Stage Pages
Reading list · 31 plays

Plays About Family and Inheritance

Inheritance disputes, family secrets, and the long settlement of debts between parents and children remain among the most theatrically productive subjects on offer. The titles here engage the subject head-on.

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  1. Lady Windermere's Fan

    by Oscar Wilde · 1900 · Drama

    Lady Windermere's Fan (first published 1900) is a stage play by Oscar Wilde, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  2. Riders to the Sea

    by J. M. (John Millington) Synge · 1909 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, Riders to the Sea by J. M. (John Millington) Synge (first published 1909) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  3. The Comedy of Errors

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Comedy

    The Comedy of Errors (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  4. As You Like It

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    As You Like It (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  5. Hamlet

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's Hamlet (first published 1616) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  6. King Lear

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    A defining work of Renaissance & Elizabethan, King Lear by William Shakespeare (first published 1616) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  7. Cymbeline

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    William Shakespeare's Cymbeline (first published 1616) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  8. The Winter's Tale

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    A defining work of Renaissance & Elizabethan, The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare (first published 1616) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  9. The Tempest

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Drama

    A defining work of Renaissance & Elizabethan, The Tempest by William Shakespeare (first published 1616) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  10. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare

    by E. (Edith) Nesbit · 1924 · Drama

    Written by E. (Edith) Nesbit (first published 1924), Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare stands as one of the durable works of Realism & Naturalism, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  11. You Never Can Tell

    by Bernard Shaw · 1950 · Drama

    You Never Can Tell (first published 1950) is a stage play by Bernard Shaw, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  12. Ghosts: A Domestic Tragedy in Three Acts

    by Henrik Ibsen · 1906 · Tragedy

    Ghosts: A Domestic Tragedy in Three Acts (first published 1906) is a stage play by Henrik Ibsen, a touchstone of the Romantic Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  13. The Lady from the Sea

    by Henrik Ibsen · 1906 · Verse Drama

    Henrik Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea (first published 1906) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  14. Major Barbara

    by Bernard Shaw · 1950 · Drama

    Major Barbara (first published 1950) is a stage play by Bernard Shaw, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  15. Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman

    by Ben Jonson · 1637 · Verse Drama

    Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman (first published 1637) is a stage play by Ben Jonson, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  16. Anna Christie

    by Eugene O'Neill · 1953 · Drama

    Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie (first published 1953) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  17. Volpone; Or, The Fox

    by Ben Jonson · 1637 · Verse Drama

    Volpone; Or, The Fox (first published 1637) is a stage play by Ben Jonson, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  18. The Robbers

    by Friedrich Schiller · 1805 · Tragedy

    The Robbers (first published 1805) is a stage play by Friedrich Schiller, a touchstone of the Restoration & Neoclassical repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  19. Ghosts

    by Henrik Ibsen · 1906 · Tragedy

    Ghosts (first published 1906) is a stage play by Henrik Ibsen, a touchstone of the Romantic Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  20. Hamlet The First ('Bad') Quarto

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    Hamlet The First ('Bad') Quarto (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  21. Hamlet A Study with the Text of the Folio of 1623

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's Hamlet A Study with the Text of the Folio of 1623 (first published 1616) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight…

  22. The Tempest The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.]

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    Written by William Shakespeare (first published 1616), The Tempest The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] stands as one of the durable works of Renaissance & Elizabethan, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically…

  23. The Comedy of Errors The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.]

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Comedy

    The Comedy of Errors The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  24. The Blue Bird for Children The Wonderful Adventures of Tyltyl and Mytyl in Search of Happiness

    by Georgette Leblanc · 1941 · Drama

    Georgette Leblanc's The Blue Bird for Children The Wonderful Adventures of Tyltyl and Mytyl in Search of Happiness (first published 1941) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty…

  25. Quality Street: A Comedy

    by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie · 1937 · Comedy

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, Quality Street: A Comedy by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie (first published 1937) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  26. Beyond the Horizon

    by Eugene O'Neill · 1953 · Drama

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (first published 1953) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  27. The Lamp and the Bell: A Drama In Five Acts

    by Edna St. Vincent Millay · 1950 · Drama

    The Lamp and the Bell: A Drama In Five Acts (first published 1950) is a stage play by Edna St. Vincent Millay, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  28. A Family Man : in three acts

    by John Galsworthy · 1933 · Drama

    John Galsworthy's A Family Man : in three acts (first published 1933) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  29. The Duke of Gandia

    by Algernon Charles Swinburne · 1909 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Romantic Drama, The Duke of Gandia by Algernon Charles Swinburne (first published 1909) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  30. Hobson's Choice: A Lancashire Comedy in Four Acts

    by Harold Brighouse · 1958 · Comedy

    Hobson's Choice: A Lancashire Comedy in Four Acts (first published 1958) is a stage play by Harold Brighouse, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  31. Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, A Reader for the Fourth Grade

    by Augusta Stevenson · 1976 · Drama

    Written by Augusta Stevenson (first published 1976), Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, A Reader for the Fourth Grade stands as one of the durable works of Realism & Naturalism, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically…

How this list was put together

The selections above were drawn from the full Stage Pages archive of 520 public-domain stage plays. Where ranking is implied by the order, that ranking is editorial — defensible, but not unanimous. Where the list is alphabetical or chronological, we say so.

If you have a candidate we missed, the whole library is one click away from the main scripts index; we add titles to lists as the catalogue grows.