When you enter a bookstore or library, you’re sure to find Shakespeare books on one of the shelves. William Shakespeare’s plays are some of the most important literary pieces from the English Renaissance.
English Renaissance, not to be confused with the Italian Renaissance, was an art movement from 16th century England. This ended in the 17th century, but not before the peak of literature and music during the Elizabethan era.
The Elizabethan era marks the golden age of the English Renaissance. This is when the career of many artists and writers, including William Shakespeare himself, took off.
Who is William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564. He died at the age of 52 in 1616. Despite dying at a relatively young age, Shakespeare was able to accomplish a lot of things in his life.
Shakespeare wrote some of the most famous plays in all of literature. However, he was more than just a popular playwright. He was also a poet and actor. He is often referred to as England’s national poet. Other titles for him include “the Bard of Avon,” after his hometown.
You might be wondering, “How many plays did Shakespeare write?” Today, people aren’t so sure. There are a lot of debates around certain works that people believe Shakespeare wrote or possibly collaborated on. Shakespeare wrote more than 30 plays. As for sonnets, he wrote more than a hundred.
Scholars categorized Shakespeare plays into three major groups: comedies, tragedies, and historical. However, they also acknowledged some of them as “problem plays.” Problem plays refer to Shakespeare plays that are too complex to truly fit into one specific genre.
No matter what genre, Shakespeare stands out. Today, they continue to do so. To find out how and why, read on for the complete list of Shakespeare plays!
Comedies
Shakespeare comedies were far different from the typical comedies of his time. His comedies were more romantic and followed the tenets of New Comedy. In New Comedy, plays were hardly satirical and focused more on everyday life. However, Shakespeare shows great versatility by publishing later plays that also dealt with fantasy and intrigue.
All’s Well That Ends Well
“All’s Well That Ends Well” is a Shakespeare comedy about Helena, an impoverished woman, who wants to marry Bertram, the son of a countess. Unfortunately, Bertram wants nothing to do with her. The play revolves around Helena’s schemes in trying to get Bertram to marry her, with the help of another woman named Diana.
The release date of the play is unknown, but scholars generally agree that it is from 1598 to 1608. The play comprises 23 scenes within five acts. Other characters of the play include the King of France, the Countess, and other members of the court.
This dark comedy features the bed trick. This is a popular plot device in traditional literature where Person A and Person B engage in a sexual act. However, Person A suddenly switches places with Person C. This switch goes unnoticed by Person B, so Person B and Person C end up having sex.
As You Like It
Another Shakespeare play is “As You Like It.” The comedy centers on the story of Rosalind, who disguises herself as a shepherd in order to escape persecution. Her cousin Celia accompanies her, and they escape to the Forest of Arden. There, they meet Orlando, who Rosalind falls in love with.
Many believe that Shakespeare wrote this near the end of the 16th century. It has five acts, with a total of 22 scenes. “As You Like It” is where Shakespeare’s famous speech, “All the world’s a stage,” is from. “Too much of a good thing” and “A fool! A fool! I met a fool in the forest!” are also popular verses from the play.
Like with other Shakespeare plays, media industries adapted this comedy into films, radio dramas, and musicals.
Comedy of Errors
“Comedy of Errors” is a farce that showcases slapstick, puns, and other wordplays. The story is about two pairs of twin brothers who meet one another after being separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio of Syracuse travel to Ephesus to look for their lost brothers.
This is one of Shakespeare’s shorter plays. It is five acts long, with only 11 scenes in total. In fact, all the events in the plot occur within 24 hours of the story.
This Shakespeare play is a favorite for adaptations. Various composers adapted this into operas. “Comedy of Errors” has also inspired many film and television adaptations because of its humor.
Cymbeline
Another Shakespeare play is “Cymbeline”. Other titles for this include “The Tragedie of Cymbeline” or “Cymbeline, King of Britain.” The story follows the King Cymbeline of Britain and his family. Greed, betrayal, and jealousy are all prevalent themes in the play.
This play comprises five acts with 27 scenes in total. Scholars estimate that the play was produced as early as 1611. Originally, scholars classified “Cymbeline” as a tragedy. However, they later concluded that it was a romance or tragedy.
In Act IV, Scene 2, Shakespeare includes a funeral song. These verses are often referenced in other literature. An example is Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” where the main characters both quote lines from the song.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” is a comedy about Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his friends. They all swear an oath of abstinence for three years in order to focus on their studies. However, things get difficult when the Princess of France and her ladies visit the palace.
This is one of the shorter Shakespeare plays. Despite having five acts, it only has a total of 9 scenes. Scholars believe that it was one of Shakespeare’s earlier plays from the 1590s, with a performance in front of Queen Elizabeth I.
This is popular among modern adaptations. In the British TV show, “Doctor Who,” they feature the play in one of the episodes. BBC Radio 3 also did a radio adaptation in the 1970s. More recently, a theatre company from Chicago also did an adaptation in the format of a Zoom conference call.
Measure for Measure
This Shakespeare play is a story about Duke Vincentio of Vienna, Angelo, and the rest of his office. Vincentio leaves Angelo to govern Vienna in his absence. However, Angelo proves to be an immoral person who exploits his newfound position.
