Shakespeare’s Plays
Shakespeare wrote or co-wrote about 38 plays over roughly twenty-five years, from around 1590 to 1613. They range from farces and romantic comedies to history plays about the kings of England and the tragedies for which he is best known.
When his fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell collected 36 of the plays in the First Folio of 1623, they sorted them into three groups: comedies, histories, and tragedies. Later critics set apart a fourth group, the romances, for the late plays that move from loss to reconciliation. Two plays are not in the Folio at all: Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsmen, both written with other playwrights.
The dates below are approximate. Few of the plays can be dated exactly, and scholars disagree by a year or more about many of them. A “c.” marks an estimate.
Tragedies
Plays that end in the death of their central figures, from the early revenge tragedy of Titus Andronicus to the great tragedies of the 1600s.
- c. 1592
Titus Andronicus
A Roman general’s revenge, and Shakespeare’s bloodiest play. Probably written with George Peele.
- c. 1595
Romeo and Juliet
Two young lovers from feuding families in Verona.
- 1599
Julius Caesar
The assassination of Caesar and the civil war that follows.
- c. 1600
Hamlet
A prince of Denmark sets out to avenge his father’s murder.
- c. 1602
Troilus and Cressida
Love and betrayal during the Trojan War. Sometimes classed as a problem play.
- c. 1604
Othello
A general is driven to kill his wife by his ensign’s lies.
- c. 1605
King Lear
An old king divides his kingdom between his daughters.
- c. 1606
Macbeth
A Scottish general murders his king after a witches’ prophecy.
- c. 1606
Timon of Athens
A generous Athenian turns against the world when his friends desert him. Written with Thomas Middleton.
- c. 1606
Antony and Cleopatra
The Roman general and the Egyptian queen, and the fall of both.
- c. 1608
Coriolanus
A proud Roman soldier who cannot bring himself to court the people.
Comedies
Plays of love, disguise, and mistaken identity that end in reunion and marriage, along with the darker “problem plays” of the early 1600s.
- c. 1590
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Two friends fall for the same woman in Milan.
- c. 1591
The Taming of the Shrew
Petruchio sets out to tame the sharp-tongued Katherine.
- c. 1594
The Comedy of Errors
Two pairs of identical twins, and a day of mistaken identity.
- c. 1595
Love’s Labour’s Lost
A king and his lords swear off women, then fall in love.
- c. 1595
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lovers, fairies, and amateur actors in an enchanted wood.
- c. 1596
The Merchant of Venice
A merchant, a moneylender, and a bond for a pound of flesh.
- c. 1597
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Falstaff tries to seduce two wives, who turn the tables on him.
- c. 1598
Much Ado About Nothing
Beatrice and Benedick’s war of wit, and a wedding nearly ruined by a lie.
- c. 1599
As You Like It
Rosalind, disguised as a young man, in the Forest of Arden.
- c. 1601
Twelfth Night
Shipwrecked twins, a disguised heroine, and a household in love.
- c. 1604
Measure for Measure
A novice nun pleads for her brother’s life with a corrupt deputy. A problem play.
- c. 1605
All’s Well That Ends Well
Helena wins the husband she loves, who does not want her. A problem play.
Histories
Plays drawn from English history, most of them following the kings of England from Richard II to Richard III.
- c. 1591
Henry VI, Part 2
Rival nobles and Jack Cade’s rebellion weaken a gentle king.
- c. 1591
Henry VI, Part 3
Civil war between York and Lancaster, and the rise of Richard of Gloucester.
- c. 1592
Henry VI, Part 1
The loss of England’s lands in France and the first quarrels of the Wars of the Roses.
- c. 1593
Richard III
Richard murders his way to the throne and is killed at Bosworth.
- c. 1595
Richard II
A king is deposed by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke.
- c. 1596
King John
A king’s disputed claim to the throne, and the fate of his young nephew Arthur.
- c. 1596
Henry IV, Part 1
Prince Hal, Falstaff, and the rebel Hotspur.
- c. 1597
Henry IV, Part 2
The old king dies, and the new King Henry rejects Falstaff.
- 1599
Henry V
The young king’s campaign in France and the victory at Agincourt.
- 1613
Henry VIII
The fall of Cardinal Wolsey and the birth of Elizabeth. Written with John Fletcher.
Romances
The late plays, which move through loss and long separation to reunion and forgiveness, often with a touch of the magical.
- c. 1607
Pericles
A prince loses his wife and daughter at sea, and finds them again. Written with George Wilkins.
- c. 1610
Cymbeline
A British princess, a jealous husband, and a wager on her faithfulness.
- c. 1610
The Winter’s Tale
A king’s jealousy destroys his family, and sixteen years later a statue comes to life.
- c. 1611
The Tempest
Prospero, a magician on an island, has his enemies in his power, and forgives them.
- c. 1613
The Two Noble Kinsmen
Two cousins fall in love with the same woman. Written with John Fletcher.
All 38 Plays in Order
The plays in their approximate order of writing.
- c. 1590The Two Gentlemen of VeronaComedies
- c. 1591The Taming of the ShrewComedies
- c. 1591Henry VI, Part 2Histories
- c. 1591Henry VI, Part 3Histories
- c. 1592Titus AndronicusTragedies
- c. 1592Henry VI, Part 1Histories
- c. 1593Richard IIIHistories
- c. 1594The Comedy of ErrorsComedies
- c. 1595Romeo and JulietTragedies
- c. 1595Love’s Labour’s LostComedies
- c. 1595Richard IIHistories
- c. 1595A Midsummer Night’s DreamComedies
- c. 1596The Merchant of VeniceComedies
- c. 1596King JohnHistories
- c. 1596Henry IV, Part 1Histories
- c. 1597The Merry Wives of WindsorComedies
- c. 1597Henry IV, Part 2Histories
- c. 1598Much Ado About NothingComedies
- 1599Julius CaesarTragedies
- c. 1599As You Like ItComedies
- 1599Henry VHistories
- c. 1600HamletTragedies
- c. 1601Twelfth NightComedies
- c. 1602Troilus and CressidaTragedies
- c. 1604OthelloTragedies
- c. 1604Measure for MeasureComedies
- c. 1605King LearTragedies
- c. 1605All’s Well That Ends WellComedies
- c. 1606MacbethTragedies
- c. 1606Timon of AthensTragedies
- c. 1606Antony and CleopatraTragedies
- c. 1607PericlesRomances
- c. 1608CoriolanusTragedies
- c. 1610CymbelineRomances
- c. 1610The Winter’s TaleRomances
- c. 1611The TempestRomances
- 1613Henry VIIIHistories
- c. 1613The Two Noble KinsmenRomances
Related Reading
How the plays work, and how they reached print.