Top 20 Shakespeare Plays
28 items ranked
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1.
Hamlet
One of the most popular stories ever written and translated into over 80 languages comes a tale of tragedy, of murder and of revenge.
169 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
2.
Macbeth
139 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 5 comments
Comments:
I never really liked MacBeth but now years later it has grown on me. It is worthy of being in the top 5 and it is closer to Hamlet (almost as good) than I ever thought it could be. It also helps that it is shorter than many of Shakespeare's plays. I sometimes perform in community theatre and this coming fall I may actually audition for the Scottish Play. Lady MacBeth is a great character- so evil but thinks everything through and in a way is tougher than MacBeth.
Added 7 years ago by guest, 6 points
Very exciting and gripping
Added 9 years ago by guest, 8 points
I love this play I studied it at school and found it really exciting!!!
Added 9 years ago by guest, 4 points
Even though the main plot in this play is about murder, I still find it less disturbing than Hamlet.
I throughly enjoy Hamlet though, he cracks me up. :P
Added 12 years ago by guest, -5 points
this is too underrated. I like it better than Hamlet.
Added 12 years ago by guest, 4 points
3.
King Lear
The great tragic tale of the elderly king and his daughters.
112 points - added 12 years ago by guest -
4.
Othello
105 points - added 11 years ago by guest -
5.
Romeo and Juliet
91 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 4 comments
Comments:
Really good
Added 9 years ago by guest, 2 points
Very sad I don't like it!
Added 9 years ago by guest, -3 points
Over-rated garbage. Very little works, and you never feel like they love eachother. Instead, they TELL you that they're in love. This is Nicholas Sparks-level writing, people. Mercutio was the only really good character I remember.
Added 13 years ago by guest, -8 points
Good lord. Romeo and Juliet is so overrated it's ridiculous. Everyone just knows it because it's the only play consistently read in high school English classes, for the sole reason teacher's think students will identify with teenagers in love who have issues with their parents. How do MacBeth, Othello, and King Lear not make this list? Not to mention, to a lesser degree, Henry IV parts 1 or 2. Thumbs way down
Added 13 years ago by guest, -8 points
6.
Richard III
82 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
7.
Julius Caesar
81 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 1 comment
Comments:
Good and very nice play
Added 9 years ago by guest, 4 points
8.
Henry V
75 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 1 comment
Comments:
Think it is good
Added 9 years ago by guest, 3 points
9.
Twelfth Night
72 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 1 comment
Comments:
By far my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies. So well-written, and with so many memorable characters.
Added 11 years ago by guest, 7 points
10.
The Merchant of Venice
71 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
11.
Much Ado About Nothing
Arguably Shakespeare’s best comedy. The combination of hilarious mocking quips and the primary theme of love makes this play an memorable masterpiece.
63 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 1 comment
Comments:
The original romcom. Hilarious.
Added 8 years ago by guest, 1 point
12.
Antony and Cleopatra
58 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 2 comments
Comments:
Boring
Added 9 years ago by guest, -8 points
This is ranked too low. I have Antony & Cleopatra in my top 5. Greatest love story in literature, including Romeo & Juliet.
Added 11 years ago by guest, -1 points
13.
Coriolanus
58 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
14.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Far from the tragedy of Hamlet, this is a comedy that mixes four plots interchangeably, thus blurring the line between what is real and what is not.
57 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
15.
The Tempest
A classic tale of adventure that delves into revenge, romance, and comedy—all of which driven by magic and the supernatural.
57 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
16.
Titus Andronicus
55 points - added 11 years ago by guest - 1 comment
Comments:
Easily one of Shakespeare's most underrated plays. The brutality in and of itself is simply amazing in it's scope.
Added 10 years ago by guest, -4 points
17.
As You Like It
30 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
18.
Henry IV Part I
Great coming of age story.
26 points - added 7 years ago by guest -
19.
Measure for Measure
24 points - added 11 years ago by guest -
20.
Winter's Tale
24 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
21.
Taming of the Shrew
One of Shakespeare's more fast-paced plays, The Taming of the Shrew is funny, lusty, down-to-earth and kind of preposterous.
23 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
22.
All's Well That Ends Well
20 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
23.
Richard II
17 points - added 7 years ago by guest -
24.
Loves Labour's Lost
17 points - added 10 years ago by guest -
25.
Cymbeline
17 points - added 11 years ago by guest -
26.
The Comedy of Errors
15 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 1 comment
Comments:
HILARIOUS
Added 12 years ago by guest, 1 point
27.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
15 points - added 14 years ago by writershire - 2 comments
Comments:
Mediocre at its best, justifying and forgiving rape at it's worst, it is well deserving of it's title as Shakespeare's worst play.
Added 7 years ago by guest, 0 points
This play is marvelously underrated and is all in all a fantastic play. Though the ending is a little iffy, the plot is captivating and well written.
Added 10 years ago by guest, -2 points
28.
Timon of Athens
14 points - added 14 years ago by writershire -
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