The Greatest Plays of All Time

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
101 Waiting for Godot Samuel Beckett 1953 Irish French
125 Antigone Sophocles -441 Greek Ancient greek
129 First Folio William Shakespeare 1623 British English
155 Macbeth William Shakespeare 1606 British English
211 The Tempest William Shakespeare 1623 British English
285 Oresteia Aeschylus -458 Greek Ancient greek
307 Medea Euripides -431 Greek Ancient greek
337 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare 1597 British English
383 Oedipus at Colonus Sophocles -401 Greek Ancient greek
424 A Doll's House Henrik Ibsen 1879 Norwegian Norwegian
572 Three Sisters Anton Chekhov 1901 Russian Russian
613 The Persians Aeschylus -471 Greek Ancient greek
876 Lysistrata Aristophanes -411 Greek Ancient greek
877 The Cherry Orchard Anton Chekhov 1904 Russian Russian
932 The Clouds Aristophanes -423 Greek Ancient greek
950 Richard III William Shakespeare 1592 British English
954 Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw 1913 British English
984 Tartuffe Molière 1664 French French
986 Electra Sophocles -409 Greek Ancient greek
1035 Uncle Vanya Anton Chekhov 1897 Russian Russian
1066 Antony And Cleopatra William Shakespeare 1606 British English
1084 Mother Courage and Her Children Bertolt Brecht 1941 German German
1109 Othello William Shakespeare 1603 British English
1124 Ajax Sophocles -440 Greek Ancient greek
1125 Philoctetes Sophocles -409 Greek Ancient greek
1126 Women of Trachis Sophocles -450 Greek Ancient greek
1177 Phèdre Jean Racine 1677 French French
1178 Nathan the Wise Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 1779 German German
1249 The White Devil John Webster 1612 British English
1296 The Works of Moliere Molière 1666 French French
1306 Long Day's Journey Into Night Eugene O'Neill 1956 American English
1310 Cyrano de Bergerac Edmond Rostand 1897 French French
1340 As You Like it William Shakespeare 1600 British English
1350 Seven Against Thebes Aeschylus -467 Greek Ancient greek
1351 The Suppliants Aeschylus -463 Greek Ancient greek
1383 The Birds Aristophanes -414 Greek Ancient greek
1402 The Seagull Anton Chekhov 1896 Russian Russian
1409 No Exit Jean Paul Sartre 1944 French French
1455 Antigone Jean Anouilh 1944 French French
1467 Everyman Unknown 1501 Unknown Middle english
1586 Gijsbrecht Van Aemstel Joost van den Vondel 1637 Dutch Dutch
1594 The Imaginary Invalid Molière 1673 French French
1661 A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare 1595 British English
1781 Juno And The Paycock Sean O'Casey 1924 Irish English
1990 Le Mariage De Figaro Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais 1784 French French
2007 King Ubu Alfred Jarry 1896 French French
2053 The Misanthrope Molière 1666 French French
2079 The Major Plays Anton Chekhov 1964 Russian Russian
2122 Julius Caesar William Shakespeare 1623 British English
2155 Don Juan Molière 1665 French French
2200 Trojan Women Euripides -415 Greek Ancient greek
2215 The Threepenny Opera Bertolt Brecht 1928 German German
2247 The Bald Soprano Eugène Ionesco 1950 French French
2275 Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen 1890 Norwegian Norwegian
2291 Arcadia Tom Stoppard 1993 British English
2429 A View From The Bridge Arthur Miller 1955 American English
2431 The Physicists Friedrich Dürrenmatt 1962 Swiss German
2451 Henry V William Shakespeare 1600 British English
2491 Murder In The Cathedral T. S. Eliot 1935 British English
2518 Hippolytus Euripides -428 Greek Ancient greek
2628 Selected Plays of George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw 1976 Irish English
