39 plays of
William
Shakespeare
TRAGEDIES (11)
1. Antony and Cleopatra
2. Coriolanus
3. Hamlet
4. Julius Caesar
5. King Lear
6. Macbeth
7. Othello
8. Romeo and Juliet
9. Timon of Athens (collaboration)
10.
Titus Andronicus
11.
Troilus and Cressida (sometimes categorized as a
"problem play")
COMEDIES (14)
12.
All’s Well That Ends Well (often called a "problem play")
13.
As You Like It
14.
The Comedy of Errors
15.
Cymbeline (sometimes grouped with romances)
16.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
17.
Measure for Measure (a "problem play")
18.
The Merchant of Venice
19.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
20.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
21.
Much Ado About Nothing
22.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (collaboration, often grouped with
romances)
23.
The Taming of the Shrew
24.
The Tempest (romance)
25.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
26.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
27.
The Winter’s Tale (romance)
HISTORIES (10)
28.
Henry IV, Part 1
29.
Henry IV, Part 2
30.
Henry V
31.
Henry VI, Part 1 (collaboration)
32.
Henry VI, Part 2
33.
Henry VI, Part 3
34.
Henry VIII (collaboration with John Fletcher)
35.
King John
36.
Richard II
37.
Richard III
ROMANCES (4)
These
late plays blend tragedy and comedy:
01. Cymbeline
02. The Winter’s Tale
03. The Tempest
04. Pericles, Prince of Tyre
(Note:
Romances are often included under comedies, but modern scholars sometimes
separate them.)
COLLABORATIONS & DISPUTED WORKS
- The Two Noble Kinsmen (co-written with
John Fletcher, not always included in the traditional 39).
- Edward III (partially
attributed to Shakespeare; not in the First Folio).
Key Notes
►The First Folio (1623) contains 36 plays; Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsmen were added later.
►Plays like Troilus and Cressida and Measure for Measure are called "problem plays"
due to their dark or ambiguous themes.
►The exact number of plays
(39 vs. 38) depends on whether Edward III or collaborative works
are included.
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