Top 10 Plays by William Shakespeare

Despite the difficulty of his language, Shakespeare is by far the most-performed playwright of all time. Whether it is the heartbreaking love story of Romeo and Juliet, the anguish of Hamlet, or the tragic downfall of Julius Caesar: Shakespeare’s world continues to touch the hearts of audiences to this day. There is simply no other playwright whose work feels this timeless and universal.

No playwright has influenced the world of theater as fundamentally as William Shakespeare. But while much has been written and said about his work, Shakespeare himself remains enigmatic. He is thought to have been born in Stratford on the 23rd of April 1564 and is believed to be the author of 38 plays and various other writings. However, some scholars have questioned the authorship of his plays and there are some conspiracy theories claiming that he did not really exist at all. The exact cause of his death is also unknown, but it is assumed that he died on the date of his presumed 52nd birthday, on the 23rd of April in 1616. Here are 10 of Shakespeare’s plays you should know.

1. Romeo and Juliet 

Even those who have never been to the theater have probably heard of Romeo and Juliet.  Among other things, the play has been turned into a movie by Baz Luhrmann starring the famous Leonardo DiCaprio. What makes this story so powerful is that Romeo and Juliet is about much more than teenage love. It’s a story that also teaches us that when we let hate control us, everybody loses.

The plot centers on the love story between Romeo and Juliet, who happen to be the son and daughter of two families who have hated each other for longer than anybody can remember. Fully aware that their relatives will never approve of their union, Romeo and Juliet decide to get married in secret. When Juliet’s parents ask her to get married to another man, Juliet decides to feign her own death to escape the marriage. But instead of saving the day, this ploy of hers leads to a tragic misunderstanding. Thinking that the love of his life has died, Romeo kills himself. By the time Juliet wakes up, it is already too late. Grief-stricken over her lover’s death, she commits suicide as well. When the families arrive at the scene and find their children dead in each other’s arms, they are horrified and finally lay down their arms.

Hamlet centers on a young Danish prince who finds out that his father has been murdered by his uncle. He swears to seek revenge and decides to feign madness until he figures out what to do. Hamlet’s uncle, who has since married Hamlet’s mother and taken over the throne, notices Hamlet’s suspicions and tries to get rid of him by having him killed. The plot fails, but this does not prevent the action from descending into tragedy. Following multiple murders (some of them accidental) and the suicide of the woman Hamlet loves, Hamlet’s mother dies while drinking from a poisoned cup. Shortly after, Hamlet gets wounded by a poisonous blade but still manages to kill his uncle, leaving the entire family dead.

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play, and it usually takes over 4 hours to perform it. Given its psychological and philosophical complexity, the role of Hamlet is considered to be one of the most difficult feats for any actor. So far, Hamlet has been portrayed by the likes of Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, and Jude Law. Its famously philosophical line “To be or not to be: that is the question” has made its way into several movies and has even been used in a McDonald’s advertisement.

3. Midsummer Night’s Dream 

Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s most magical play. Set in a magical forest, this comedy shows us what happens when fairies start messing with humans and their love-induced drama. It starts with a classic love triangle—Hermia is supposed to marry Demetrius, but she is deeply in love with Lysander. The two lovers decide to elope to the forest, but they are closely followed by Demetrius, who wants to take back his bride. To make things even more complicated, Hermia’s friend Helena, who has fallen in love with Demetrius, also joins them in the forest. When Oberon, the king of the fairies, tries to sort out the conflict, he accidentally makes both men fall in love with Helena, which only serves to exacerbate the situation. This magical play can be interpreted in various ways, but critics agree that it is about the transitory nature of passion.

Richard III is a historical play about intrigue and manipulation. It follows the evil machinations of Richard of Gloucester, as he climbs his way up to the throne of England. While the play is based on true historical events, its portrayal of Richard III as the ultimate villain has a political background. During Shakespeare’s day, England was run by the Tudor family. The Tudors had a political interest in having their ancestor Henry VII portrayed as the good guy who came to save England from a tyrant, and it seems that Shakespeare was happy to help spin that story. However, Richard III is much more than a piece where English history has been (re)written. The play shows us how easy it is to fall for the machinations of an evil mastermind.

