How to Cite Shakespeare?

Your go-to guide for citing Shakespeare's works correctly in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

Citing Shakespeare the right way is super important for academic papers. Here's how to do it in all the major citation styles.

The Basics

When citing Shakespeare: - Use act, scene, and line numbers instead of page numbers - Use regular numbers (1, 2, 3) not Roman numerals (I, II, III) in modern styles - Separate act, scene, and line with periods (like 3.1.56-58) - Italicize play titles - Put sonnet titles in quotation marks

MLA Style (9th Edition)

In Your Paper

For prose quotes: > Hamlet says, "To be, or not to be—that is the question" (3.1.56).

For short verse quotes (under 3 lines): > Juliet asks, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet" (2.2.43-44).

For longer verse quotes (3+ lines): Make it a block quote, indented, keeping the line breaks.

Works Cited

From an anthology: > Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster, 2012.

From a complete works: > Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2016, pp. 1764-1853.

APA Style (7th Edition)

In Your Paper

Shakespeare (1603/2012) wrote, "To be, or not to be—that is the question" (3.1.56).

Or:

"To be, or not to be—that is the question" (Shakespeare, 1603/2012, 3.1.56).

Reference List

Shakespeare, W. (2012). *Hamlet* (B. A. Mowat & P. Werstine, Eds.). Simon & Schuster. (Original work published 1603)

Chicago Style

Footnotes/Endnotes

1. William Shakespeare, *Hamlet*, ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012), 3.1.56.

Bibliography

Shakespeare, William. *Hamlet*. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012.

Citing Sonnets

MLA > In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare writes, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (line 1).

Works Cited: > Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." Shakespeare's Sonnets, edited by Katherine Duncan-Jones, Arden Shakespeare, 2010, p. 147.

APA > Shakespeare (1609/2010) opens Sonnet 18 with "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (line 1).

Pro Tips

  1. Stay consistent – Use the same edition throughout your paper
  2. Ask your teacher – Some prefer Roman numerals
  3. Use abbreviations for play titles in parentheses:
  4. Note your edition – Different editions have different line numbers
  5. Keep original spelling – If your edition uses old spelling, keep it