Hamlet
A central tragedy and accessible introduction to Shakespeare's dramatic language.
Author guide
William Shakespeare Books in Order
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor associated with the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men. His canonical corpus commonly includes 39 plays, including collaborative works and the lost Cardenio, as well as narrative poems, sonnets, and the poetry collection The Passionate Pilgrim.
playwritingpoetrysonnets
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
A Midsummer Night's Dream
An lively, compact comedy with interwoven plots and memorable characters.
Romeo and Juliet
A familiar and emotionally direct tragedy.
The Tempest
A compact late romance that introduces Shakespeare's final-period style.
Read in order
Books by series
- 1 Henry IV, Part 1
Book 1 · play · 1598
The authoritative edition of Henry IV, Part 1 from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. Family relationships are at the center of Henry IV, Part 1. King Henry IV…
- 2 Henry IV, Part 2
Book 2 · play · 1600
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Summer festival, June 27th to September 10th, 1932. "The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, containing his death, and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth," by William Shakespeare. The…
trilogy · complete
Henry VI
A three-part history-play sequence depicting the Wars of the Roses and the decline of Lancastrian rule.
- 1 Henry VI, Part 1
Book 1 · play · 1623
The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series edited by A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans.…
- 2
- 3
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Poetry (4)
- Venus and Adonis
poem · 1593
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) is the most influential writer in English history. Shakespeare has been called The Barb of Avon and England's national poet. There are 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets and 38 plays in his collected works.…
- The Rape of Lucrece
poem · 1594
Shakespeare's poetic account of the Roman leader Tarquin's rape of Lucrece and her subsequent suicide is accompanied by detailed notes
- Shakespeare's Sonnets
sonnet-collection · 1609
Contains: - Lover's Complaint - Phoenix and the Turtle - Sonnets
- The Passionate Pilgrim
poetry-collection · 1599
The Passionate Pilgrim is a collection of poems and sonnets that were attributed to William Shakespeare upon their publication, though it is unclear which of them were truly written by the bard. Three of the poems contained in The…
Plays (35)
- The Tempest
play · 1623
Prospero, sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan, along with his daughter Miranda, has lived on an island for many years since his position was usurped by his brother Antonio. Then, as Antonio’s ship passes near the island one day, Prospero…
- The Two Gentlemen of Verona
play · 1623
A new edition of Shakespeare?'s play in accordance with the work of the Shakespeare and Schools Project and the national curriculum.
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
play · 1602
Sir John Falstaff, knowing that Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page control the money in their respective households, decides to seduce them, but they learn of his scheme and resolve to make a fool of him. A comic series of disguises and…
- The Comedy of Errors
play · 1623
"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either…
- Much Ado About Nothing
play · 1600
Much Ado has always been popular on the stage. This edition pays especial attention to the history and range of theatrical interpretation, in which the famous actors, from the time of Garrick to the present, have appeared as the sparring…
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
play · 1600
When Oberon, the Fairy King, and his loyal hobgoblin servant, Puck, intervene in human affairs, the fate of these young couples is magically and hilariously transformed. Like a classic fairy tale, this retelling of William Shakespeare's…
- The Merchant of Venice
play · 1600
The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly…
- As You Like It
play · 1623
This play has two principal settings: the court that Frederick has usurped from his brother, the rightful Duke, and the Forest of Arden, where the Duke and his followers (including the disgruntled Lord Jaques and the jester Touchstone)…
- The Taming of the Shrew
play · 1623
This play within a play is a delightful farce about a fortune hunter who marries and tames" the town shrew. The comedy, often produced today because of its accessibility, is one of the plays Shakespeare intended for the general public…
- All's Well That Ends Well
play · 1623
With new editors who have incorporated the most up-to-date scholarship, this revised Pelican Shakespeare series will be the premiere choice for students, professors, and general readers well into the twenty-first century.Each volume…
- Twelfth Night
play · 1623
- The Winter's Tale
play · 1623
"Neither comedy nor tragedy, The Winter's tale contains elements of each genre, and defies easy classification. It experiments, like many of Shakespeare's late plays, with different styles and tones, and draws on a wide range of sources…
- King John
play · 1623
The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series edited by A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans.…
- Richard II
play · 1597
"Richard is King. A monarch ordained by God to lead his people. But he is also a man of very human weakness. A man whose vanity threatens to divide the great houses of England and drag his people into a dynastic civil war that will last…
- Henry V
play · 1600
Introducing this edition, Gary Taylor shows how Shakespeare shaped his historical material, examines controversial critical interpretations, discusses the play's fluctuating fortunes in performance, and analyses the range and variety of…
- Richard III
play · 1597
"containing his treacherous plots against his brother Clarence, the pittiefull murther of his innocent nephewes, his tyrannicall usurpation, with the whole course of his detested life and most deserved death" (Subtitle of the 1597 edition.)
