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Plays
Browse Plays as a public-domain reading list on Rivro, with free classics, authors, subjects, and related books.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" by William Shakespeare is a comprehensive collection containing all of Shakespeare's plays and poems. This standard volume gathers the playwright's entire output, including histories, tragedies, and comedies that have shaped literature for centuries. Some editions feature collaborative works with other writers, though their authorship remains debated. Published by numerous academic presses and major publishers, these collected editions have become prized possessions for book collectors, often released in luxurious leather-bound formats that preserve Shakespeare's timeless literary legacy.
The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
"The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" by Oscar Wilde is a play first performed in 1895. Two young gentlemen lead double lives, each pretending to be named Ernest to escape social duties and win the hearts of their beloveds. Filled with sharp wit and clever wordplay, the farcical comedy gently mocks Victorian society through memorable characters including the formidable Lady Bracknell. The play parodies theatrical conventions while exploring themes of identity, deception, and the absurdities of proper society.
Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Hamlet
"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written between 1599 and 1601. Set in Denmark, the play follows Prince Hamlet as he grapples with his father's sudden death and his mother's hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius. When a ghost resembling the late king appears and reveals a terrible secret about murder and betrayal, Hamlet vows revenge. But uncertainty, madness—feigned or real—and deadly court intrigue complicate his mission in this powerful exploration of vengeance, mortality, and human nature.
Pygmalion
Bernard Shaw
Pygmalion
"Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw is a play written in 1912. When phonetics professor Henry Higgins boasts he can transform a Cockney flower girl into a duchess simply by teaching her proper speech, Colonel Pickering takes the bet. Eliza Doolittle arrives at Higgins's door seeking lessons to improve her prospects, setting in motion a social experiment that will test class boundaries and personal transformation. This witty comedy became Shaw's most popular work, later inspiring the musical "My Fair Lady."
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
Macbeth
"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy first performed in 1606. When a Scottish general receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king, his ambition awakens. Spurred by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and seizes the throne. But power corrupts absolutely—consumed by guilt and paranoia, he commits more murders to secure his position, descending into tyranny and madness. This dark exploration of ambition's destructive force remains Shakespeare's shortest and most psychologically intense tragedy.
Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
Sophocles
Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
"Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone" by Sophocles is a collection of classic Greek tragedies likely written in the 5th century BC. The central themes explore fate, free will, and the tragic consequences of human actions, revolving mainly around the lives of Oedipus and his family, highlighting his fall from grace and the ensuing curses that plague his lineage. The opening of "Oedipus the King" sets the stage in Thebes, where King Oedipus learns about a devastating plague afflicting his city. As he vows to find the cause, he is determined to uncover the truth, leading him down a path of self-discovery and horrifying realizations about his identity and past. The characters introduced, including the priest, Creon, and the blind seer Teiresias, foreshadow the tragic unraveling of Oedipus's life, particularly as themes of hubris and fate begin to prevail, laying the groundwork for the unfolding tragedy. The pleads of the Theban citizens highlight the desperation of those under Oedipus’s reign, marking him as both a capable but ultimately doomed leader.
An Ideal Husband
Oscar Wilde
An Ideal Husband
"An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde is a four-act play first produced in 1895. When a respected politician faces blackmail over a youthful indiscretion, his carefully constructed life threatens to collapse. His wife demands unwavering moral perfection, unaware of the secret that built their fortune. As political corruption and personal honor collide, a charming bachelor friend attempts to navigate the crisis. This comedy of manners explores the gap between public reputation and private truth, questioning whether anyone can truly be ideal.
A Woman of No Importance
Oscar Wilde
A Woman of No Importance
"A Woman of No Importance" by Oscar Wilde is a play first performed in 1893. Set among English high society, the work satirizes the manners and morals of the upper class through witty dialogue and social commentary. When a young man accepts a prestigious position as secretary to a powerful lord, his mother's arrival at a country house party reveals a devastating secret from the past that threatens to upend his promising future and exposes the hypocrisy beneath polite society's surface.