What you might also choose to do is provide some additional identifying information that relates to the play in general. If your copy of Hamlet has been edited or translated then you’ll also need to include: Otherwise it’s very difficult for a lecturer to check your sources, or refer to them for more information. 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. Whether you use them all in your citation depends on the format you’re using: 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. 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! To cite or not to cite? That is the question! And the answer is, of course, that you should always cite your sources.

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