- Henry VIII
play · 1623
The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series edited by A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans.…
- Troilus and Cressida
play · 1609
With new editors who have incorporated the most up-to-date scholarship, this revised Pelican Shakespeare series will be the premiere choice for students, professors, and general readers well into the twenty-first century.Each volume…
- Coriolanus
play · 1623
"This generously annotated updated edition of Coriolanus provides a thorough reconsideration of Shakespeare's remarkable, and probably his last, tragedy. A substantial introduction situates the play within its contemporary social and…
- Titus Andronicus
play · 1594
"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either…
- Romeo and Juliet
play · 1597
It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud. In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers’ final union in death seems almost inevitable.…
- Timon of Athens
play · 1623
Shakespeare's Timon of Athens is the tale of a rich Athenian who lived a lavish life, spending his wealth on his friends. Eventually, when his wealth ceases and he asks his friends for help, Timon is shocked to find that none of them are…
- Julius Caesar
play · 1623
What actions are justified when the fate of a nation hangs in the balance, and who can see the best path ahead? Julius Caesar has led Rome successfully in the war against Pompey and returns celebrated and beloved by the people. Yet in the…
- Macbeth
play · 1623
The play concerns a trusted general who secretly lusts for power. Encouraged by the prophecies of three witches and urged on by his ambitious wife Macbeth commits regicide. Left fearful and superstitious by this desperate act he is driven…
- Hamlet
play · 1603
Life of William Shakespeare is a biography of William Shakespeare by the eminent critic Sidney Lee. This book was one of the first major biographies of the Bard of Avon. It was published in 1898, based on the article contributed to the…
- King Lear
play · 1608
King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter…
- Othello
play · 1622
In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual devotion and that ends precipitately…
- Antony and Cleopatra
play · 1623
A magnificent drama of love and war, this riveting tragedy presents one of Shakespeare's greatest female characters – the seductive, cunning Egyptian queen Cleopatra. The Roman leader Mark Antony, a virtual prisoner of his passion for…
- Cymbeline
play · 1623
Cymbeline, King of Britain is one of the best-known works of William Shakespeare. It is a romantic play interwoven with war and tragedy. It revolves around Cymbeline and his daughter, Imogen. Imogen does not abide by her father's wishes…
- Pericles
play · 1609
This book includes a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a seperate introduction to Pericles, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen,…
- The Two Noble Kinsmen
play · 1634
When Theseus, Duke of Athens, learns that the ruler of Thebes has killed three noble kings he swears to take revenge. But after Athens triumphs over the rival city, Theseus is struck by the bravery of two Theban cousins and orders his…
- Cardenio
play
- First Folio
play-collection · 1623
Frequently asked questions about William Shakespeare
What are the known facts about William Shakespeare’s early life?
Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564, and was probably born a few days earlier. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children.
Sources: folger.edu (opens in a new tab)shakespeare.org.uk (opens in a new tab)
Was William Shakespeare a real person, and what evidence supports his identity?
Yes. Surviving baptismal, marriage, legal, property, business, theatrical, and testamentary records identify a Stratford man named William Shakespeare as an actor, playwright, and theater shareholder.
Sources: shakespearedocumented.folger.edu (opens in a new tab)folger.edu (opens in a new tab)
What did William Shakespeare do besides write plays?
He was also an actor and a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which became the King’s Men in 1603. He was connected with the Globe Theatre, built by his company in 1599.
Sources: shakespearedocumented.folger.edu (opens in a new tab)folger.edu (opens in a new tab)
What influenced William Shakespeare’s writing?
His likely grammar-school education in Latin classics shaped his literary background, while earlier histories, legends, poetry, and prose supplied many story materials. Important sources included Holinshed’s Chronicles, Plutarch’s Lives, and Ovidian literature.
Sources: folger.edu (opens in a new tab)zsr.wfu.edu (opens in a new tab)
Why is William Shakespeare still influential today?
His writing remains influential because it combines linguistic invention, complex characterization, and adaptable dramatic form. The First Folio helped preserve many of his plays, enabling centuries of performance, study, translation, and adaptation.
Sources: folger.edu (opens in a new tab)folger.edu (opens in a new tab)