Author

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare — 20 titles in the rankings, first published between 1594 and 1734. They average 7.6, below the 7.8 the whole catalogue averages.

Editor’s note Romeo and Juliet is the most-read play here and, likely because so many read it at school, the lowest-rated. The best-rated are Much Ado About Nothing — a good first comedy — and Hamlet, followed by Macbeth and King Lear. Macbeth is the shortest of the tragedies and a quick way in.

Ranked titles
20 books
Average score
7.6
Total ratings
10.6K
First published
1594–1734

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Books by William Shakespeare

Book score20 books on a timeline, 1594–1734 · Highest rated: Much Ado About Nothing
  1. Much Ado About Nothing
    Much Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare · 1600Filmed 2023 Classics369 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  2. Hamlet
    HamletWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Drama & theatre1.7K ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  3. Macbeth
    MacbethWilliam Shakespeare · 1623Filmed 1957 Drama & theatre1.5K ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  4. King Lear
    King LearWilliam Shakespeare · 1608 Drama & theatre420 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  5. Richard III
    Richard IIIWilliam Shakespeare · 1597Filmed 1955 Drama & theatre112 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  6. Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1William Shakespeare · 1597 Drama & theatre78 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  7. The Comedy of Errors
    The Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare · 1734 Humour93 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  8. A Midsummer Night's Dream
    A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 Drama & theatre864 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  9. As You Like It
    As You Like ItWilliam Shakespeare · 1623Filmed 2006 Classics158 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  10. Othello
    OthelloWilliam Shakespeare · 1622 Drama & theatre643 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  11. The Merchant of Venice
    The Merchant of VeniceWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 Drama & theatre348 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  12. Coriolanus
    CoriolanusWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Drama & theatre51 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  13. Henry V
    Henry VWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 Drama & theatre120 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  14. Twelfth Night
    Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Romance50 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  15. The Tempest
    The TempestWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Drama & theatre439 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  16. Measure for Measure
    Measure for MeasureWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Drama & theatre80 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  17. Julius Caesar
    Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare · 1656Filmed 2012 Drama & theatre451 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  18. Titus Andronicus
    Titus AndronicusWilliam Shakespeare · 1594 Drama & theatre81 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  19. The Taming of the Shrew
    The Taming of the ShrewWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 Drama & theatre276 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  20. Romeo and Juliet
    Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare · 1597 Drama & theatre2.7K ratings
    7.17.1 / 10

Other books by William Shakespeare

Titles we know of but do not rank — they have not gathered enough reader ratings, or our sources do not agree on where they belong.

  • 1593Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem)
  • 1595Richard II
  • 1596Edward III
  • 1598Love's Labour's Lost
  • 1598Henry IV, Part 2
  • 1602The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • 1602Thomas Lord Cromwell
  • 1608A Yorkshire Tragedy
  • 1609Troilus and Cressida
  • 1609Sonnets
  • 1609Pericles, Prince of Tyre
  • 1619The famous victories of Henry the Fifth, the earliest known quarto, 1598
  • 1623Cymbeline
  • 1623Antony and Cleopatra
  • 1623Plays (36)
  • 1623The Winter's Tale
  • 1623King John
  • 1623Henry VI, Part 1
  • 1632The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • 1663Plays (43)
  • 1670King Henry VIII
  • 1670The Tempest or The Enchanted Island
  • 1730Works [37 plays, 6 poems, sonnets]
  • 1734All's Well That Ends Well
  • 1734Timon of Athens
  • 1750Romeo and Juliet, 1750
  • 1768Plays (37)
  • 1771Poems (Lover's Complaint / Passionate Pilgrim / Phoenix and the Turtle / Rape of Lucrece / Sonnets / Venus and Adonis)
  • 1789Burya
  • 1790The tragedy of Macbeth
  • 1790King Henry V
  • 1794Works [37 plays, 5 poems, sonnets]
  • 1795William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet
  • 1800A study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
  • 1838Works (38 plays, 5 poems, sonnets)
  • 1847The Comedies (All's Well That Ends Well / As You Like It / Comedy of Errors / Love's Labour's Lost / Measure for Measure / Merchant of Venice / Merry Wives of Windsor / Midsummer Night's Dream / Much Ado About Nothing / Taming of the Shrew / Tempest / Twelfth Night / Two Gentlemen of Verona / Winter's Tale)
  • 1850Macbeth - The Graphic Novel
  • 1864Œuvres complètes de Shakespeare
  • 1892The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus
  • 1905Works (46)
  • 1918Henry IV
  • 2004The Portable Shakespeare
  • 2010The Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint

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