Writing & StyleStyle guide
Are Play Titles Italicized?
MLA treats plays as independent works and normally styles their titles in italics. The convention applies even to short plays; other publication styles can specify different treatment.
In MLA-style prose, italicize the title of a play.
Key details
Core Issuehow to style the title of a play in prose
Registeracademic, edited, and style-governed writing
RuleMLA treats plays as independent long-form works and normally styles their titles in italics, regardless of length.
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This is a style convention, not a universal grammar law. Follow the publication or house style required for your document when it differs.
Further guidance
Recommendation
In MLA-style prose, italicize the title of a play.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- If I mention the title of a fictional work in my text, how do I style it? (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · MLA guidance that book and other long-form work titles are normally italicized, while shorter works are normally placed in quotation marks.
- How do I style the title of a work published online? (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · Style guidance distinguishing italicized titles of independent works such as movies and television series from quoted episode titles