Subject
Drama meant first for a stage and later for a quiet reader. These scripts are public domain. This page only names them and points to Open Library.
by Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February, at the St James's Theatre in London. Lady Windermere's Fan concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is having an affair with another woman; she confronts him with it.
by Oscar Wilde
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society.
by Oscar Wilde
An ideal husband was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London and ran for 124 performances. An ideal husband has been revived in many theatre productions and adapted for the cinema, radio and television.
by J. M. (John Millington) Synge
Riders to the Sea was first performed on 25 February at the Molesworth Hall, Dublin, by the Irish National Theater Society with Helen Laird playing Maurya. An one-act tragedy, the play is set at Inishmaan in the Aran Islands, and like all of Synge's plays it is noted for capturing the poetic dialogue of rural Ireland.
King Henry VI, Part 1 is set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Henry VI, Part 1 takes up the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, as the English political system is torn apart by personal squabbles and petty jealousy.
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. The Comedy of Errors is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play.
The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, often shortened to Titus Andronicus, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written. Titus Andronicus is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were extremely popular with audiences throughout the 16th century.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and motifs with which he would later deal in more detail; for example, it is the first of his plays in which a heroine dresses as a boy.
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. Love's Labour's Lost stays with the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to swear off the company of women for three years in order to focus on study and fasting.
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, often shortened to Romeo and Juliet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. Romeo and Juliet was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed.
King Henry IV, Part 1 was composed in the later years of the reign of Elizabeth I, when questions of succession and political stability were prominent. Set in England in the early 1400s during the reign of Henry IV, the play depicts rebellion against the crown alongside the development of Prince Hal, the future Henry V, and examines themes of leadership and the formation of the heir apparent.
The Merry Wives of Windsor or Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published, though believed to have been written or before. The Windsor of the play's title is a reference to the town of Windsor, the location of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England.
King Henry IV, Part 2 is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V. The play is often seen as an extension of aspects of Henry IV, Part 1, rather than a straightforward continuation of the historical narrative, placing more emphasis on the highly popular character of Falstaff and introducing other comic figures as part of his entourage, including Ancient Pistol, Doll Tearsheet, and Justice Robert Shallow.
King Henry V recounts King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War. In the First Quarto text, it was titled The Cronicle History of Henry the fift, and The Life of Henry the Fifth in the First Folio text.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (First Folio title: The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar), often shortened to Julius Caesar, is a historical tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written and first performed. The play portrays the political conspiracy that led to the assassination of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar and Rome's subsequent civil war.
As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques, who speaks one of Shakespeare's most famous speeches ("All the world's a stage") and provides a sharp contrast to the other characters in the play, always observing and disputing the hardships of life in the country.
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his attempts to exact revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around – as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play turns on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.
At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp.
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, often shortened to Othello, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulated by his ensign, Iago, into suspecting his wife Desdemona of infidelity.
The Tragedy of King Lear, often shortened to King Lear, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in late or early. Set in pre-Roman Britain, the play depicts the consequences of King Lear's love-test, in which he divides his power and land according to the praise of his daughters.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, often shortened to Macbeth, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed. The Tragedy of Macbeth dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambitions and power.
Coriolanus ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus.
Although it is listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance or even a comedy. Like Othello and The Winter's Tale, it takes up the themes of innocence and jealousy.
King Richard III is labelled a history in the First Folio and is usually considered one. In the quarto edition and elsewhere it is listed as a tragedy given its meditations on conscience, decision making, and death.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, often shortened to Macbeth, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed. Macbeth dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambitions and power.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre was published in as a quarto, was not included in Shakespeare's collections of works until the third folio, and the main inspiration for the play was Gower's Confessio Amantis.
A Most pleasant Comedie of Mucedorus the Kings Sonne of Valentia, and Amadine the Kinges daughter of Aragon, commonly called Mucedorus, is an Elizabethan romantic comedy, first performed and regularly revived until the Restoration.
Uncle Vanya: Scenes from Country Life in Four Acts was first published, and first produced by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. The play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much younger second wife, Yelena, to the rural estate of the professor's late first wife that now supports their urban lifestyle.
Shakespeare's First Folio is considered one of the most influential books ever published. Printed in folio format and containing 36 of Shakespeare's plays, it was prepared by Shakespeare's colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell.
by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton
The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride, commonly known as The Lady of Lyons, is a five-act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. The Lady of Lyons; Or, Love and Pride was first produced in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 15 February 1838 and was revived many times over the rest of the 19th century.
by Tom Taylor
Our American Cousin is a farce about an awkward, boorish American man named Asa Trenchard who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate. The play premiered with great success at Laura Keene's Theatre in New York City, with Laura Keene in the cast, the title character played by Joseph Jefferson, and Edward Askew Sothern playing Lord Dundreary.
Nathan the Wise; a dramatic poem in five acts is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. Nathan the Wise; a dramatic poem in five acts was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in at the Döbbelinsches Theater in Berlin.
The Merry Devil of Edmonton was at one point attributed to William Shakespeare, but is now considered part of the Shakespeare Apocrypha.
by Molière
The Blunderer is generally believed to have been first acted at Lyons, whilst Moliere and his troupe were in the provinces. In the month of November it was played for the first time in Paris, where it obtained a great and well-deserved success.
St. Patrick's Day; Or, The Scheming Lieutenant: A Farce in One Act is said to have completed by the author within two days. Sheridan wrote the two-act farce for the benefit performance of lead actor Laurence Clinch, who had so successfully played Sir Lucius O'Trigger in his previous play The Rivals.
The Grand Inquisitor is recited by Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov, during a conversation with his brother Alexei, a novice monk, about the possibility of a personal and benevolent God.
by Victor Hugo
The Man Who Laughs: A Romance of English History takes place in England beginning and extends into the early 18th-century reign of Queen Anne. The Man Who Laughs: A Romance of English History depicts England's royalty and aristocracy of the time as cruel and power-hungry.
The False One: A Tragedy was first published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio. This classical history tells of the meeting and romance of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, and the betrayal and death of Pompey the Great at the hands of one of his own officers, the "false one" of the title.
The Tragedy of Dido Queene of Carthage was probably written 1593, and was first published. The Tragedy of Dido Queene of Carthage focuses on the classical figure of Dido, the Queen of Carthage.
by Thomas Otway
Venice Preserved: A Tragedy in Five Acts was first staged, with Thomas Betterton as Jaffeir and Elizabeth Barry as Belvidera. The play was soon printed and enjoyed many revivals through to the 1830s.
The Melting-Pot depicts the life of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, the Quixanos, in the United States. David Quixano has survived a pogrom, which killed his mother and sister, and he wishes to forget this horrible event.
The Old Debauchees. A Comedy premiered alongside The Covent-Garden Tragedy on 1 June at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and was later revived as The Debauchees; or, The Jesuit Caught. The play recounts a Catholic priest's unsuccessful attempt to manipulate a man into seducing his own daughter.
by Saki
The Westminster Alice is a political parody of Lewis Carroll's two books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The Westminster Alice features 48 drawings by Francis Carruthers Gould, after the originals by John Tenniel.
by Henrik Ibsen
The wild duck focuses on the Ekdal family, whose fragile peace is shattered by Gregers Werle, an idealist who insists on exposing hidden truths, leading to tragic consequences. The play was written in a realistic style, but literary scholars have pointed out the play's kinship with symbolism.
A Message from Mars is a play by Richard Ganthony, first performed at London's Avenue Theatre in November.