Research Guides: Shakespeare: Plays

Shakespeare's Plays

Between 1589 and 1613, William Shakespeare wrote 36 - 38 plays depending on who you ask. He also likely contributed to the works of many other playwrights.

Below find lists of Shakespeare's plays categorized by genre and alphabetical order, as well as links for more information. Clicking on the links below will lead you to the full text of each of these plays.

There are also an endless number of alternative versions, for example the Manga Classic's version of Romeo and Juliet, Manga Shakespeare, and Shakespeare Comic Books. It's worth remembering that Shakespeare intended his plays works to be seen, not read. He would likely have been horrified to see that students are taught them from the text, and would probably have enjoyed these different visual interpretations of his work.

Last, you could save yourself the time and energy by just watching every single one of his plays condescended into one and a half hours, as produced by the Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).

The First Folio

The First Folio, titled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, was published in 1623. It is considered one of the most influential books ever published in English.

Scanned images of the cover and title page of the First Folio, and the Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Shakespeare's Plays, Listed Alphabetically (From Open Source Shakespeare)

All's Well That Ends Well (1602)

Antony and Cleopatra (1606)

As You Like It (1599)

Comedy of Errors (1589)

Coriolanus (1607)

Cymbeline (1609)

Hamlet (1600)

Henry IV, Part I (1597)

Henry IV, Part II (1597)

Henry V (1598)

Henry VI, Part I (1591)

Henry VI, Part II (1590)

Henry VI, Part III (1590)

Henry VIII (1612)

Julius Caesar (1599)

King John (1596)

King Lear (1605)

Love's Labour's Lost (1594)

Macbeth (1605)

Measure for Measure (1604)

Merchant of Venice (1596)

Merry Wives of Windsor (1600)

Midsummer Night's Dream (1595)

Much Ado about Nothing (1598)

Othello (1604)

Pericles (1608)

Richard II (1595)

Richard III (1592)

Romeo and Juliet (1594)

Taming of the Shrew (1593)

Tempest (1611)

Timon of Athens (1607)

Titus Andronicus (1593)

Troilus and Cressida (1601)

Twelfth Night (1599)

Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594)

Winter's Tale (1610)

Tragedies

Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida

Comedies

All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice
Merry Wives of Windsor
Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado about Nothing
Taming of the Shrew
Tempest
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale

Histories

Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III

Basically all Shakespearian Villians

From Felipe Torres Medina, @felipetmedinaa

Synopsis, Descriptions, and More

Shakespeare's Works
"The Folger has copies of every play, from the earliest printings to modern editions, and we offer carefully edited print and digital texts. Follow the links below for more information, including plot synopses, brief textual histories, and selected images from our collection."

After following this link, click on any play to find information about that play, as well as images of early printed texts and visuals.
Royal Shakespeare Company: Shakespeare's Plays
"Discover the world of William Shakespeare's plays by delving into our past productions. Here you will find plot synopses, glimpses into our archive, production photos and video content for all of Shakespeare's plays."
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: Play Summaries
Brief, scene by scene synopsis of all of Shakespeare's plays.

CrashCourse

Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines: Crash Course Theater #16 (11:21)
June 1, 2018
"This week we're continuing our discussion of William Shakespeare and looking at his comedies and romances. As well as something called problem plays. Some of his plays, they had problems."
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15 (12:03)
May 25, 2018
"Shakespeare's tragedies...were tragic. But they had some jokes. They also changed the way tragedies were written. Characters like Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear had tragic outcomes, but they were sympathetic characters in a lot of ways. This was a big change from the way Seneca and the Greeks wrote tragedies, and it caught on."

Lauren Wade's 8 Part YouTube Series on Shakespeare

An Introduction to Shakespeare (9:20)
September 18, 2016
"This is the first video in a new series examining Shakespeare and his plays in more depth!"
Romeo and Juliet (12:42)
October 30, 2016
How to Read Shakespeare! (8:15)
February 2, 2017
Othello (10:47)
February 19, 2017
Much Ado About Nothing (11:07)
May 25, 2017
Macbeth (11:57)
September 7, 2017
The Tempest (9:37)
September 21, 2017
Hamlet (16:48)
May 14, 2018

Thug Notes with Sparky Sweets, Ph.D. (Greg Edwards)

Romeo and Juliet (5:14)
January 7, 2014
Macbeth (4:26)
November 12, 2013
The Merchant of Venice (10:19)
January 24, 2017
Othello (5:09)
December 2, 2014
A Midsummer Night's Dream (6:13)
June 23, 2015
Hamlet (4:55)
August 13, 2013
Julius Caesar (4:58)
October 21, 2014
King Lear (4:08)
May 26, 2015
AUDIO ONLY: Mic Dropping Moments in Shakespeare (10:05)
"Sparky Sweets PhD is all about talkin smack as he counts down the most mic-dropping moments in Shakespeare. Find out how The Bard dropped one of the earliest 'Yo mama' jokes with Thug Notes: Get Lit."

Other Interesting Details

Gender Swaps in Shakespeare Plays
Brittany Stigler
PBS/Thirteen
Discussion of gender-swapping actors and characters in Shakespeare's plays.
Royal Shakespeare Company: Famous Quotes Listed by Play
"We have selected some well-known quotes from each of Shakespeare's plays."

Shakespeare in Braille and Audio

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
All titles can be requested from your local cooperating library. The digital braille and talking-book titles can be downloaded from the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website. Contact your local cooperating library to register for BARD. Registered users may also download audio titles on iOS and Android devices using the BARD Mobile app. Braille titles may be downloaded using the app on an iOS device linked by Bluetooth to a refreshable braille display.

To find your local cooperating library, go to Find a Local Library or call toll-free 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323).
NLS's Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) Cite
The Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) is a web-based service that provides access to thousands of braille and encrypted audio books, magazines, and music scores available from NLS. The service is available to registered users of the braille and talking book program through their local braille and talking book library.
Free Shakespeare Plays on Audio
Streaming audio along with downloadable text and eBooks.

Shakespeare in American Sign Language (ASL)

We haven't yet found anything as grand as all of Shakespeare's works translated into ASL, but we recommend searching on your own for YouTube videos of your favorite plays, scenes, or monologues. There's a lot of snippets out there - far too many to list here - so find ones you are interested in!

ASL Shakespeare
This project discusses some of the difficulties with translating Shakespeare into sign, provides resources, and shows scenes from a sign production of 12th Night.
"How to translate Shakespeare into American Sign Language"
H.G.
The Economist
November 23, 2016
Facebook page for ASL Shakespeare
Shakespeare in Sign Language
From the Folger Shakespeare Library's podcast. Episode 59: Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare