |
| Where does Hamlet hid the body of Polonius? | … |
| Which character goes legitimately insane in Act IV? | … |
| Who receives the letters from Hamlet? | … |
| Claudius and Laertes scheme to kill Hamlet how? | … |
| How does Ophelia die? | … |
| Whose skull does Hamlet find in the graveyard? | … |
| How does Hamlet insure the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? | … |
| Which character is left alive at the end of the play? | … |
MLA Format, MLA Format, Theater play Triffles, ENGL 1302 Final REV, elements and conventions of drama, Hamlet, MLA
September 13, 2019