Citing a Play

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To cite or not to cite? That is the question! And the answer is, of course, that you should always cite your sources. Failing to include citations for any sources that you’ve used in the writing of your essay or paper could mean that you unintentionally commit plagiarism, which can have tragic consequences!

In order to correctly cite Hamlet as a source — or any other play — when using a book as the source, you’ll need to gather the following pieces of information. Whether you use them all in your citation depends on the format you’re using:

  1. Name of author
  2. Title of play
  3. Publisher
  4. Year of publication
  5. Place of publication

Note that, as classic works such as plays can be published by multiple publishers (a quick search of an online bookshop returned over 100 results for Hamlet in paperback!), it’s important that the publisher details refer to the copy of the book that you are using. Otherwise it’s very difficult for a lecturer to check your sources, or refer to them for more information.

If your copy of Hamlet has been edited or translated then you’ll also need to include:

  1. Name of editor or translator

What you might also choose to do is provide some additional identifying information that relates to the play in general. For example:

  1. Division numbers (i.e. part, act, scene)

You would also use division number identifiers if you wanted to cite a section of a live performance of a play. If you wanted the citation to refer specifically on one particular person or persons — an actor, character or the director, for example — you could include:

  1. Contributors name

How you structure play citations will depend on which citation format you’re opting to use. If you’re unsure, ask your lecturer or tutor. Examples include: 

MLA Format

Structure:

Author’s last name, first name. Title. Translated or edited by first name last name, publisher, year published, page numbers.

Citation:

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by George Richard Hibbard, Oxford UP, 2008, pp. 18-22.

APA Format

Structure:

Author’s last name, first initial. (Year published). Title. In First Initial. Editor Last Name (Ed.), Title of larger work/collection. Publisher city, state/country: Publisher.

Citation:

Shakespeare, W. (1996). Hamlet. In T. J. Spencer (Ed.), The new Penguin Shakespeare. London, England: Penguin Books.

Correctly citing your sources is not only useful for the person reading your work, it’s also an ethical and moral obligation — ensuring that you don’t, unintentionally or otherwise, pass off someone else’s words or ideas as your own. As Polonious says in Hamlet, “This above all: to thine own self be true!” The tools at Cite This For Me make this easier with MLA format and APA format citation generators and a useful Harvard Referencing generator too.

How do I cite a play in MLA style?

If you’re citing a play performance, you will need the name of the play author, title of the play, director of the performance, the name of the performing company, performance date, and the location (Place Name and city).

 

Play performance template and example:

Last Name, First Name. Play Title. Directed by Director’s Full Name, Name of the Performing Company, Performance Day Month Year, Place Name, City.

Yee, Lauren. Cambodian Rock Band. Directed by Harold Wolpert, South Coast Repertory, 12 Feb. 2020, Signature Theater, New York City.

 

If you’re citing a play script, the citation uses the same information as a book citation.

Play scrip template and example:

Last Name, First Name. Play Title. Publisher Name, Year published.

Hwang, David H. M Butterfly. Plume, 1989.

How do I cite a play in Chicago style (notes-bibliography)?

Use the formats and examples below to cite a play according to Chicago style. Please note that these citations are for the book forms of plays, rather than live performances, which are cited differently. Please also note that the format differs depending on whether the play is a stand-alone publication or part of an edited anthology.

Bibliography Formats

Stand-alone Play

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Edition (if applicable). Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Play from an Anthology

To reference a play found in an anthology, use the format for a contribution to a multiauthor book:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Play.” In Title of Book, edited by Name of Editor(s), inclusive page range. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Bibliography Examples

Stand-alone Play

Albee, Edward. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. First Edition. New York: Atheneum, 1963.

Play from an Anthology

Wilde, Oscar. “The Canterville Ghost.” In The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, edited by Ian Small, 109-122. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Footnote or Endnote Formats

When citing a play by its book, canto, stanza, or another identifier such as the stanza and line; act, scene, and line; or similar divisions, you can omit publication facts. If you include page numbers, you must include the specific edition of the play.

First Note: Stand-alone Play

When citing a specific play division, use a slightly different format:

1. Author Last Name, Title of Play, bk. #, canto #, frag. #,  line #, or st. #.

When citing a specific edition or a play without specific divisions use:

1. Title of Play, editor/edition details. (Place: Publisher Name, Year). Page #-#.

Shortened Note: Stand-alone Play

2. Author Last Name, Title of the Play, Specific Division #.

2. Title of the Play (Editor), Page #-#.

First Note: Play from an Anthology

1. Author First Name Last Name, “Title of Play,” in Title of Anthology, ed., Editor First Name Last Name(s) (Place: Publisher Name, Year), Page #-#.

Shortened Note: Play from an Anthology

2. Author Last Name, “Title of Play,” Page #-#.

Footnote or Endnote Examples

First Note: Stand-alone Play

1. Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1.2.30-32. References are to act, scene, and line.

1. Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ed. Michael Y. Bennett. (New York: Atheneum, 1963), 124-127.

Shortened Note: Stand-alone Play

2. Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, 1.2.30.

2. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Bennett), 125.

First Note: Play from an Anthology

1. Wilde, Oscar, “The Canterville Ghost,” in The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, ed., Ian Small (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 110.

Shortened Note: Play from an Anthology

Wilde, “The Canterville Ghost,” 110.