Stage Pages
Reading list · 25 plays

The Essentials: Twenty-Five Plays Everyone Should Read

A starting bookshelf — twenty-five plays from across the public-domain repertoire, chosen so that a reader who works through them all will have a working command of how the form has evolved from antiquity to the modern era.

Advertisement

  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. 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.

  6. Titus Andronicus

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (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. The Taming of the Shrew

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    The Taming of the Shrew (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. The Two Gentlemen of Verona

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Drama

    The Two Gentlemen of Verona (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. 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.

  10. King John

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    A defining work of Renaissance & Elizabethan, King John 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. King Richard II

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

    William Shakespeare's King Richard II (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. Romeo and Juliet

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

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

  13. 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.

  14. The Merchant of Venice

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

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

  15. King Henry IV, Part 1

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    King Henry IV, Part 1 (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  16. The Merry Wives of Windsor

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (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.

  17. King Henry IV, Part 2

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · History Play

    William Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part 2 (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.

  18. 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.

  19. 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.

  20. Julius Caesar

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Tragedy

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

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. Twelfth Night

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Drama

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

  24. Troilus and Cressida

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

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

  25. All's Well That Ends Well

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · Verse Drama

    William Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well (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.