2631 The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Bertolt Brecht 1941 German German
2644 The Complete Poems And Plays T. S. Eliot 1952 British English
2685 Selected Plays of Henrick Ibsen Henrik Ibsen 1900 Norwegian Norwegian
2720 Richard Ii William Shakespeare 1595 British English
2802 Collected Plays Of Euripides Euripides -405 Greek Ancient greek
2959 The Lower Depths Maxim Gorky 1902 Russian Russian
2969 A Dream Play August Strindberg 1902 Swedish Swedish
3052 Our Town Thornton Wilder 1938 American English
3081 Waiting For Lefty Clifford Odets 1935 American English
3106 Alcestis Euripides -438 Greek Ancient greek
3182 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Tom Stoppard 1966 British English
3226 Much Ado about Nothing William Shakespeare 1600 British English
3276 The Complete Plays of Jean Racine Jean Racine 1677 French French
3290 Candida George Bernard Shaw 1898 Irish English
3306 Henry IV, Part I William Shakespeare 1597 British English
3309 The Theater and Its Double Antonin Artaud 1938 French French
3376 Le Cid Pierre Corneille 1637 French French
3418 Plays Pierre Corneille 1641 French French
3450 The Satin Slipper Paul Claudel 1929 French French
3459 The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams 1944 American English
3515 Rhinoceros and Other Plays Eugène Ionesco 1959 Romanian French
3585 The Would-Be Gentleman Molière 1670 French French
3587 The Complete Writings of Alfred de Musset Alfred de Musset 1907 French French
3609 The Knights Aristophanes -424 Greek Ancient greek
3638 The Works Of John Dryden John Dryden 1808 British English
3638 The Rivals Richard Brinsley Sheridan 1775 Irish English
3638 The Poor Musician Franz Grillparzer 1848 Austrian German
3638 The Captain Of Köpenick Carl Zuckmayer 1931 German German
3805 The Miser Molière 1668 French French
3813 Henry IV, Part II William Shakespeare 1600 British English
3885 Collected Plays John Millington Synge 1935 Irish English
3921 She Stoops to Conquer Oliver Goldsmith 1773 British English
3929 Abele Spelen Unknown 1350 Unknown Unknown
3934 The Comedy Of Errors William Shakespeare 1594 British English
3954 Η Αυλή των Θαυμάτων Iakovos Kambanellis 1962 Greek Greek
4091 The Little Tragedies Alexander Pushkin 1832 Russian Russian
4092 The School For Scandal Richard Brinsley Sheridan 1777 British English
4128 The Good Hope Herman Heijermans 1901 Dutch Dutch
4139 Three plays Paul Claudel 1912 French French
4158 The Assemblywomen Aristophanes -391 Greek Ancient greek
4168 Miss Julie August Strindberg 1888 Swedish Swedish
4179 Granida P. C. Hooft 1605 Dutch Dutch
4179 Geeraerdt Van Velsen P. C. Hooft 1613 Dutch Dutch
4179 Warenar P. C. Hooft 1617 Dutch Dutch
4216 Andromache Euripides -425 Greek Ancient greek
4219 Heracles Euripides -416 Greek Ancient greek
4218 Hecuba Euripides -424 Greek Ancient greek
4220 Ion Euripides -413 Greek Ancient greek
4221 Iphigenia At Aulis Euripides -405 Greek Ancient greek
4225 Orestes Euripides -408 Greek Ancient greek
4227 The Frogs Aristophanes -405 Greek Ancient greek
4231 The Wasps Aristophanes -422 Greek Ancient greek
4234 De Wiskunstenaars, Of 'T Gevluchte Juffertje Pieter Langendijk 1715 Dutch Dutch
4259 The Father August Strindberg 1887 Swedish Swedish
4483 The Collected Plays of W.B. Yeats William Butler Yeats 1934 Irish English
4483 The Duchess Of Malfi John Webster 1623 British English
4557 The Blood Knot Athol Fugard 1961 South African English
4561 The Lady's Not For Burning Christopher Fry 1948 British English
4582 Five Plays Goran Stefanovski 1982 Macedonian Macedonian