The MLA 9th ed. does not provide rules for citing specific types of resources. Instead, they provide a universal set of guidelines for any type of material based on the core elements. The examples provided in this citation guide were created by Douglas College librarians and follow this format.
Play published as a book
Author. Title of play. Editor or translator (if applicable), Publisher, Publication date.
Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well, edited by Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar, Washington Square Press, 1965.
In-Text
(Shakespeare)
If including a direct quote, include information for the Act, Scene, and lines of the play. Do not include page numbers.
Ex: (Macbeth 1.3.14-17) is an in-text citation for Macbeth Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 14-17
If referring to only one play, use the name of the author in in-text citations. Ex: (Shakespeare 3.3.165-71)
If referring to multiple plays by the same author, use the title of the play in in-text citations. Ex: (Hamlet 3.2)
Play published in a collection or anthology.
Author. "Title of Play." Title of Book, editor(s), Publisher, Publication date, page range.
Webster, John. "The Devil's Law-Case." Oxford English Drama: The Duchess of Malfi and Other Plays, edited by Michael Cordner, Peter Holland, and Martin Wiggans, Oxford University Press, 1996, pp. 201-92.
In-Text
(Webster 2.1.11-15)
Play performance
Shaw, George Bernard. Heartbreak House. Directed by Robin Lefevre, Roundabout Theatre Company, 11 Oct. 2006, American Airlines Theatre, New York City.
In-Text
(Shaw)
For more information and examples about citing live performances, refer to MLA Handbook, 9th ed., pp.334-5.
Film uploaded to a sharing site
"Word: Collected Poems." Vimeo, uploaded by Seneca Village Pictures, 1 Mar. 2018, https://vimeo.com/258124945
In-Text
("Word")
Poem from a website
Berry, Liz. "The Burning." Poetry Foundation, 2020. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/152126/the-burning. Accessed 18 January 2023.
In-Text
(Berry)
Poems - live presentations or performances
McLennan, Rob. Poetry reading. Poets Corner Reading Series, 15 Feb. 2023, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver.
In-Tex
(McLennan)
Author. "Title of Poem." Title of book, publisher, year, page range.
Book by one author
Dawn, Amber. "Tragic Interview." My Art is Killing Me, and Other Poems, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020, pp. 89-91.
In-Text
(Amber 90)
Anonymous author in an edited book
"On Sleepless Nights..." Resistance: Righteous Rage in the Age of #MeToo, edited by Sue Goyette, U of Regina P, 2021, p.122.
In-Text
("On Sleepless Nights")
Poem from a book, contained in a database
Kipling, Rudyard. "The Mutiny of the Mavericks." War Stories and Poems, edited by Andrew Rutherford, Oxford UP, 2009, pp. 70-88. Oxford World's Classics, https://oxfordworldsclassics.com/display/10.1093/owc/9780199555505.001.0001/isbn-9780199555505-book-art-10.
In-Text
(Kipling 73)
Limon, Ada. "Runaway Child." The Hurting Kind: Poems, Milkweed Editions, 2022, pp.58-9. EBSCO eBook Collection, https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/.
In-Text
(Limon)
Poem from a book, contained on a website
Atwood, Margaret. "The Circle Game." Selected Poems 1965-1975, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1976. Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47790/the-circle-game.
In-Text
(Atwood)
Republished book, with original publication date, contained on a website
Johnson, E. Pauline. "The Flight of the Crows." 1912. Flint and Feather, Ryerson UP, 2022, pp.58-9. Toronto Metropolitan University Pressbooks.
In-Text
(Johnson)