Ranking the Complete Works of Shakespeare from Worst to Best
Added 2025-10-05 21:16:07 +0000 UTCDear Book Club Readers,
Today I'm very excited to run through my personal ranking of the complete works of Shakespeare with you. This is a reverse ranking, from worst to best, with each play given a grading and an IMDB-style numerical rating.
I hope the above video provides an enjoyable way to reminisce for those who have journeyed through the bard’s poems and plays as part of the chronological Shakespeare Project. But I am also hoping to tempt newcomers to the bard into picking up some of his great works.
So, whether you're a veteran bardolator, have a handful of plays under your reading belt, or you're a curious newcomer to Shakespeare, please do treat yourself to a drink and enjoy the discussion in the way that best suits you.
It’s funny, since making this video, I've revisited the plays again (reading according to the genres delineated by the First Folio) and a few of my positions and gradings have already shifted slightly. This is normal and will happen if you read Shakespeare consistently over the course of your life. But, overall, the above discussion captures how I feel about Will's phenomenal canon right now.
Timestamps:
0:00 why read the works of Shakespeare?
1:00 reading the bard chronologically
3:00 the book club’s Shakespeare Project
4:00 ranking Shakespeare worst to best
5:00 Shakespeare’s all-time worst play
5:30 The Merry Wives of Windsor
6:30 the inexhaustible Falstaff
8:00 Shakespeare’s second weakest play
8:30 The Two Gentleman of Verona
10:00 Pericles, Prince of Tyre
11:00 romance and tragicomedy
12:30 three parts of Henry VI
14:00 Hollow Crown tv series
15:00 history vs myth and propaganda
16:00 the history of King Henry VIII
16:30 Globe Theatre burns down
17:00 why did Shakespeare retire?
18:30 how to perform and view this play
20:00 writing Lucrece in times of plague
21:00 invention of the human in King John
23:00 All’s Well That Ends Well
25:30 Shakespeare’s health struggles
26:00 tragedy of Titus Andronicus
27:30 an abominable banquet of blood
29:00 The Comedy of Errors
30:30 lyricism in Love’s Labour’s Lost
32:00 what makes a comedy a comedy?
33:30 lost plays of Shakespeare
34:00 tragedy of Timon of Athens
35:00 was Shakespeare a misanthrope?
37:00 how to live a virtuous life
38:00 The Two Noble Kinsmen
39:30 the last lines Shakespeare wrote
40:30 narrative poem Venus and Adonis
41:00 was Will more poet or playwright?
42:00 who influenced Shakespeare?
43:00 mythic formula in Shakespeare
44:00 The Taming of the Shrew
45:00 irony and feminism in Shakespeare
47:00 tragedy of Troilus and Cressida
48:00 London’s satirical Poet’s War
49:00 what makes a problem play?
50:00 what is a closet drama?
52:00 ‘now is the winter of our discontent’
52:30 pantomime fun in Richard III
54:30 history vs reality of Richard
56:00 Cymbeline as palace of tropes
57:30 cult status vs historical popularity
58:00 the history of Richard II
59:00 Elizabethan politics and treason
1:00:00 a viewing assignment for you
1:01:00 The Merchant of Venice
1:03:00 is Shakespeare Shylock?
1:04:00 ‘hath not a Jew eyes?’
1:05:00 opening season of the Globe
1:05:30 patriotism in King Henry V
1:07:00 Much Ado About Nothing
1:08:00 enjoying a merry war of words
1:09:00 light comedy with a dark streak
1:10:00 Measure for Measure
1:10:30 Elizabethan vs Jacobean plays
1:11:30 plague, governance, tyranny
1:13:00 was Shakespeare religious?
1:15:00 the tragedy of Coriolanus
1:17:30 Twelfth Night, or What You Will
1:20:00 the best fools in Shakespeare
1:21:30 the tragedy of Julius Caesar
1:22:00 ‘friends, romans, countrymen’
1:23:00 the world stage in As You Like It
1:24:00 the healing power of literature
1:25:00 freedom in the Forest of Arden
1:26:30 why I adore Romeo and Juliet
1:27:30 how to know you’re in true love
1:28:30 Sonnets of William Shakespeare
1:31:00 lifelong reading assignment for you
1:32:30 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1:33:30 historical criticism of the Dream
1:36:00 The Winter’s Tale
1:37:00 from tragedy to romance
1:38:00 the tragedy of Othello
1:39:00 the sublime tragic procession
1:40:00 the machiavellian Iago
1:42:00 tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra
1:42:30 Shakespeare vs classical unities
1:43:30 one of the most alluring characters
1:45:00 the tragedy of Macbeth
1:46:00 scorpions and daggers of the mind
1:48:00 ‘tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’
1:48:30 appreciating The Tempest
1:50:00 Will’s farewell to the theatre
1:51:00 reading both parts of Henry IV
1:52:00 Sir Falstaff and Prince Hal
1:54:30 comfort and genius in these plays
1:55:30 second greatest Shakespeare play
1:57:00 stage history of King Lear
1:58:00 Shakespeare’s greatest achievement
2:01:00 all-time greatest Shakespeare play
2:02:00 the masterpiece of Hamlet
2:06:00 how to read the complete works
2:09:00 your experience with Shakespeare?
