William Shakespeare Books In Order

Publication Order of Comedy Plays

Publication Order of History Plays

Publication Order of Tragedy Plays

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Short Story Anthologies

Publication Order of Anthologies

William Shakespeare was a highly reputed poet, writer, actor, and playwright from England, who lived during the Elizabethan era. He is regarded as English language’s greatest writer and the pre-eminent dramatist in the world. Shakespeare is often called as the national poet of England. His wide range of works includes around 38 plays, a couple of long poems, 154 sonnets, several other verses, and some uncertain authorship. The plays written by Shakespeare have often been translated into almost every known language throughout the world. They are also performed widely and have been adapted in different art forms. Shakespeare’s birth had taken place in Stafford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He married a girl named Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old, and had three kids with her, named Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet. The later ones were twins. Between 1585 & 1592, Shakespeare was involved in acting in London. He was quite successful in this field. Shakespeare was even the part owner of a company known as Lord’s Chamberlain’s Men, which was later called King’s Men. It is believed that Shakespeare retired from acting at the age of forty nine in 1613 and stayed in Stafford until his death, 3 years after his retirement. A few records about the private life of Shakespeare have been preserved by the English government over the years. The records have stimulated speculations about matters regarding his sexuality, physical appearance, religious beliefs, and if his works actually written by some other people. Most of the known works of Shakespeare were produced from 1589 onwards. The early plays written by him were primarily histories and comedies. They are still included among the best works based on these genres. Later, he shifted his focus towards writing tragedies until the year 1608. Some of his finest works in this genre include Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and Hamlet. During the last phase of his life, Shakespere collaborated with many other playwrights and wrote tragicomedies or romances. Many of Shakespeare’s plays were released in different editions of varying accuracy and quality during his career. Henry Condell and John Heminges, 2 of Shakespeare fellow actors and friends published a definite text after a few years of his death. This 1623 posthumous publication was called First Folio and comprised of a collected edition of several dramatic works of Shakespeare. The text was prefaced with one of Ben Jonson’s poem, in which he has hailed Shakespeare as not being of age, but for all the time. After the 19th century, Shakespeare’s plays were repeatedly adapted in various forms. They were also rediscovered by newfound movements in performance and scholarship.

Shakespeare’s plays remain very popular even today and are frequently studied, reinterpreted, and performed in diverse political and cultural contexts all around the world. Author Shakespeare’s parents hailed from Snitterfield. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and an alderman, while his mother was a rich farmer’s daughter named Mary Arden. Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564. There is no record of his actual birth date, but traditionally it is observed on Saint George’s Day. About Shakespeare’s education, most biographers believe that he had studied at the King’s School. When he got married to Anne Hathaway, she was already pregnant with their first child and gave birth to Susanne 6 months after the marriage. Out the twins who were later, Hamlet died due to unknown reasons at 11 years of age. The initial plays that Shakespeare wrote in his career were written in a conventional way, which was mainly in use at that time. His work mainly consisted of stylized languages that didn’t always flow with the character’s requirement or the story. Shakpespeare’s poetry depended on elaborate and extended metaphors and often comprised of a rhetorical language. As his popularity increased further, Shakespeare started adapting himself to the traditional purposes. Shakespeare’s death occurred on April 23, 1616 in Stratford. He was cremated at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. Other than his writings, Shakespeare is remembered for his involvement in the English Renaissance movement.

An early book series written by William Shakespeare is called Wars of the Roses. It is comprised of 8 books, all of which describe the events of the civil wars between the Yorkist and Lancastrian dynasties. Shakespeare has dramatized some events in the form of plays between 1590 and 1599. A book from this series is entitled ‘Richard II’. The Oxford University Press published this book in 2003 after its original release in 1595. Shakespeare has described the story in an eloquent, lucid and boldly structured way. It can be seen as a political drama, a tragedy, a historical play, or a huge dramatic cycle’s small part that helped to form the national identity of England. Many people in today’s world see Richard II as a conservative king, but Shakespeare made him appear as subversive. This story has been revived in theatres and numerous on screen demonstrations, enduring poignancy and power of the drama about the downfall of the egoistic, but pitiable monarch Richard II.

The next book of this series written by author Shakespeare is called ‘King Henry IV, Part 1’. It was published in 2002 by the Bloomsbury publication, years after its first release in 1597. David Scott Kastan, who edited the original manuscript, has explored the ambitious and remarkable richness of King Henry IV. The script is conventionally considered as a play. Most part of the play is actually a fiction invented conspicuously. David Kastan has argued that the comic, non-historical plot doesn’t just parody the historical sequences, but its existence has raised questions about the nature of historical facts. The engaging and fully described introduction has devoted an extensive discussion to the language of the play. It has also indicated how the insistent vocabulary has provided texture for the play’s social concerns and focused on the relationship between political authority and value. The text has covered the word ‘honor’ recurringly and the role played by women. Its appendices provide sources of information of Henry IV, manuscript’s history, and discussions on Shakespeare’s metrics. The casting appendix shows a chart indicating the actors best suited to play the characters. The text’s 5th appendix features photographic images that are believed to have been printed in the printing house of Peter Short in 1598. There is also a reference section that gives a list of references and abbreviations, a list of Shakespeare’s works, and also the ones in which he was involved partly, modern productions’ citations depicted in text, collated editions of the written works of Shakespeare, as well as other related things to read.