The Drama 100 - A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of All Time

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Book, 100 Books

Which plays are truly great, and why? This book by Daniel Burt profiles 100 of the greatest plays drawn from all cultures and periods of literature.

This list was originally published in 2007 and was added to this site about 2 years ago.

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Cover of 'King Lear' by William Shakespeare

King Lear

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Oedipus the King' by Sophocles

Oedipus the King

Cover of 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Oresteia' by Aeschylus

Oresteia

Cover of 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' by Eugene O'Neill

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Cover of 'Othello' by William Shakespeare

Othello

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot

Cover of 'Medea' by Euripides

Medea

Cover of 'Twelfth Night' by William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House

Cover of 'The Cherry Orchard' by Anton Chekhov

The Cherry Orchard

Cover of 'The Bacchae' by Euripides

The Bacchae

Cover of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest

Cover of 'Antigone' by Sophocles

Antigone

Cover of 'Tartuffe' by Molière

Tartuffe

Cover of 'Antony And Cleopatra' by William Shakespeare

Antony And Cleopatra

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Bertolt Brecht

Mother Courage and Her Children

Cover of 'Lysistrata' by Aristophanes

Lysistrata

Cover of 'The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus' by Christopher Marlowe

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe

Cover of 'Death Of A Salesman' by Arthur Miller

Death Of A Salesman

Cover of 'Woyzeck' by Georg Buchner

Woyzeck

Cover of 'Volpone' by Ben Jonson

Volpone

Cover of 'Henry IV, Part I' by William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part I

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'The Way Of The World' by William Congreve

The Way Of The World

William Congreve

Cover of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' by Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams

Cover of 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare

The Tempest

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Major Barbara' by George Bernard Shaw

Major Barbara

George Bernard Shaw

Cover of 'Endgame' by Samuel Beckett

Endgame

Cover of 'The Recognition of Sakuntala' by Kālidāsa

The Recognition of Sakuntala

Cover of 'Miss Julie' by August Strindberg

Miss Julie

August Strindberg

Cover of 'The Peony Pavilion' by Tang Xianzu

The Peony Pavilion

Cover of 'The Misanthrope' by Molière

The Misanthrope

Cover of 'Three Sisters' by Anton Chekhov

Three Sisters

Cover of 'Life Is a Dream' by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Life Is a Dream

Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Cover of 'Hedda Gabler' by Henrik Ibsen

Hedda Gabler

Cover of 'The School For Scandal' by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

The School For Scandal

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Cover of 'The Playboy Of The Western World' by John Millington Synge

The Playboy Of The Western World

John Millington Synge

Cover of 'The Iceman Cometh' by Eugene O'Neill

The Iceman Cometh

Cover of 'The Love Suicides At Sonezaki' by Chikamatsu Monzaemon

The Love Suicides At Sonezaki

Chikamatsu Monzaemon

Cover of 'Everyman' by Unknown

Everyman

Cover of 'Angels In America' by Tony Kushner

Angels In America

Cover of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' by Luigi Pirandello

Six Characters in Search of an Author

Luigi Pirandello

Cover of 'Man And Superman' by George Bernard Shaw

Man And Superman

George Bernard Shaw

Cover of 'Phèdre' by Jean Racine

Phèdre

Cover of 'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Look Back In Anger' by John Osborne

Look Back In Anger

Cover of 'The Homecoming' by Harold Pinter

The Homecoming

Cover of 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' by Edward Albee

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Cover of 'The Plough And The Stars' by Sean O'Casey

The Plough And The Stars

Cover of 'The Alchemist' by Ben Jonson

The Alchemist

Cover of 'Trojan Women' by Euripides

Trojan Women

Cover of 'Saint Joan' by George Bernard Shaw

Saint Joan

George Bernard Shaw

Cover of 'Blood Wedding' by Federico García Lorca

Blood Wedding

Federico García Lorca

Cover of 'Le Mariage De Figaro' by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais

Le Mariage De Figaro

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais

Cover of 'The Glass Menagerie' by Tennessee Williams

The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams

Cover of 'The Good Person of Szechwan' by Bertolt Brecht

The Good Person of Szechwan

Cover of 'She Stoops to Conquer' by Oliver Goldsmith

She Stoops to Conquer

Oliver Goldsmith

Cover of 'Murder In The Cathedral' by T. S. Eliot

Murder In The Cathedral

Cover of 'The Bald Soprano' by Eugène Ionesco

The Bald Soprano

Eugène Ionesco

Cover of 'The Ghost Sonata' by August Strindberg

The Ghost Sonata

August Strindberg

Cover of 'The Government Inspector' by Nikolai Gogol

The Government Inspector

Cover of 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller

The Crucible

Cover of 'Marat Sade' by Peter Weiss

Marat Sade

Cover of 'Translations' by Brian Friel

Translations

Cover of 'The Beggar's Opera' by John Gay

The Beggar's Opera

Cover of 'Amphitryon' by Plautus

Amphitryon

Cover of 'No Exit' by Jean Paul Sartre

No Exit

Jean Paul Sartre

Cover of 'A Raisin In The Sun' by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin In The Sun

Lorraine Hansberry

Cover of 'Our Town' by Thornton Wilder

Our Town

Thornton Wilder

Cover of 'The Country Wife' by William Wycherley

The Country Wife

William Wycherley

Cover of 'Travesties' by Tom Stoppard

Travesties

Cover of 'The Lower Depths' by Maxim Gorky

The Lower Depths

Cover of 'Private Lives' by Noel Coward

Private Lives

Cover of 'Fool For Love' by Sam Shepard

Fool For Love

Cover of 'A Flea In Her Ear' by Georges Feydeau

A Flea In Her Ear

Georges Feydeau

Cover of 'Glengarry Glen Ross' by David Mamet

Glengarry Glen Ross

Cover of 'King Ubu' by Alfred Jarry

King Ubu

Cover of 'Cloud 9' by Caryl Churchill

Cloud 9

Caryl Churchill

Cover of 'At The Hawk's Well' by William Butler Yeats

At The Hawk's Well

William Butler Yeats

Cover of 'Orpheus' by Jean Cocteau

Orpheus

Cover of 'Master Harold...And The Boys' by Athol Fugard

Master Harold...And The Boys

Cover of 'The Well Cradle' by Zeami Motokiyo

The Well Cradle

Cover of 'The Other Shore' by Xingjian Gao

The Other Shore

Cover of 'The Little Foxes' by Lillian Hellman

The Little Foxes

Lillian Hellman

Cover of 'Fences' by August Wilson

Fences

Cover of 'The Dybbuk' by S. Ansky

The Dybbuk

Cover of 'The Visit' by Friedrich Dürrenmatt

The Visit

Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Cover of 'The Weavers' by Gerhart Hauptmann

The Weavers

Gerhart Hauptmann

Cover of 'Le Cid' by Pierre Corneille

Le Cid

Pierre Corneille

Cover of 'The Rover' by Aphra Behn

The Rover

Cover of 'Awake And Sing!' by Clifford Odets

Awake And Sing!

Cover of 'Adelphoe' by Terence

Adelphoe

Cover of 'The Balcony' by Jean Genet

The Balcony

Cover of 'Accidental Death Of An Anarchist' by Dario Fo

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist

Cover of 'The Hostage' by Brendan Behan

The Hostage

Cover of 'The Heidi Chronicles' by Wendy Wasserstein

The Heidi Chronicles

Wendy Wasserstein

Cover of 'The Best Mayor, The King' by Lope de Vega

The Best Mayor, The King

Cover of 'Peter And Wendy' by J. M. Barrie

Peter And Wendy