I’ll pop my list down in written form soon, but there are timestamps on the video to see the positioning of works at a glance or jump to any topics or specific plays you want to hear about.
It may be worth saying that this ranking is not gospel. I do strongly believe that the higher positioned plays are objectively some of the greatest works of art ever achieved, but this is ultimately a deeply personal list based on what works subjectively for me at this moment in time.
The plays and poems of Shakespeare are sublime Rorschach tests that reveal enormous amounts about those who read and watch them. So, this is my list, but please let me know your list.
Let me know the ways that Shakespeare has moved you. I would love to know the highs and lows of this bookish mountain valley for you. Or any experiences you have had with Shakespeare.
If you're planning to take the journey for the first time, let us know what you're most excited about. If you've read a fair bit of Shakespeare, what advice would you give to get more readers into the works?
Happy reading, bardolators!
Comments
I’m back with my full list. Interesting how within only two months some plays have changed their position and rating again, which I’m sure will be an ongoing process from now on. Also interesting is how all of my solid A-ratings can’t decide at all where they want to go. The moment I move one to where I think it’s supposed to be, something else feels off. I’ll leave it as it is now lest I’ll be sitting here by Christmas still. Needless to say, this reading project has been a wonder. I had doubts I’d get to this point, yet as experience always proves, hesitation before any great undertaking is a sign that you’re onto something big. This must have been the most impactful, inspiring, insightful, and most of all rewarding reading project of my life. The consistent Vonnegut-esque ranking sharpened my taste, deepened my immersion, taught me about myself, and gave me a confidence as a reader that astonishes myself. The lectures were the best help there could have been and a wonderful ritual to reward any big step taken with. Furthermore, I not only gained a ton of knowledge with this project but a new friend that will stay with me for a lifetime. If there’d be a hashtag for the whole of my experience, it would be #will-is-life. Thank you so much, Benjamin, for your impeccable guidance and always loving encouragement. Last but not least, this project made me addicted to embarking on more year-long reading projects. What that will be next year, I don’t know yet, but I’ll find something, or rather, something will surely find me, as it always happens. For now, I want to enjoy the panorama from this marvellous peak. Hamlet A + Julius Caesar A Venus & Adonis A Romeo & Juliet A Othello A The Tempest A Macbeth A Lear A Measure for Measure A The Merchant of Venice A- King Henry IV, Part 1 A- Much Ado About Nothing B+ The Sonnets B+ The Rape of Lucrece B A Midsummer Night's Dream B Timon of Athens B King Richard III B The Winter’s Tale B- King Henry IV, Part 2 B- King Henry V B- The Two Noble Kinsmen B- The Phoenix and Turtle B- A Lover’s Complaint B- Titus Andronicus B- King Henry VI, Part 1 B- Coriolanus C+ Love's Labours Lost C+ All's Well That Ends Well C The Comedy of Errors C King Henry VI, Part 2 C Antony and Cleopatra C- King Henry VIII C- Troilus and Cressida C- King John C- King Richard II C- As You Like It C- King Henry VI, Part 3 C- The Taming of the Shrew D+ Cymbeline D Two Gentlemen of Verona D- Pericles D- Twelfth Night E+ The Merry Wives of Windsor F
Ylva
2025-12-03 14:17:22 +0000 UTCI was thinking about what's next for the club with a complete works in chronological order that could follow Shakespeare and maybe, maybe, there are two pathways: we either try to replicate the experience by reading all Cervantes, Dumas, Hugo, Tolstoi, etc. but we've already read some and could find it less satisfying because of a less balanced quality in the complete works of these authors; we go with the alternative and read through the complete works of a writer of what would be considered lower level quality anyway, with the knowledge that, not lacking in merit, any work will be worse than those of Shakespeare and yet, quite enjoyable and rewarding, and for that I thought of Mark Twain, Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, Gaston Leroux, Ian Fleming, Sabarini... This second option would save us from disappointment when compared with Shakespeare because our expectations would be that the works are not at the bards level but any of those authors could provide interesting reads to follow chronologically and would provide a different type of literature in comparison to what we mostly read at the club. I'd like your opinion on this if you have the time, dear Ben.
George Ambruster
2025-10-20 10:59:44 +0000 UTCSounds great, Gonzalo, and like a solid plan. For specific tips, it might help to know what you generally like: light comedy, dark tragedy, or a hard to define play?
