How many Shakespeare plays did he write?
James Craig
Published Jan 16, 2026
Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English.
How many plays did Shakespeare write in total?
What did Shakespeare write? Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. His 17 comedies include The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. Among his 10 history plays are Henry V and Richard III.
How many plays did Shakespeare write and write?
Who wrote the plays? William Shakespeare has become the most famous playwright of his time. He wrote or co-wrote almost 40 plays. But he was one of many writers producing plays in London at that time.
Did Shakespeare write 38 or 39 plays?
Shakespeare wrote 38 plays. However, in recent years the publisher Arden Shakespeare added a new play to their collection: Double Falsehood under Shakespeare's name. Technically, this revises the total number of plays to 39!
How many confirmed plays Shakespeare wrote?
The majority of Shakespearean scholars agree that he wrote 38 plays: 12 histories, 14 comedies, and 12 tragedies.
21 related questions foundDid Shakespeare write 37 or 38 plays?
Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English.
What are 3 types of plays Shakespeare wrote?
Tragedies, comedies and histories.
Why did Shakespeare write so many plays?
William Shakespeare started writing plays because he realized that he had the potential to be a great playwrighter. He also enjoyed theater and he realized that he could also act in them. His plays attracted a lot of interest and he had the theaters thronging with audiences back in 16th century.
What are the 4 genres of plays that Shakespeare wrote?
Shakespeare's Play Types
- Comedy plays.
- History plays.
- Roman plays.
- Tragedy plays.
What all did Shakespeare write?
Among the most well known are A Midsummer's Night Dream, Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. Interestingly, two tragedies bookend Shakespeare's comedic era - Romeo and Juliet were written at the beginning of the 1590s, and Julius Caesar was written at the end of the era.
How many words did Shakespeare contribute to the English language?
He contributed 1,700 words to the English language because he was the first author to write them down.
What are two of Shakespeare's most famous plays?
William Shakespeare's Important Works
- Romeo and Juliet (c. 1594–96) scene from Romeo and Juliet. ...
- Much Ado About Nothing (c. 1598–99) ...
- Julius Caesar (c. 1599–1600) ...
- Hamlet (c. 1599–1601) ...
- King Lear (1605–06) King Lear. ...
- Macbeth (c. 1606–07) ...
- The Tempest (1611) scene from The Tempest.
How old was Shakespeare when he wrote his first play?
Most academics agree that William wrote his first play, Henry VI, Part One around 1589 to 1590 when he would have been roughly 25 years old. The Bard is believed to have started writing the first of his 154 sonnets in 1593 at age 29. His first sonnet was Venus and Adonis published in the same year.
Why did Shakespeare stop writing?
William Shakespeare might have left London and stopped writing three years before he died because he had lost his sight, a playwright has suggested.
Is Edward de Vere the real Shakespeare?
Despite this compelling circumstantial evidence, there is no concrete proof that Edward de Vere was the real author of Shakespeare's plays. Indeed, it is conventionally accepted that 14 of Shakespeare's plays were written after 1604 – the year of De Vere's death.
What is Shakespeare's longest play?
The longest play is Hamlet, which is the only Shakespeare play with more than thirty thousand words, and the shortest is The Comedy of Errors, which is the only play with fewer than fifteen thousand words. Shakespeare's 37 plays have an average word count of 22.6 thousand words per play.
What was Shakespeare's last words?
Live in thy shame, but die not shame with thee! These words hereafter thy tormentors be! Convey me to my bed, then to my grave; Love they to live that love and honour have.
What is Shakespeare's best story?
Our Top 5 Greatest Works By William Shakespeare
- The Merchant of Venice. The Merchant of Venice tells the intriguing tale of Bassanio, a lonely Venetian desperate to court the beautiful Portia. ...
- A Midsummer Night's Dream. ...
- Twelfth Night. ...
- Romeo and Juliet. ...
- Macbeth.
What was Shakespeare's least successful play?
Troilus and Cressida – Shakespeare's least successful play.
What was Shakespeare's 3 most famous play?
Shakespeare's three best-known plays are Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Each one has an interesting story and a movie adaptation. Shakespeare's three best-known plays are also all tragedies. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth all end badly for the main characters.
What are 5 words Shakespeare invented?
15 Words Invented by Shakespeare
- Bandit.
- Critic.
- Dauntless.
- Dwindle.
- Elbow (as a verb)
- Green-Eyed (to describe jealousy)
- Lackluster.
- Lonely.
What are 5 common words or phrases Shakespeare invented?
13 Everyday Phrases That Actually Came From Shakespeare
- 1. " Green-eyed monster" ...
- 2. " In a pickle" ...
- "The world is your oyster." Meaning: being in a position to take advantage of life's opportunities.
- 4. " Catch a cold"
- "It's all Greek to me."
- 6. " Love is blind" ...
- 7. " Wild goose chase" ...
- 8. " A heart Of gold"
Did Shakespeare write in Middle English?
Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare did not write in Old or Early English. Shakespeare's language was actually Early Modern English, also known as Elizabethan English – much of which is still in use today.
What are the Shakespeare Top 10 facts?
10 Things You Didn't Know About William Shakespeare
- Shakespeare's father held a lot of different jobs, and at one point got paid to drink beer. ...
- Shakespeare married an older woman who was three months pregnant at the time. ...
- Shakespeare's parents were probably illiterate, and his children almost certainly were.