William Shakespeare's most famous plays timeline

Richard III is a historical play by William Shakespeare. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified as such. Occasionally, however, as in the quarto edition, it is termed a tragedy. Richard III concludes Shakespeare's first tetralogy (also containing Henry VI parts 1–3). https://www.bbc.com/education/clips/zqfqxsg

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/midsummer-nights-dream

The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender. This play is about the idea that people usually get what they deserve in the end, good or bad. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramamerchantvenice/movplotact.shtml

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/literature-uk/shakespeare-romeo-and-juliet

Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. We watch the preparations for the battle, the fighting and the results. There are questions in this play: why do men fight? What are wars? Are they glorious or terrible? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THEUKVOb73A

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet , is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow.
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/literature-uk/shakespeare-hamlet

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare.The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man. http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/twelfth-night

Macbeth (full title The Tragedy of Macbeth) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, who was patron of Shakespeare's acting company, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with his sovereign. http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/literature-uk/shakespeare-macbeth

Henry VIII is a collaborative history play, written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of King Henry VIII of England. Henry VIII is famous as the king who had six wives, Henry's reign was also critical for the development of the English monarchy, and many historians have regarded it as the start of 'modern' government in England. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0854cjm/clips