Ylva
2025-10-15 11:34:58 +0000 UTCWow Benjamin, you really outdid yourself. I thoroughly loved watching the lecture, taking me back to the plays I read, all thanks to the HCLB. I have not read them all but a fair bit and you encouraged me again to go back to Shakespeare for more. My final conversion was when really reading Hamlet for the first time, it just blew me away like I never expected any work of art could do. It really changed me and helped me through a tough year. Again, I think your little girl has chosen her parents wisely 🥰
Mirjam
2025-10-14 12:56:07 +0000 UTCWhat a long way I have ahead of me to read his whole oeuvre! So far I have only read 6 of his works (the A ones as per your ranking, Ben), but I don't feel ready to commit to a full chronological reading of all his works yet, so I will continue reading his works disorderly and one by one, so the big question and conundrum is always the same: which one next? Now, thanks to your detailed and insightful ranking, I have a clearer idea of what of his works I would like to read next: "Anthony and Cleopatra", "Julius Cesar" "The Tempest" and "Henry V" are my prime candidates at the moment, any suggestions, fellow HLBC members?
Gonzalo Broto
2025-10-14 12:26:28 +0000 UTCThe 2008 Globe Theatre production of The Merry Wives of Windsor is hilarious. It’s farce and a lot of the humor is slapstick, but I have watched it several times and always enjoyed it. The worst? It is still performed regularly.
Winifred
2025-10-13 19:33:46 +0000 UTCI really appreciate this splendid lecture. I’ve read less than a handful of Will’s plays and seen a few more productions than that. I know I cannot read all the rest of Shakespeare in this lifetime, but Ben’s lecture seems the perfect companion to Harold Bloom’s The Invention of the Human for getting started on my own course. This weekend we started watching The Hollow Crown that Ben recommended, and I am blown away by the production, cinematography, and the superb performances. In the first episode, while Ben Wishaw as Richard II brilliantly predominates the dialogue, I’ve found the other actors, like Rory Kinnear and David Suchet, who remained absolutely still and silent for long periods of time, to also be utterly captivating.
debra
2025-10-12 18:59:03 +0000 UTCI read most while listening to the Arkangel dramatized recordings. Super good!
George Dick
2025-10-12 18:05:34 +0000 UTCI cannot say what you said with such eloquence, but I am with you. I haven’t been able to grow the neurons to make the writing make sense. I do appreciate our master teacher’s knowledge and insight.
Susan Kelley
2025-10-12 01:18:18 +0000 UTCWonderful, wonderful lecture, Benjamin! It took me three days to watch, and I can’t even begin to understand how much thought and research went into creating it! I have to confess to being completely in awe of those of you who know and understand William Shakespeare deeply. I very much wish to become one of you. I admire and appreciate Shakespeare, but thus far, have been unable to befriend him. When I am moved near to tears, by the Sceptered Isle soliloquy, or virtually every other line in R&J, I feel a fleeting sense of triumph. “Aha - I’ve cracked the Shakespeare Code”. But no, I have not. I can feel pangs of pleasure over the beauty of his poetry, or envy that it isn’t mine, but when it comes to real apprehension, Will slips through my fingers. I cannot interpret a sonnet, or read the metaphor contained within a play. I hope that someday I will, but for now, Will remains elusive. My top 3 (for what it’s worth) Hamlet Romeo and Juliet Henry V (solely on the back of the Band of Brothers speech).
Chrissy
2025-10-11 01:03:54 +0000 UTC@ 1:48 wow I really felt that..That reciting of Macbeth.
Valentina
2025-10-10 15:07:22 +0000 UTCHi Diana. There is. In the app: in the main menu, click on the home icon on the bottom left. Then on the top, choose the club thumbnail (Benjamin’s picture) and then next to that thumbnail on the right, there’ll be a search symbol where you can search for “Shakespeare Project.” To make it easier for myself, I noted down the list of the plays in Benjamin’s chronological order that’s available in the introductory post, and will search for the plays directly. Another way would be to again go to the main menu, select the club’s thumbnail (Benjamin’s picture), select the posts (in the app directly beneath the thumbnail) and go via the pinned post at the top to the Shakespeare section. I hope this helps. 😊
Ylva
2025-10-09 19:09:05 +0000 UTCI need some Patreon help. I listened to the Shakespeare ranking and wanted to go find certain postings on those plays. Is there an easier way than scrolling back through several years of posts. I know I am missing something that is easy.
Diana Upp
2025-10-09 18:58:43 +0000 UTCI’m thinking to embark upon the Shakespeare project! Anyone know of a kindle and audiobook complete works version that is linked wjth Whispersync? I prefer to listen as I read .
Amy C. Dennis
2025-10-09 16:54:55 +0000 UTC
