Complete Works
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Comedy |
All’s Well that Ends Well (1602)
A comedy — the story of Helena and how she eventually wins the love of
her husband, Bertram. This play is a retelling of a familiar legend, taken from
Boccaccio’s Decameron.
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As You Like It (1600)
A comedy which contrasts the corruption of the court and the innocence of
the country.
The plot centers on Rosalind and her family.
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Comedy of Errors (1594)
A comedy about twins with the same name, Antipholus. Separated in infancy by
a shipwreck, they later search for one another, each with the aid of a slave named Dromio,
also twins.
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Cymbeline (1610)
A comedy — the story of Cymbeline, a mythical King of England and his
family: Imogen his daughter, her husband Posthumus, and and her brothers.
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Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594)
The comedy of Ferdinand, King of Navarre, and his three friends who pledge
to study for three years and avoid women. Their plan changes when a French Princess
arrives with three ladies.
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Measure for Measure (1604)
A comedy in which Angelo is deputized to oversee the enforcement of
Vienna’s long-ignored laws by Duke Vincentio — Vincentio claims to leave the
city, but remains, disguised as a Friar.
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Merry Wives of Windsor (1598)
A comedy in which Sir Falstaff attempts to seduce Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ford
for their money. The ladies discover his plot and develop their own, while Falstaff’s
cronies report his plan to Mr. Ford.
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Merchant of Venice (1596)
A comedy in which Bassanio wishes to travel to see his love, Portia. The
trip is financed by Antonio, Merchant of Venice, who borrows money from Shylock in
exchange for a pound of flesh.
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Midsummer Night’s Dream (1596)
One wedding turns into three — a light-hearted comedy about love and
fairies that may be the most purely romantic of all of Shakespeare’s comedies.
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Much Ado About Nothing (1598)
A comedy which focuses on two plots: One is the love affair between the
reluctant Beatrice and the confirmed bachelor Benedick, and the other is the courtship
between Hero and Claudio.
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Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608)
A drama in which Pericles believes his wife and daughter have died. They are
later reunited. This play was written in collaboration with another writer, possibly
George Wilkins.
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Taming of the Shrew (1593)
A comedy in which the “shrew,” Katherina must marry before her
young, desirable sister, Bianca. Petruchio weds Katherina, “tames” her, and
clears the way for Bianca’s marriage to Lucentio.
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The Tempest (1611)
Shakespeare’s last play is a romantic fantasy about a magician who
rules over an enchanted island with his daughter. Considered his most beautiful work, it
is a rare reflection of his views on life.
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Troilus and Cressida (1602)
A tragedy which depicts Troilus, a Trojan Prince, and his discovery that his
beloved Cressida is being unfaithful.
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Twelfth Night (1600)
A comedy in which Sebastian and his twin sister Viola are shipwrecked and
each believes the other dead.
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594)
An early Shakespearean comedy which depicts the friendship between Valentine
and Proteus which later turns into a rivalry over a woman.
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Winter’s Tale (1611)
A comedy — Polixenes, King of Bohemia, visits Sicily at the invitation
of his friend, King Leontes, who becomes unduly jealous when his wife urges Polixenes to
extend his stay.
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History |
The First Part of King Henry IV (1597-1598)
A history depicting the early years of the reign of England’s King
Henry IV, in which the king’s son, Prince Hal, saves Henry’s life.
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The Second Part of King Henry IV (1597-1598)
A history completing the depiction of the reign of Henry IV, in which Prince
Hal becomes Henry V.
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Henry V, The Life of King (1599)
The history of the life of Henry V after his coronation and his pursuit of
the French throne. The early days of Henry’s life are depicted in the two parts of
Henry IV.
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The First Part of King Henry VI (1591-1592)
The first part of a historical trilogy depicting the early years of the
reign of Henry VI, up to the time of his marriage to Margaret of Anjou.
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The Second Part of King Henry VI (1590-1591)
The second part of a trilogy beginning after Henry’s marriage to
Margaret of Anjou, at the beginning of the War of the Roses in which Henry is dominated by
the queen.
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The Third Part of King Henry VI (1590-1591)
The third part of a historical trilogy, it describes the downfall of Henry
VI and the rise of Edward IV.
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Henry VIII, The Famous History of the Life of King (1613)
The history of of Henry VIII’s love for Anne Bullen, and his efforts to
divorce his wife Katharine.
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King John, The Life and Death of (1595)
A history depicting King John’s efforts to fend off Arthur, the Duke of
Brittany, who is pursuing John’s throne.
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King Richard II (1595)
A historical tragedy in which King Richard II orders Henry Bolingbroke out
of England. Henry later invades England, arrests Richard, and becomes King Henry IV.
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King Richard III (1593)
A historical tragedy — the villainous Richard, the duke of Gloucester,
schemes to inherit the crown, ruthlessly eliminating anyone who hinders his progress.
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Tragedy |
Antony and Cleopatra (1607)
The renowned tragedy of the love affair of Marc Antony and Cleopatra.
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Coriolanus (1608)
The tragedy of Coriolanus, a Roman patrician, who is persuaded to seek
election to the consulship and then driven from the city.
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Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1601)
Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy — the story of Hamlet’s
revenge for the murder of his father, the king. Much of the play’s renown rests on
the thoughtful nature of its title character.
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Julius Caesar (1599)
A tragedy that tells of Caesar’s murder at the hands of a group of
conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius. Marc Antony delivers a rousing oration at
Caesar’s funeral and drives the assassins out of Rome.
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King Lear (1605)
A tragedy in which King Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his
daughters according to their declarations of love for him. King Lear is a noble study of
the human spirit.
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Macbeth (1606)
A tragedy — the story of Macbeth and the violent nature of his royal
ambitions. This play, rich in the supernatural, is Shakespeare’s shortest and
contains many of his most famous scenes. |
Othello - The Moor of Venice (1604)
The tragedy of Othello, a Moorish general who has chosen Cassio as his
lieutenant. His ensign, Iago, feels slighted and plots his revenge against Cassio and
Othello. |
Romeo and Juliet (1595)
A romantic tragedy. One of Shakespeare’s most popular works — the
story of the passionate love affair between Romeo and Juliet whose families, the Montagues
and Capulets, are feuding. |
Timon of Athens (1607)
A tragedy in which Timon loses his wealth and finds that he has lost his
friends as well.
He leaves Athens to live in a cave where he finds a treasure and meets the banished
general, Alcibiades. |
Titus Andronicus (1594)
A tragedy in which Titus returns to Rome from a war with the Goths, having
taken their Queen, Tamora and her three sons as prisoners. Titus kills one of
Tamora’s sons which leads to more killing. |
Poetry |
Sonnets (1598-1609)
A loosely related series of one hundred fifty-four Sonnets. The first part
of the collection is addressed to a young friend; the last part is addressed to a
mysterious “dark lady.”
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A Lover's Complaint
A beautiful poem in rhyme-royal in which a young woman is
overheard lamenting her betrayal by a heartless seducer.
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The Rape of Lucrece
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Venus and Adonis
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Funeral Elegy by W.S.
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