The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style

HOW TO REFERENCE A PLAY

 

In-text citation

 

Provide the surname of the playwright followed by the year of the play or the edition/reprint year of the play (for older plays), the Roman number of the act, the number of the scene and then the lines in the play. If the play is older and you did not read the original edition, then you may refer to the original year of publication in your own text.

 

Example
Shakespeare broaches the question of women’s identity in his 1592 play, The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare 1982, II.1: 169–179).

 

Reference

 

Write the surname and initial of the playwright followed by the year of the play or the edition/reprint year of the play (for older plays). Write the title of the play or volume of plays in italics, followed by a full stop. Add the surname and initial of the editor or editors (if available), followed by a full stop. Provide the place of publication, a colon, and finally the publisher.

 

Example

Shakespeare, W. (1982) The Taming of the Shrew. ed. by Oliver, H.D. Oxford: Oxford University Press