Shakespeare Plays

This is a list of all of Shakespeare’s plays. Only a few of his plays can be accurately dated; however, thanks to in-play references, theatre records and other historical records we can get a rough idea of when each play was written and performed. This list is ordered by these estimated dates. His plays developed and matured throughout his professional life. He began very lyrical, sticking mainly to the basic rhythm of blank verse. His later plays are more complex and the rhythm is often broken and the metre changes readily.

Updated Sep 27, 2022

Make sure, when reading Shakespeare’s plays, you circle words you don’t understand and look them up in a dictionary (Shakespeare’s Words by David Crystal is a great resource). Shakespeare is almost like a foreign language and the more you look up words and study his plays the better you get at understanding, speaking and performing his marvellous text. Being well versed in Shakespeare is essential for any actor.

I am slowly working my way through the plays adding more details, including play synopses and monologues. You can see the plays that are linked to more in-depth articles. Please enjoy!

List of Shakespeare Plays by Date

The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1590-1591) – Comedy
The Taming of the Shrew (1590-1591) – Comedy
Henry VI, Part II (1591) – History
Henry VI, Part III (1591) – History
Henry VI, Part I (1592) – History
Titus Andronicus (1592) – Tragedy
Richard III (1592-3) – History
The Comedy of Errors (1594) – Comedy
Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594-1595) – Comedy
Richard II (1595) – History
Romeo and Juliet (1595) – Tragedy
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595) – Comedy
King John (1596) – History
The Merchant of Venice (1596-7)
Henry IV, Part I (1596-1597) – History
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597-1598) – Comedy
Henry IV, Part II (1597-1598) – History
Much Ado About Nothing (1598) – Comedy
Henry V (1598) – History
Julius Caesar (1599) – Tragedy
As You Like It (1599-1600) – Comedy
Hamlet (1600-1601) – Tragedy
Twelfth Night (1600-1601) – Comedy
Measure for Measure (1603) – Tragedy
Othello (1603-1604) – Tragedy
All’s Well That Ends Well (1604-1605) – Comedy
Timon of Athens (1605-1606) – Tragedy
King Lear (1605-1606) – Tragedy
Macbeth (1606) – Tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606) – Tragedy
Pericles (1607) – Romance
Coriolanus (1608) – Tragedy
The Winter’s Tale (1609) – Romance
Cymbeline (1610) – Romance
The Tempest (1611) – Romance
Henry VIII (1613) – History

These two are not often listed within his complete works: 

The Two Noble Kinsmen (1613-1614) – Romance
Edward III – History

List of Shakespeare Plays by Genre

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
The 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

Tragedies

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

Check out Shakespeare plays by length.

Want to know more about William Shakespeare? 

We have countless articles and resources on Shakespeare across the site, including a great list of the best Shakespeare plays. There is a reason his plays are still performed and studied around the world. He was a true genius, and a great tool for actors to use to become more imaginative, creative and nuanced in their work.