The most popular plays of Willam Shakespeare
If are a student of English literature, you must have read the plays of William Shakespeare. He is one of the most versatile playwrights of all time. His plays are written for all people of all ages. So, if you are thinking about which play you will start first or what are the ten best Shakespeare plays of all time, this article will help to find out the most popular plays of William Shakespeare. Besides, you will get a summary of the top plays of Shakespeare.
10. The Merchant of Venice
- When was it written? This play was written in 1596.
- What’s it about? Things get a teeny bit anti-Semitic when a Venetian noble defaults on a loan to a Jewish merchant.
- Why’s it so good? Its troubling and complex nature, it’s proven endlessly malleable as a comment on Christian Europe’s troubled relationship with its Jewish population. Portia is one of Bard of Willam Shakespeare. She is one of the greatest female characters.
9. Romeo and Juliet
- When was it written? 1594
- What’s it about? The children of mortal enemies fall for each other. It all gets a bit
- Why’s it so good? It’s the love story, the template for every tale of doomed romance ever written. Everything else is just a variation.
8. The Tempest
- When was it written? 1611
- What’s it about? Sorcerer and single dad Prospero takes revenge on his enemies – magic style.
- Why’s it so good? Full of magic and spectacle. Shakespeare’s deeply layered final play also tends to look bloody spectacular when staged.
7. Twelfth Night
- When was it written? 1599
- What’s it about? A Shakespeare troupe overload. It has romantic cross-dressing with twins and a shipwreck.
- Why’s it so good? A big, grown-up comedy about identity and lost love that rewrites, supercharges and outclasses all his previous comedies.
6. Othello
- When was it written? 1604
- What’s it about? What happens when race relations in sixteenth-century Venice don’t go terribly well.
- Why’s it so good? The most powerful play about racism ever written, but moreover a terrifying study in the destructive power of jealousy.
5. King Lear
- When was it written? 1605
- What’s it about? A father-of-three takes early retirement and goes a little bit nuts.
- Why’s it so good? The last of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, this wild, elemental play about a tyrant losing his mind in old age is a haunting vision of collapse.
4. Measure for Measure
- When was it written? 1598
- What’s it about? Extreme sassiness in the Sicilian countryside.
- Why’s it so good? Full of gags and one-liners, it’s one of Shakespeare’s biggest crowd-pleasers about how bloody hilarious it is when people make a big hullabaloo about nothing. Lol.
2. Macbeth
- When was it written? 1605
- What’s it about? A Scottish lord is persuaded to commit brutal murder by his wife, who promptly gets all guilty about it.
- Why’s it so good? Short, thrilling and charged with the supernatural, this dark tragedy about the consequences of a Scottish lord’s terrible lust for power is probably Shakespeare’s most ‘modern’ and accessible play.
1. Hamlet
- When was it written? 1600
- What’s it about? A student ponders the meaning of life when he should be on a killing spree.
- Why’s it so good? What is there left to say about ‘Hamlet’? Its reputation is so towering it’s hard to be objective about it, but this epic about a young man contemplating his own mortality while attempting to avenge his father is certainly a pretty hot contender for the greatest thing ever written in English.
Final Thoughts
These are the best Shakespeare plays of all time. Whether you are a student or a lover of English literature. This review will help you to short the best plays of Shakespeare. Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and family members.