5. King Lear 

King Lear centers on an old king of the same name, who is planning to split up his kingdom between his three daughters. But instead of doing so based on merit, he lets his vanity guide him. He falls for the proclamations of love given to him by two of his daughters and decides to disinherit and ban his third daughter. But as he soon finds out, he has made a grave mistake. Once his two daughters have gotten their share, they turn away from him. King Lear realizes that his banished daughter is the only one who truly loves him, but it is too late and the country has already descended into civil war. King Lear brings up deep questions about power, loyalty, and what happens when we let our vanity guide us.

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s last plays. Its protagonist Prospero is a magician who lost his kingdom to his brother and had to flee to a deserted island. As fate (or magic) would have it, the king who usurped him is shipwrecked and washed up on the very same island. To his dismay, Prospero’s teenage daughter falls in love with his brother’s son, who has also been shipwrecked during the storm. At first, Prospero is set on finally getting his revenge on those who wronged him, but in the end, he decides to forgive his brother. Many have interpreted The Tempest as Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage, but this mature play also touches on themes of forgiveness, colonialism, and the responsibility that comes with true power.

7. Julius Caesar 

Julius Caesar is a historical play detailing the final days of the famous Roman general. It starts with Julius Caesar’s triumphant return from war, but as we soon find out, a group of men is conspiring to kill him. Although he is warned of the plot, Caesar nevertheless goes to the Capitol, where he is stabbed. Brutus, whom Cesar thought of as his loyal friend, is among the assassins, leading him to explain the famous line: Et tu, Brutus?

But Julius Caesar is about much more than power and betrayal. Following the protagonists’ death, Cesar’s loyal friend Marc Anthony uses clever rhetoric to turn the crowd against the assassins. In the end, the murderers are chased out of the city and a civil war ensues, which is finally won by Marc Anthony.

Depending on how one interprets it, The Taming of the Shrew is either a deeply sexist or a deeply feminist play. Its action is centered on a strong-willed woman called Katherine and a man called Petruccio who has taken it upon him to tame her. In the end, he succeeds in making her an obedient wife by denying her food and sleep until she behaves.

While some feminists have been quick to point out that both the idea of taming a woman and how Petruccio goes about doing so are an expression of patriarchal violence, others have come to a different conclusion. In their view, this comedy is Shakespeare’s way of questioning ideas about gender and the role of women in society. This second view is supported by the fact that the play is actually a play within a play, which suggests that the idea of a submissive woman is nothing but an unachievable fantasy.

9. Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is a gender-bending comedy involving a shipwreck, centered on the twins Viola and Sebastian. Thinking that her twin brother has died, Viola decides to impersonate a boy so that she can get employment with Orsino, the Duke of Illyria. The moment the disguised Viola sets sights on Orsino, she falls in love with him. Nevertheless, she decides to keep up the masquerade and introduces herself as Cesario.

Orsino happens to be pining for a woman named Olivia and asks Cesario to court her in his name. This is when things start to get truly complicated. Although Olivia is still in mourning over her recently deceased brother, she falls in love with the disguised Viola. This puts Viola in the impossible situation of having to court a woman who is in love with her in the name of the man she loves. When her twin brother Sebastian appears on the scene, Olivia mistakes her for Cesario and gets married to him. Orsino is enraged over the betrayal, but once Viola reveals her true identity, the misunderstanding is cleared up. Orsino blesses the union between Olivia and Sebastian and even promises to marry Viola.

While one could interpret this to be a happy ending, many critics give the play a more sinister reading. In their view, Twelfth Night is about the repression of homosexual desire. Whether one agrees with this interpretation or not, one thing is for certain, Twelfth Night cleverly subverts societal expectations around gender and desire.

Othello is a tale of manipulation and jealousy, which also touches on the topic of societal racism. The play is centered on the Black general Othello, who has successfully won numerous wars. He even manages to woo the beautiful Desdemona into marrying him. While interracial marriages were legal at the time, Desdemona’s father is less than pleased. Soon after the marriage, Othello is called to Cyprus and the loyal Desdemona decides to follow him.

But as we soon find out, the real danger waiting for Othello in Cyprus is not to be found on the battlefield. We quickly learn that Iago, one of Othello’s men, is secretly planning the general’s downfall. Using an intricate web of lies and manipulations, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him. Othello is overcome by jealousy and murders his innocent wife. When Othello finally learns that he has been tricked, he is overcome by grief and regret. The tragedy ends with Othello’s suicide.