Shakespeare Plays

Everything you need to know about Shakespeare’s plays

Interested in Shakespeare plays? Then read on! It’s generally agreed that Shakespeare wrote 37 plays between 1590 and 1612. In addition to these 37 plays there is one ‘lost’ play – Cardenio – plus a selection of plays that most academics agree Shakespeare collaborated on, such as Love’s Labour’s Won, Edward III, Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen.

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Shakespeare Plays in Alphabetical Order

This alphabetical list of Shakespeare plays below link to a range of resources about each play: plot summaries, character information, settings, example essays, famous quotes, soliloquies & monologues and much more.

All’s Well That Ends Well
Antony and Cleopatra
As You Like It
Cardenio
The Comedy of Errors
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Edward III
Hamlet
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI Part 1
Henry VI Part 2
Henry VI Part 3
Henry VIII
Julius Caesar
King John
King Lear
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Love’s Labour’s Won
Macbeth
Measure for Measure
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III
Romeo and Juliet
Sir Thomas Moore
The Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus & Cressida
Twelfth Night
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Winter’s Tale

That’s all of Shakespeare’s plays… we think. Some people believe Shakespeare wrote many more plays, but we’ll stick to the above play list until more concrete evidence emerges.

Looking for modern translations of Shakespeare plays? If so you can now read them online for free!

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Deep Dive Into Shakespeare’s Most Popular Plays

Macbeth

Written in 1605, the main source for Shakespeare’s Macbeth was Holinshed’s Chronicles. Holinshed in turn took the account from a Scottish history, Scotorum Historiae, written in 1527 by Hector Boece. Some of the main ideas of Macbeth are Nature, Manhood and Light versus Dark… Read all about Macbeth.

The Merchant of Venice

Written between 1596 and 1598 Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a play that deals with justice, mercy and revenge (amongst other things!). Set mainly in the commercial port of Venice, Italy, the play main narrative is a young Venetian, Bassanio, taking a loan so that he can woo Portia, a wealthy Venetian heiress… Read all about The Merchant of Venice.

Othello

Written in 1603, Shakespeare’s Othello begins in Venice where there is a wealthy, well ordered community, controlled by strong laws and established conventions. Othello is a Black general in the army of the Duke of Venice, who falls in love with Desdemona, the daughter of an influential senator, and secretly marries her… Read all about Othello.

Romeo and Juliet

Written in 1597, Romeo and Juliet is the deepest, most penetrating exploration of love that can be found in Shakespeare or, indeed, in any other writers’ plays. The play also explores the consequences of futile quarreling and social division in Renaissance Verona, Italy… Read all about Romeo and Juliet.

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Shakespeare’s Plays and The First Folio

The First Folio was the first publication of a collection of Shakespeare’s works, put together seven years after his death. It contained 36 Shakespeare plays – all of the above plays, excluding Pericles, Edward III and The Two Noble Kinsmen – set out in the three categories of Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. This categorisation of Shakespeare plays still underpins the practice of Shakespeare criticism, education, and performance today.

As well as these 3 Shakespeare play types of comedy, history and tragedy, subsequent academics and Shakespeare aficionados have also categorised Shakespeare’s plays into: Roman, Lost, Masque, Problem, Romance, and Tragicomedy.

 

Is there any information on Shakespeare’s plays that’s missing, or is unclear? Please let us know in the comments section below.