SHAKESPEARE: THE WORKS

I produced almost all my work between 1589 and 1613. In all, I've written about 38 plays and 154 sonnets. My first play was Henry VI and my last was The Two Noble Kinsmen. My plays fall into four different categories: comedies, tragedies, histories and "problem plays". Tragedies end with death, comedies end with marriage, histories tell the true story of real people (typically kings) but "problem plays" are less formulaic. "Problem plays" are what now would be considered "dark comedy". They typically dealt with social problems of the time and though in the end, the characters' main problems had been solved, deeper issues were purposely left unresolved. You probably know me best for my tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth are my most famous plays, though I was also quite funny, producing comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelth Night and As You Like It. I am often considered the greatest writer of all time!

Hamlet

Romeo and Juliet

A Midsummer Night's Dream