All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)

In 1767, a scholar named Richard Farmer concluded that this play is really the revision of
Shakespeare's missing Love's Labour's Won, which was likely written around 1592. It is considered
a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous
lady or a crafty temptress?
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

As You Like It (1599-1600)

As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine,
Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)

This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Cymbeline (1609-1610)
This play, modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, is often classified as a romance. It features the
beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most admirable female character.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)

Love's Labour's Lost is a play of witty banter and little plot, written during the early part of
Shakespeare's literary career, when his focus was on fancy conceits and the playful nature of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).

Measure for Measure (1604-1605)

Considered a "dark" comedy, Measure for Measure was inspired by Cinthio's Epitia and
Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)

The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-
Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).

The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)

The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's England.
It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1602).

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)

A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).

Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)

The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The witty
banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).

Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609)

Portions of Pericles are ripe with imagery and symbolism but the first three acts and scenes v and vi
(the notorious brothel scenes) of Act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of two other
dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio of 1623. In Shakespeare's sources, Pericles is
named Apollonius.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).

The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)

The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor,
Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

The Tempest (1611-1612)

Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of England’s favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a play
praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prospero’s final speeches
signify Shakespeare’s personal adieu from the stage.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)

Troilus and Cressida is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and
tragedies. But, for now, it is classified as a comedy.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).

Twelfth Night (1599-1600)

Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention
more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)

The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

The Winter's Tale (1610-1611)

The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven throughout the
play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe in 1611. It is one of
Shakespeare's final plays.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Histories

Henry IV, Part I (1597-1598)

One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Henry IV, Part II (1597-1598)
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1,
and Henry V.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).

Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal
monarch.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).

Henry VI, Part I (1591-1592)

The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and
York.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Henry VI, Part II (1590-1591)

Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical
inaccuracies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).

Henry VI, Part III (1590-1591)

Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being named
Henry VI's heir.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1595).

Henry VIII (1612-1613)

Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had little, if
anything, to do with its creation.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

King John (1596-1597)

In the shadow of Shakespeare’s second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected masterpiece, King
John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one of Shakespeare's most
popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Richard II (1595-1596)
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded characters.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).

Richard III (1592-1593)

The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this play an
Elizabethan favorite.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).

TRagedies
Antony and Cleopatra (1607-1608)
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Coriolanus (1607-1608)
The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius
Marcius Coriolanus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged
actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced
more commonly used expressions.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1603).

Julius Caesar (1599-1600)

Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule,
Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the
demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

King Lear (1605-1606)

The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three
daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).

Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of
Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production
of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his
false friend, Iago.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1622).

Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)

Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first
performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often
referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).

Timon of Athens (1607-1608)

Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy,
likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).

Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)

A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The
play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided
between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the
genre.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).

Shakespeare's tragedies followed a specific definition of tragedy:

There must be a noble hero with a tragic flaw and that flaw leads to his downfall.
Characteristic #1 : In every Shakespearean tragedy, there is a noble hero. This person is the main
character in the story and the center of most of the action that takes place. The noble hero can be
thought of as the protagonist in the story. The Tragic Flaw All of Shakespeare's noble heroes have one
thing in common: they all have one or more tragic flaws. The tragic flaw is also called the hamartia.
For example, King Lear's tragic flaw is he gives property to his daughters. Hamlet's tragic flaw was his
delay to take action (procrastination).
Characteristic #2: This tragic flaw is what leads to the downfall (usually death) of the noble hero.
In Shakespeare's time there was a strong belief in the existence of supernatural forces, such as
witches, sorcerers, fairies, ghosts, spirits etc. Because of this strong belief, Shakespeare often
incorporated supernatural elements in his plays. These supernatural elements usually play a big role in
Shakespeare's stories. They contribute to the downfall of the protagonist - but do not directly cause it.
They are just a catalyst for the outcome. These supernatural elements are not just creations of the
hero's mind, but actual forces acting in the play. Other people would also be able to see or feel these
elements. For example, a supernatural element in Hamlet is Hamlet's father's ghost. The conversation
between Hamlet and his father's ghost provided a start for Hamlet's actions later on, but did not create
the actions themselves.
Characteristic #3: Death In all of Shakespeare's tragedies, the main character (the noble hero) dies.
Comedies
Even though Shakespeare could be pretty tragic and depressing, his comedies are light-hearted and
quite funny. Our modern idea of humor and the idea of humor in Shakespeare's time are different,
however, his comedies continue to entertain and amuse audiences around the world.
Characteristic #1 Mistaken Identities Often you will find that in Shakespeare's work, people are
mistaken as someone they are not. This could be because of mixed-up twins, clever disguises or
gender mix-ups (females disguise themselves as men). For example, in 'As You Like It' best friends
Rosalind and Celia disguise themselves to hide in the Forest of Ardenne. Rosalind dresses up as a
young man named Ganymede and Celia disguises herself as a shepherdress called Aliena. Rosalind's
gender mix-up makes for some very funny scenes because she meets Orlando, her lover, in the forest
and has to keep up her disguise as a man. These mix-ups were even funnier in Shakespeare's time
when they were acted on stage and men had to play all the women's roles.
Characteristic #2: Complex plots Shakespeare's comedies usually involve several plots combined into
one. There are stories of many different people, which intertwine in a comedic way. One of the
funniest things Shakespeare did throughout his comedies, is include several plot twists to keep the
audience guessing and surprise them often. In the end, the complex plot is
straightened out and everyone is happy :)
Characteristic #3: Use of puns- a play on words - and word games in his plays. Shakespeare loved to
use wordplay in his work. At that time, most people understood the puns, but for us they can be quite
difficult to understand.
Characteristic #4: Happy Endings Although in his tragedies the hero dies, Shakespeare's comedies
always have happy endings. In the end of Shakespearean comedies, love prevails. The story usually
ends with characters getting married or the declaration of a marriage to happen soon. Characteristic
#5: Insults! Although they don't really sound like insults, in his day they were quite harsh!
Shakespeare often used some very interesting insults in his work.