Classic Plays

The Tragedy of Macbeth, or Macbeth, is one of his Shakespeare's shorter tragedies, and was probably written between 1599–1606, and is thought to have been first performed in 1606. This play was penned the play during the region of James V1, who wa...

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, usually shortened to just Hamlet, was written by Shakespeare sometime between 1599–1602. It is arguably one of his most famous tragedies. The lines from Hamlet's monologue in act three that begin "To be, o...

A great dramatist, literary critic, an eminent showman, intellectual and a satirist, George Bernard Shaw was a leading theatre personality of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Pygmalion is one of his masterpi...

Dante Alighieri's The Inferno is the first part of his epic Divine Comedy, which takes readers on a journey through Hell. Guided by the Roman poet Virgil, Dante traverses the nine circles of the damned, reflecting on humanity's moral and spiritual...

The Merchant of Venice is a 16th century play written by Shakespeare between 1596-1598 in which a merchant in Venice must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is usually classified as a romantic comedy though its d...

“A bee may be born in a hole in a tree, but she likes the honey of the lotus.” Shakuntala, a timeless masterpiece by the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa, weaves a poignant tale of love, longing and destiny. Centred around the enchanting Shakuntala, t...

Man and Superman, a four-Act drama, was written in 1903 as a response to those who had questioned Shaw as to why he had never written a play based on the Don Juan theme. It deserves the position of Bernard Shaw’s masterpiece. The plot revolves aro...

The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical comedy in three Acts. The protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligation. John Worthing, a carefree young gentleman, invents a fictitious brother, Ernest, whose wicked...

“You see, there are some people that one loves, and others that perhaps one would rather be with.” Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House is a groundbreaking play that explores marriage, identity and societal norms within a seemingly perfect home. Centred...

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare early in his career between 1591-1595 about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifet...

The Alchemist is considered Jonson’s best and most characteristic comedy. It was first performed in 1610 by King’s Men. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a great romantic poet, claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature. The play...

Arms and the Man, one of Shaw’s most glittering comedies, was first produced on 21st April, 1894 at the Avenue Theatre and published in 1898 as part of Shaw’s Plays Pleasant volume, which also included Candida, You Never Can Tell, and The Man of D...

The Comedy of Errors, in five-acts, is one of the shortest and most lively of Shakespeare’s comedies. It was written during 1589—94 and first published in the First Folio of 1623 from Shakespeare’s manuscript. It is based on Menaechmi by Plautus, ...

The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza, a wry political satire, was completed in December 1928 and first performed in Warsaw (in Polish) in June 1929. Its English premiere was at the first Malvern Drama Festival in August 1929. It is a satirical...

Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love, hilarious and heartbreaking, written around 1601-02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shi...

The Way of the World is based around two lovers Mirabell and Millamant. In order for the two to get married and receive Millamant’s full dowry, Mirabell must receive the blessing of Millamant’s aunt, Lady Wishfort. Unfortunately, she is a very bit...

Red Oleanders/Raktakarabī is one of the best plays of Tagore, the myriadminded and multifaceted genius; understandably ‘meanings’ have been sought ‘under the petals’, in spite of the author’s admonition, by countless readers, theatre-goers, perfor...

Candida, a classic comedy, was written in 1894. Set in London’s East End during the Victorian era, the play is about the domestic turmoil that ensues when an impetuous young poet comes between a progressive-minded clergyman and his charismatic wif...

King Lear is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies and was believed to have been written be-tween 1605-1606, and was based on a legend of the Leir of Britain, a pre-Roman Celtic king from my-thology. It brilliantly depicts the senility and in...

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been sugge...

A Midsummer Night's Dream, comedy in five acts by Shakespeare, written about 1595-96 and published in 1600 in a quarto edition from the author's manuscript. With its multilayered examination of love and its vagaries, it has long been one of the mo...

Volpone (or The Fox) is a comedy in five acts, performed about 1605–1606 and published in 1607, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked amo...

Antony and Cleopatra is a well-known tragedy by William Shakespeare. Its first known appearance in print came in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives, and follows the relationship between Cle...

Collection of (1) Macbeth; The Tragedy of Macbeth, or Macbeth, is one of his Shakespeare's shorter tragedies, and was probably written between 1599–1606, and is thought to have been first performed in 1606. (2) Romeo And Juliet; Romeo and Juliet i...

Collection of (1) Macbeth; The Tragedy of Macbeth, or Macbeth, is one of his Shakespeare's shorter tragedies, and was probably written between 1599–1606, and is thought to have been first performed in 1606. (2) Romeo And Juliet; Romeo and Juliet...

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, where it was listed as a comedy, the play's first recorded performance occurred in 1604. The play...

The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners, a play satirizing the behavior and customs of upper classes through witty dialogue and an intricate plot with comic situations that expose various shortcomings of the characters. In general, the chara...

She Stoops to Conquer is based on the two incidents of being the target of practical jokes, and being out on blind dates, creating a complicated, convoluted plot based on miscommunication and mistaken identities. Wealthy countryman, Mr. Hardcastle...

A great dramatist, a literary critic, an eminent showman, an intellectual and a satirist, George Bernard Shaw was a leading theatre personality of the 20th century. He was a philosopher, thinker and an ardent advocate of women’s rights. He was awa...

Henry IV, Part One is a history play, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV (two plays, including Henry IV, Part Two), and Henr...

The George Bernard Shaw Collection (Peacock Classics) is a remarkable compilation of seven of Shaw’s most influential plays. Known for his wit, social criticism, and sharp dialogue, Shaw remains one of the most celebrated playwrights in English li...

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599, as Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623. By means of "noting" (wh...

Major Barbara, a social satire in three acts, written in 1905 and published in 1907, is the most controversial of Shaw’s works which mocks religious hypocrisy and the complicity of society in its own ills. When the play was first produced at the R...

Love’s Labour’s Lost, in five-acts, was written sometime between 1588 and 1597, and published in a quarto edition in 1598, with a title page suggesting that an earlier quarto had been lost. The 1598 quarto was printed seemingly from an authorial w...

The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, or simply Othello, is a tragedy written in approximately 1603. One of Shakespeare's most tightly woven works, it explores themes of racism, betrayal, love, revenge, and forgiveness, and has spawned multi...

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and t...