The Complete Works

All 37 Shakespeare Plays in Modern English

Browse tragedy, comedy, and history hubs with complete original text and line-matched modern-English paraphrases.

A Midsummer Night's Dream — Four Athenian lovers and a troupe of amateur actors wander into an enchanted forest ruled by quarreling fairies and a mischievous Puck.
All's Well That Ends Well — Helena cures the King of France to win the hand of count Bertram, who flees to avoid consummating the union.
Antony and Cleopatra — Mark Antony, one of Rome's triumvirs, neglects his imperial duties in Egypt captivated by Queen Cleopatra.
As You Like It — Rosalind flees persecution to the Forest of Arden dressed as a young man named Ganymede.
Coriolanus — A brilliant Roman general is banished from Rome due to his arrogance and teams up with his former enemy to seek revenge.
Cymbeline — The King of Britain banishes Posthumus for secretly wedding his daughter Imogen.
Hamlet — Prince Hamlet of Denmark struggles with grief and moral doubt after his father's ghost demands revenge against Claudius, Hamlet's uncle who murdered the king and married the queen.
Henry IV, Part 1 — Prince Hal navigates tavern debauchery with Falstaff while civil war erupts led by Hotspur.
Henry IV, Part 2 — King Henry IV faces rebellion and declining health while Hal prepares to assume royal duty.
Henry V — The young King of England unites his country and leads his troops against extraordinary odds at the Battle of Agincourt.
Henry VI, Part 1 — English forces under Talbot fight French armies aided by Joan of Arc amidst rising dynastic tensions.
Henry VI, Part 2 — Factional rivalries spark the Wars of the Roses and the Jack Cade rebellion.
Henry VI, Part 3 — The brutal struggle between York and Lancaster leads to the coronation of Edward IV.
Henry VIII — King Henry's annulment from Katherine of Aragon and the fall of Cardinal Wolsey pave the way for Anne Boleyn.
Julius Caesar — Roman senators led by Brutus and Cassius conspire to assassinate the dictator Julius Caesar to preserve the Republic.
King John — King John defends his right to the throne against French challenges and papal disputes.
King Lear — An aging British monarch divides his kingdom among his flattering daughters while banishing the one child who genuinely loves him.
Love's Labour's Lost — The King of Navarre and his lords swear to study and avoid women for three years, until the Princess of France arrives.
Macbeth — A brave Scottish general receives a prophecy from three witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne.
Measure for Measure — The Duke of Vienna departs, leaving the puritanical Angelo in charge, who imposes severe moral statutes.
Much Ado About Nothing — Witty adversaries Beatrice and Benedick are tricked into admitting their love while Hero and Claudio face malicious slander.
Othello — The noble Moorish general Othello is manipulated by his envious ensign Iago into believing his loyal wife Desdemona has been unfaithful.
Pericles — Pericles, Prince of Tyre, embarks on epic Mediterranean voyages marked by famine, shipwrecks, and miraculous reunions.
Richard II — The poetic yet capricious King Richard II faces rebellion and deposition by Henry Bolingbroke.
Richard III — The ruthless and cunning Duke of Gloucester schemes, murders, and manipulates his path to the English crown.
Romeo and Juliet — Two young star-crossed lovers from feuding Veronese families fall passionately in love, but their forbidden romance leads to untimely tragedy and the reconciliation of their bitter households.
The Comedy of Errors — Two sets of identical twins separated at birth arrive in Ephesus, sparking chaotic misunderstandings.
The Merchant of Venice — Bassanio seeks a loan from Shylock to woo Portia, pledging a pound of his friend Antonio's flesh as collateral.
The Merry Wives of Windsor — The portly knight Sir John Falstaff attempts to seduce two wealthy married women who outsmart him at every turn.
The Taming of the Shrew — Petruchio seeks to marry the outspoken and fiery Katherine, turning their courtship into an intense battle of wills.
The Tempest — The exiled Duke and sorcerer Prospero uses magic to shipwreck his enemies on his mystical island.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona — Best friends Valentine and Proteus find their loyalty tested when both fall for the lovely Silvia.
The Two Noble Kinsmen — Cousins Palamon and Arcite find their lifelong brotherhood shattered when both fall for Princess Emilia.
The Winter's Tale — King Leontes of Sicilia is gripped by unfounded jealousy toward his innocent queen Hermione.
Timon of Athens — An Athenian nobleman squanders his vast fortune on fair-weather friends and turns misanthropic when they abandon him.
Titus Andronicus — A harrowing cycle of vengeance between a victorious Roman general and Tamora, Queen of the Goths.
Twelfth Night — Shipwrecked Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario, causing a tangled web of romantic desire in Illyria.