How to cite a shakespeare play mla

There is perhaps no better-known writer in history than William Shakespeare, the English playwright whose works have been acted and reenacted perhaps millions of times throughout their storied history. So how can you create a reference to one of Shakespeare’s works in your next research paper? Here are some tips for making your citation as accurate as possible.

To cite a play by Shakespeare, you’ll want to locate the following pieces of information:

• The play’s title
• Where and when the play was published (a book, anthology, etc.)
• Where and when the play was performed (if you are citing it as a performance)
• Any other contributors’ names (the director, actors, editors, authors, etc.)

As an example, let’s take a look at one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, and how you would go about citing it in some of the most popular citation formats.

We have included examples for citing the play as both a published work in an anthology or book, and as a performance.

Cite as an Anthology

Citing Shakespeare in in MLA format (in an anthology)

Formula:

Shakespeare, William. Play Title. Book/Anthology Title, edited by Editor First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year Published, pp. #-#.

Example:

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans, Houghton Mifflin, 1974, pp. 1307-42.

Citing Shakespeare in APA format (in an anthology)

Formula:

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.

Example:

Shakespeare, W. (1974). Romeo and Juliet. In G. Evans (Ed.), The riverside Shakespeare. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Citing Shakespeare in Harvard* format (in an anthology)

Formula:

Author’s last name, first initial. (Year published). Title. In Editor Last Name, First Initial (ed.) Title of book/anthology. Publisher city, state/country: Publisher, pp. #-#

Example:

Shakespeare, W. (1974) Romeo and Juliet. In Evans, G. (ed.) The riverside Shakespeare. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, pp. 1307-42.

Are you citing several sources in this citation style? Try the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator for help!

Cite as a Performance

Citing Shakespeare in MLA format (as a performance)

Formula:

Author Last Name, First Name. Play Title. Directed by Director First Name Last Name, Name of Play Production Company, Date of Performance, Name of Theater, Theater Location.

Example:

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Jonathan Munby, Shakespeare Globe Trust Performers, 1 Oct. 2017, American Airlines Theatre, New York City.

Is your teacher asking for annotations? Read this guide about what is an annotated bibliography.

Citing Shakespeare in APA format (as a performance)

Formula:

Playwright Last Name, First Initial (Writer), & Director Last Name, First Initial (Director). (Date Seen). Performance title. Live performance at Theater Name, City, State.

Example:

Shakespeare, W. (Writer), & Munby, J. (Director). (2017, October 1). Romeo and Juliet. Live performance at the American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY.

For those who need it, here is page on how to do in-text citations. An APA example is included.

Citing Shakespeare in Harvard* format (as a performance)

Formula:

Play title by Playwright First Name Last Name (Year of Performance) Directed by Director First Name Last Name [Name of Theater, Location of Theater. Day Month of performance].

Example:

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (2017) Directed by Jonathan Munby [American Airlines Theatre, New York. 1 October].

*These examples adhere to style rules in Harvard Cite Them Right 10th edition

Answered By: Katie HutchisonLast Updated: Dec 04, 2018     Views: 27811

Yes, you should do a bibliographic entry for the work as well.

Shakespearean citations look a little different than a typical in-text citation. Follow the below guidelines:

MLA

1. List the abbreviation for the title of the play you are citing. The MLA lists abbreviations for all plays; see the reference list of this article for more information. The abbreviation for the title of the play should appear in italics.

2. List the act, scene and lines that you are referring to. These should be separated by periods. Enclose your citation in parentheses. For example: (Mac. 1.3.14-17) refers to Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 14 to 17 of "Macbeth."

3. Omit the abbreviation for the title if the play you are referring to is clear from the context of your paper. In this case, the citation would simply appear as follows: (1.3.14-17)

4. Format your reference list entry in the following format: Author. Title of Play. Name of Editor. City of Publication, Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. For example: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. James Smith. Boston, English Play Press, 2010. Print. Be sure to italicize the name of the play.

APA

1.List "Shakespeare" as the author's name, followed by a comma.

2. List the year of translation, followed by a comma, if translated. For example: trans. 2010,

3. List the act, scene, and lines you are citing, separated by periods. For example: 1.3.14-17

4. Enclose the entire citation within parentheses. For example: (Shakespeare, trans. 2010, 1.3.14-17). Only use this if the play you are citing is obvious and has been mentioned in your paper. If the play appears in the original Shakespearean English, you need only give the year of publication. In this case, omit "trans." from your citation. For example: (Shakespeare, 2010, 1.3.14-17).

5. Format your reference list entry in the following format: Author. (Year). Title. (Translator.). City, State of Publication: Publisher. (Original work published year). For example: Shakespeare, W. (2010). Macbeth. (B. Smith, Trans.). Boston, MA: English Play Press. (Original work published 1699). Be sure to italicize the name of the play. If the publication appears in the original Shakespearean, omit translation information from your citation. For example: Shakespeare, W. (2010). Macbeth. Boston, MA: English Play Press. (Original work published 1699).

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