“Measure for Measure” also has five acts, with a total of 17 scenes. Historians believe that Shakespeare wrote this play around 1604.
Despite being a comedy, the play features dark themes like corruption. However, it notably has the distinct characteristics of Shakespeare comedies. These include wordplay and irony. Because of this complexity, people often regard “Measure for Measure” as one of Shakespeare’s problem plays.
Merchant of Venice
One of the most popular Shakespeare comedies is the “Merchant of Venice.” This play is about the merchant Antonio, who takes out a hefty loan from Shylock. He uses the money to help his friend court an heiress. Conflict arises when Antonio is unable to repay the loan.
Scholars estimate this Shakespeare play is from 1596. The play has five acts, with 20 scenes in total.
To this day, people continue to quote verses from the play. The most notable ones are Shylock’s “Hath not a Jew eyes?” and Portia’s “the quality of mercy” speeches. Pop culture also references “Merchant of Venice” frequently. This includes the famous films, “Schindler’s List” and “Seven.” The “Star Trek” franchise is another example.
Merry Wives of Windsor
The story takes place in the same timeline as his other plays, “Henry IV,” Part I and II. However, the plot focuses on Sir John Falstaff, a fat knight, instead of on royalty. To fix his money problems, he tries to seduce the wives of wealthy merchants. The wives find out, and they take revenge on him.
A longer title for this Shakespeare play is “Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor.” This play was published around 1600. It is five acts long, with a total of 23 scenes.
“Merry Wives of Windsor” isn’t as popular in pop culture as the other plays. Instead, there are a lot of play adaptations and operas.
Midsummer Night’s Dream
This play features several subplots. One of them focuses on the marriage of the duke and the queen. Another revolves around a group of actors who are practicing for a performance at the royal wedding. While this is happening, four Athenians run away to the forest, where Puck the fairy meddles in their affairs.
The comedy is five acts long, with only 9 scenes in total. However, it has a lot of characters, 23 to be exact. This play features the “play-within-a-play” format.
As one of the most popular Shakespeare plays, there are a lot of adaptations and studies of this play. In fact, The Beatles reenacted the play from Act V during their television special. A Walt Disney animation also retold the story.
Much Ado About Nothing
“Much Ado About Nothing” centers around the love story of two couples. Claudio falls in love with Hero, but rumors trick Claudio into doubting Hero’s chastity. Meanwhile, Benedick suffers from unrequited love for Beatrice, who is Hero’s cousin.
This Shakespeare play from around 1598 has five acts, with 17 scenes.
Marvel director Joss Whedon adapted the play into a film in 2013. BBC also produced several adaptations. One of these featured Maggie Smith, a famous actress from the Harry Potter franchise.
Taming of the Shrew
This Shakespeare play is about Petruchio courting a Katherina, a shrew. To transform her into an obedient bride, Petruchio torments her psychologically. There is also a subplot of Katherina’s younger sister, Bianca, and her line of suitors.
This play is five acts long, with a total of 14 scenes. A lot of controversy surrounds this film. People believe that it is sexist. Despite this, plenty of adaptations for the play exist. This includes plays, ballets, and operas.
The popular film, “10 Things I Hate About You,” is loosely based on this comedy.
The Tempest
In this Shakespeare play, the sorcerer Prospero uses his magic to summon a storm to wreck his brother’s ship. The survivors find themselves on Prospero’s island, where magical creatures also reside. The story follows Prospero’s revenge and the love story of his daughter with the king’s son.
“The Tempest” is one of Shakespeare’s shorter plays. It has five acts, but it only has 9 scenes in total.
There are theories that relate the story of “The Tempest” to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.
Twelfth Night
“Twelfth Night” follows the story of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian. A shipwreck separates the two, and they both believe the other to be dead. Viola disguises herself as a man and becomes Duke Orsino’s page. Conflict arises when Olivia, the woman the duke is in love with, falls in love with Viola.
This comedy is five acts long, with 18 scenes. Today, this is one of Shakespeare’s most praised works. Many people believe this to be “The Perfect Comedy.”
The film, “She’s the Man,” is a modern adaptation of this Shakespeare play. The title of Agatha Christie’s “Sad Cypress” is also from a scene in this play.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Similar to “Twelfth Night,” this Shakespeare play features a heroine who dresses up as a boy. The story follows Proteus and Valentine, who both fall in love with Silvia. Their friendship is put to the test because of this.
Following the same five-act structure, it has a total of 20 scenes. Many judge this as one of Shakespeare’s worst plays. This might be because it is one of his earliest works.
Adaptations as early as the 1700s for this play existed. Operas of this play soon followed in the 1800s. Today, you can find many films and radio plays that reference the two best friends from the story.
Winter’s Tale
This Shakespeare play has a darker plot than his other comedies. The story follows Leontes, a jealous king who accuses his wife of cheating with his friend. His accusations cause the death of the queen and their son, as well as the exile of his newborn daughter. Years later, a romance blooms between Perdita, his exiled daughter, and a prince.
“The Winter’s Tale” has five acts and a total of 15 scenes. It is one of his problem plays because of its mixed genres. Today, many consider this to be more of a romance than a comedy.
This play is one of the most reprised by major theater companies. In 2015, famous author Jeanette Winterson published a book adaptation of the play.