Top 5 Shakespeare plays to introduce you to the Bard

So, you want to get into Shakespeare. You look at a complete works and you are overwhelmed. You see titles you recognise but you have no idea what they are about.

The world of the Bard is full of whimsy, death and history. Wholesome characters and downright scoundrels. Adventuring into his world is absolutely recommended but if you are a newbie it is best to start with the most accessible and easiest to follow tales.

Here is a list of my top 5 Shakespeare plays to get you started. You can read them, watch a film of them or head to a theatre to watch it performed live. However you choose to dive in, please enjoy and make sure to keep exploring.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

It’s the obvious choice, most people will know some or all of this story. At the very least you’ll know there is a character called Bottom.
Not all of Shakespeare’s comedies have retained their humour through the centuries but A Midsummer Night’s Dream is easy to access and understand as well as have a laugh at.
Lots of plots intertwine to make for fairy high jinks in the forest. It’s whimsical, fun and a joy to read and watch performed.

Macbeth

Ridiculously famous and rightly so. This is no comedy. Well-known for it’s superstition inducing title and for a group of witches causing trouble. This play involves a lot of murder, plotting and supernatural shenanigans. Technically, a tragedy but unlike some of Shakespeare’s other tragedies this play starts, ends and fills in the middle with darkness and death.
Written after the death of Elizabeth I this play feeds into the fear of witches and the paranormal that James I brought with him from Scotland. Easy enough to follow the plot (act 4 scene 3 is just two guys sat having a chat) but if you want a dramatic night out, go and see it on the stage.

Henry V

This one is a history but don’t let that put you off. Henry V had a pretty interesting time and this play follows him on the way to the battle of Agincourt. Cue heroic speeches and bloody battles (and victories) against the French.
Highly fictionalized and romanticised, as was the fashion in the 16^th century, the play focuses on Henry (or Harry as he prefers) being one of the people including a scene where he walks among his men in disguise to learn what they really think of him.

Othello

Another famous one because it prominently features a person of colour. The titular character dares to fall in love with a white woman and everyone pays the price of Iago’s dirty dealings.
This isn’t a fun play that will leave you smiling, it is a harsh discourse on race, love and jealously which is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Romeo and Juliet

I was reluctant to include this as it seems too obvious but this is no doubt the best known of Shakespeare’s plays. It has been turned into numerous films and staged frequently.
There is good reason, it is a tale of love, devotion and bitter rivalry. Two star crossed lovers destined for a tragic end meet, fall in love, cause a few deaths then die themselves.
It is easy to focus on the two main characters but if you do pick this up for a read pay attention to Mercutio, Tybalt and Paris. All secondary to Romeo and Juliet but all interesting characters in their own ways. The magic of this play comes from all the ingredients, not just the icing.

*Hamlet was not included because, quite frankly, it is too long and complicated and I don’t advise first time Shakespeare readers to head to it first. Hamlet is best approached slowly and with full knowledge of what to expect. To read or not to read, that is the question.

Charlotte Wood is a feminist and writer of the macabre and sinister. She reads horror, fantasy, classic literature and historical fiction (with a preference for history from a woman’s perspective).