The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Overview
William Shakespeare (baptized 26 April 1564 – died 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several longer poems over a career spanning roughly 1589–1614.
Career Periods
Early Period (c. 1589–1594)
Shakespeare began with histories dramatizing the Wars of the Roses (Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, Richard III) and early comedies (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors). His first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, also appeared in this period, as did the long poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.
Middle Period (c. 1594–1600)
Shakespeare joined the Lord Chamberlain's Men and produced his most celebrated comedies: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Henriad histories (Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V) and the Roman tragedy Julius Caesar also belong to this period. The Sonnets were being circulated privately.
Tragic Period (c. 1600–1608)
The so-called "great tragedies": Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and Timon of Athens. The problem plays Troilus and Cressida, All's Well That Ends Well, and Measure for Measure also appear here. The Sonnets were published in 1609.
Late Romances (c. 1607–1614)
Shakespeare's final works are tragi-comedies (romances) defined by themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and wonder: Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, Henry VIII, and The Two Noble Kinsmen (the last two written in collaboration with John Fletcher).
Genre Map
| Genre | Count | Key Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Comedies | 13 | Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado |
| Tragedies | 10 | Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello |
| Histories | 10 | Henry IV, Richard III, Henry V |
| Romances | 5 | The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Cymbeline |
| Problem Plays | 3 | Measure for Measure, All's Well, Troilus and Cressida |
Major Themes Across the Canon
- Power and legitimacy — who has the right to rule, and what makes kingship just (Histories, Macbeth, King Lear)
- Love, desire, and marriage — from romantic comedy to tragic passion (Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Othello)
- Appearance vs. reality — disguise, deception, and misperception (Hamlet, Much Ado, The Winter's Tale)
- Revenge and justice — personal vengeance versus civic order (Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus)
- Jealousy — as a destructive force (Othello, The Winter's Tale, Cymbeline)
- Forgiveness and redemption — especially in the late romances (The Tempest, The Winter's Tale)
- Class and gender — the constraints of social hierarchy and the transgression of gender norms (Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice)
The Sonnets
Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, published 1609, are addressed to two figures: the "Fair Youth" (Sonnets 1–126) and the "Dark Lady" (Sonnets 127–154). They explore love, beauty, time, mortality, and jealousy in densely compressed form. See The Sonnets.
Source
All content derived from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.