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Shakespeare in the world

How Many Plays did Shakespeare Write?

Well, this has been an age-old question, asked throughout the years.  But, no one will ever truly know the exact answer to how many plays did Shakespeare write, because there is always the following arguments:

  • He plagiarized and never really did “write” the plays
  • There are “lost” plays: i.e. “Love’s Labour’s Won”, Cardenio
  • He co-wrote some plays with other authors: i.e. Two Noble Kinsmen
  • Other plays that “experts” are considering written, or re-written by Shakespeare but not originally attributed to the Bard

But, for a number to answer the basic question of how many plays did Shakespeare write? For now, it’s 37. (and you’ll find plenty of arguments for and against this!).  I’ve listed them below, with a link to my melodramatic kids’ versions as well.

Comedies (17):

  1. 37 shakespeare playsA Midsummer Night’s Dream
  2. All’s Well That Ends Well
  3. As You Like It
  4. Cymbeline
  5. Love’s Labour’s Lost
  6. Measure for Measure
  7. Much Ado About Nothing
  8. Pericles
  9. The Comedy of Errors
  10. The Merchant of Venice
  11. The Merry Wives of Windsor
  12. The Taming of the Shrew
  13. The Tempest
  14. The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  15. The Winter’s Tale
  16. Troilus and Cressida
  17. Twelfth Night

Tragedies (10):

  1. Antony and Cleopatra
  2. Coriolanus
  3. Hamlet
  4. Julius Caesar
  5. King Lear
  6. Macbeth
  7. Othello
  8. Romeo and Juliet
  9. Timon of Athens
  10. Titus Andronicus

Histories (10):

  1. Henry IV, Part 1
  2. Henry IV, Part 2
  3. Henry V
  4. Henry VI, Part 1
  5. Henry VI, Part 2
  6. Henry VI, Part 3
  7. Henry VIII
  8. King John
  9. Richard II
  10. Richard III
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By brendan kelso

Brendan is the main creative source and author behind Playing With Plays and the infamous Shakespeare for Kids series. You can typically find him inventing by day, playing with his family by night, and writing by very late night.

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