William Shakespeare: Essential Plays, Sonnets, and the Best Order to Start Reading

William Shakespeare remains one of the most influential writers in English literature. You still see his stories everywhere, on stage, on screen, and in everyday phrases. If you want to start reading Shakespeare, or you want to deepen your reading list, this guide gives you clear starting points, key themes, and direct links to Shakespeare ebooks you can read straight away.

Who was William Shakespeare?

Shakespeare wrote plays and poetry during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He built a body of work that spans tragedies, comedies, histories, and narrative poems. You can read him for entertainment, for language, or for ideas about power, love, ambition, loyalty, and identity. You do not need specialist knowledge to enjoy Shakespeare. You just need the right starting title and a simple approach to reading.

Why Shakespeare still matters today

• You get stories with high stakes, fast turns, and unforgettable characters
• You see timeless themes like jealousy, ambition, love, grief, and betrayal
• You build confidence with classic English, while enjoying sharp humour and drama
• You can pick a genre that suits you, tragedy, comedy, history, or poetry

How to read Shakespeare without feeling stuck

• Pick one play and commit to finishing it, rather than sampling ten at once
• Read scene by scene, and summarise each scene in one sentence
• Focus on what characters want, what blocks them, and what they do next
• Read aloud when a speech feels dense, your ear often understands before your eyes do

Where to start with Shakespeare

If you want a strong first read, choose one of these famous entry points. Each one gives you a clean introduction to Shakespeare’s style and pace.

• Romeo and Juliet for love, conflict, and relentless momentum
• Hamlet for mystery, betrayal, and the most quoted introspection in drama
• Macbeth for ambition, fear, and consequences that spiral fast
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream for comedy, romance, and magical chaos
• Much Ado About Nothing for witty sparring, misunderstandings, and satisfying pay-off

Shakespeare tragedies you should read next

Shakespeare’s tragedies pull you into psychological pressure and moral conflict. You watch characters make choices under stress, then live with the fallout.

• Othello, The Moor of Venice for manipulation, jealousy, and trust collapsing in real time
• King Lear for family power, loyalty tested, and harsh insight into ageing and pride
• Titus Andronicus for extreme revenge drama and early Shakespeare intensity
• Coriolanus for politics, pride, and a war hero at odds with public life
• Timon of Athens for betrayal, disillusionment, and a brutal look at generosity and greed
• Antony and Cleopatra for passion, power, and empire-level consequences
• Troilus and Cressida for war, cynicism, and love under strain
• Julius Caesar for ambition, persuasion, and the cost of political violence

Shakespeare comedies for joy, wit, and fast pacing

Shakespeare’s comedies run on mistaken identity, clever wordplay, and social pressure. If you want lighter reading with brilliant dialogue, start here.

• As You Like It for romance, disguise, and big ideas in a forest setting
• Twelfth Night for identity mix-ups and some of Shakespeare’s funniest scenes
• The Merchant of Venice for tension, courtroom drama, and questions about mercy and justice
• The Comedy of Errors for rapid confusion and clean comic momentum
• The Merry Wives of Windsor for social comedy and high-energy plotting
• The Taming of the Shrew for a provocative battle of wills that still sparks debate
• Love’s Labour’s Lost for wordplay, flirting, and clever reversals
• All’s Well That Ends Well for a darker comedy with complex characters and moral knots
• Measure for Measure for comedy that leans into power, law, and hypocrisy

Shakespeare histories, if you like politics, war, and leadership

Shakespeare’s history plays give you strategy, rivalry, propaganda, public image, and leadership under pressure. If you enjoy political drama, you will enjoy the histories.

• King Henry the Fifth for leadership and war-time rhetoric
• King Henry the Fourth, Part 1 for rebellion, honour, and a prince growing into power
• King Henry the Fourth, Part 2 for the cost of rule and the shadow of succession
• King Richard the Second for legitimacy, authority, and a king losing control
• King Richard the Third for ruthless ambition and one of theatre’s great villains
• King John for conflict, allegiance, and contested rule
• King Henry the Eighth for court power, image, and the theatre of monarchy

The Henry VI trilogy, if you want the long arc of civil conflict

If you enjoy stories that expand across multiple instalments, read the Henry VI plays in order. You get political fragmentation, shifting alliances, and a nation in turmoil.

• King Henry the Sixth, Part 1
• King Henry the Sixth, Part 2
• King Henry the Sixth, Part 3

Late plays and romances, for wonder, forgiveness, and second chances

Shakespeare’s later plays often blend loss and recovery, with a focus on reconciliation. If you want plays that feel reflective and full of atmosphere, start here.

• The Tempest for exile, power, and a haunting island world
• The Winter’s Tale for jealousy, regret, and redemption
• Cymbeline for intrigue, misjudgement, and reunion
• Pericles, Prince of Tyre for travel, survival, and family restored
• The Two Noble Kinsmen for friendship, rivalry, and fate
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona for early Shakespeare themes of loyalty and love

Shakespeare poetry, if you want compact brilliance

Shakespeare’s poems show his range, from tight, emotionally precise sonnets to longer narrative poems. If you want to read Shakespeare in short sessions, start with the poetry.

• Sonnets for love, time, beauty, rivalry, and identity, all in concentrated form
• Venus and Adonis for myth, desire, and storytelling that moves fast
• The Rape of Lucrece for tragedy told through powerful narrative verse
• A Lover’s Complaint for a poetic exploration of persuasion and heartbreak

A simple Shakespeare reading plan you can follow

If you want an easy path that keeps you motivated, follow this order. You get a mix of comedy, tragedy, and history, with a clean increase in complexity.

1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2. Romeo and Juliet
3. Macbeth
4. Julius Caesar
5. Hamlet
6. King Henry the Fifth
7. Twelfth Night
8. King Lear
9. The Tempest
10. Sonnets

Popular Shakespeare themes to look out for

• Ambition and consequence, see Macbeth and Julius Caesar
• Jealousy and manipulation, see Othello and The Winter’s Tale
• Love and identity, see As You Like It and Twelfth Night
• Power and legitimacy, see King Richard the Second and King Richard the Third
• Law, justice, and mercy, see Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare titles to add to your ebook library

If you want to explore deeper cuts beyond the usual starting points, add these to your reading list. You get variety across genre, tone, and period.

• The Comedy of Errors
• The Merry Wives of Windsor
• Love’s Labour’s Lost
• All’s Well That Ends Well
• Antony and Cleopatra
• Coriolanus
• Timon of Athens
• Troilus and Cressida
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• The Two Noble Kinsmen
• Pericles, Prince of Tyre
• Cymbeline

Frequently asked questions about William Shakespeare

What should you read first by William Shakespeare?

If you want an easy entry point, start with Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If you enjoy political drama, start with Julius Caesar.

Which Shakespeare play is the most famous?

Many readers start with Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Your favourite often depends on whether you prefer tragedy, comedy, or history.

Are the sonnets worth reading?

Yes. If you want Shakespeare in compact form, read the Sonnets. You get sharp language, emotional range, and themes that echo across the plays.

Start reading Shakespeare today

You do not need a perfect plan to read Shakespeare well. Choose one title that suits your taste, finish it, then pick another from a different genre. If you want a strong mix to begin, start with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, move to Macbeth, then follow with Julius Caesar, and finish your first set with The Tempest.

If you want to build a complete Shakespeare ebook collection, you can start with the links above and keep adding titles until you have your ideal mix of tragedies, comedies, histories, and poetry.