Stage Pages
Reading list · 28 plays

Plays About Power and Politics

Theatre has, since fifth-century Athens, been the form most disposed to argue about how political power should and should not be exercised. The list below gathers public-domain plays whose principal subject is power.

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  1. King Henry VI, Part 1

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    Written by William Shakespeare (first published 1616), King Henry VI, Part 1 stands as one of the durable works of Renaissance & Elizabethan, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  2. King Henry VI, Part 2

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    A defining work of Renaissance & Elizabethan, King Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare (first published 1616) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  3. King Henry VI, Part 3

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    Written by William Shakespeare (first published 1616), King Henry VI, Part 3 stands as one of the durable works of Renaissance & Elizabethan, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  4. King Richard III

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's King Richard III (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.

  5. Love's Labour's Lost

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

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

  6. A Midsummer Night's Dream

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Drama

    William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (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.

  7. Much Ado about Nothing

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    Much Ado about Nothing (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  8. King Henry V

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

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

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. The Tragedy of Macbeth

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth (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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. King Henry VIII

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

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

  15. A Florentine Tragedy; La Sainte Courtisane

    by Oscar Wilde · 1900 · Tragedy

    A Florentine Tragedy; La Sainte Courtisane (first published 1900) is a stage play by Oscar Wilde, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  16. Macbeth

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

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

  17. The Magnificent Lovers (Les Amants magnifiques)

    by Molière · 1673 · Comedy

    The Magnificent Lovers (Les Amants magnifiques) (first published 1673) is a stage play by Molière, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  18. 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.

  19. 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…

  20. The Vikings of Helgeland

    by Henrik Ibsen · 1906 · Drama

    A defining work of Romantic Drama, The Vikings of Helgeland by Henrik Ibsen (first published 1906) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  21. King Henry V Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    William Shakespeare's King Henry V Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre (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…

  22. The Rivals: A Comedy

    by Richard Brinsley Sheridan · 1816 · Comedy

    Written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (first published 1816), The Rivals: A Comedy stands as one of the durable works of Restoration & Neoclassical, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  23. 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.

  24. Tecumseh : a Drama

    by Charles Mair · 1927 · Verse Drama

    Tecumseh : a Drama (first published 1927) is a stage play by Charles Mair, a touchstone of the Romantic Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  25. The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 22, August, 1859 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

    by Various · 2005 · Drama

    A defining work of Classic Drama, The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 22, August, 1859 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics by Various (first published 2005) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material…

  26. The Maids Tragedy

    by Francis Beaumont · 1616 · Tragedy

    Written by Francis Beaumont (first published 1616), The Maids Tragedy stands as one of the durable works of Renaissance & Elizabethan, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  27. Philaster; Or, Love Lies a Bleeding

    by Francis Beaumont · 1616 · Verse Drama

    Francis Beaumont's Philaster; Or, Love Lies a Bleeding (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.

  28. A King, and No King

    by Francis Beaumont · 1616 · Verse Drama

    Francis Beaumont's A King, and No King (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.

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.