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Romeo is the son and heir of Lord Montague of the Italian city of Verona. One night, he goes (masked) to a dance held by the Capulets, the Montagues' bitter rivals. There, Romeo falls head over heels for Juliet Capulet, and a few days later they are secretly married by the obliging Friar Lawrence. However, they decide not to tell their families. Unluckily, Romeo then gets into a fight and is banished from Verona, and Juliet's father promises her in marriage to another young fellow, Paris. Juliet unwisely agrees to a crazy plan suggested by Friar Lawrence, and she takes a drug which will make her seem dead for two days. So Juliet gets a premature funeral and is put into the Capulet family vault, expecting Romeo to collect her when she wakes up. However, Friar Lawrence bungles again, and Romeo fails to get his message, so of course he believes Juliet is really dead. Romeo kills Paris, then drinks poison and dies by Juliet's side. Juliet then wakes up, and when she finds Romeo's body she stabs herself to death. As a result of this (it's pretty unlikely, though) the Montague and Capulet lords make up their ancient quarrel and a new friendship blossoms between the warring factions. Make love, not war.

Bolingbroke wrongly accuses Mowbray of killing the Duke of Gloucester, the uncle of King Richard II. The dastardly Richard (who in fact arranged the murder himself) then orders a trial by combat between Bolingbroke and Mowbray and turns this into exile for both of them. Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt, dies and Richard seizes his estates to pay for a campaign in Ireland. While Richard is off fighting the Irish, leaving the Duke of York as Regent, Bolingbroke invades England and the country rises in support of him. York vacillates, Richard lands in Wales, is arrested, and surrenders the crown to Bolingbroke, who becomes King Henry IV. A plot against Henry is discovered, Henry pardons his cousin Aumerle, but Richard is murdered while imprisoned at Pontefract.

Duke Frederick has driven out the lawful Duke and stolen his Duchy. Rosalind (daughter of the banished Duke) falls in love with Orlando de Boys, as he is beating Frederick's champion in a wrestling match. Frederick banishes her, too, and she leaves, disguised as a youth called Ganymede, taking Frederick's daughter Celia and his jester Touchstone with her. Rosalind's troupe heads for the Forest of Arden, where Rosalind's father is living quietly, with Orlando and his brother Jaques now members of the old Duke's rustic court.

Rosalind decides to live for a time as Ganymede, and she/he finds Orlando hanging poems to Rosalind on trees (no doubt he knows what he's doing?)... Ganymede promises to cure Orlando of his love, while Touchstone woos a country girl, Audrey. Meanwhile, a shepherdess called Phebe falls in love with Ganymede, scorning the love of the bumpkin Silvius. Oliver de Boys, another brother of Orlando, arrives and falls heavily for Celia.

At the end, Ganymede turns himself/herself back into Rosalind, and all of the lovers get their hearts' desire - except for Phebe, who has to make do with Silvius. Duke Frederick chooses this moment to retire into a life of prayer, leaving the coast clear for the restoration of the true Duke to his rightful power and glory.

The supporters of the ancient Roman Republic are alarmed by Julius Caesar's ambition to be the king or dictator of Rome, abolishing the age-old republican pattern of power-sharing by three consuls under the authority of the city's Senate. A soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March. Caesar gets the monarchy he wants, but soon after he is killed by a group of leading Romans, including Cassius and his friend Brutus, on the Ides of March. Mark Antony makes the famous speech praising Caesar, and the action shifts to the battlefield on which Brutus and Cassius are defeated, with Caesar's crown as Emperor passing to his heir. Thus ended the Roman Republic.

This is the story of King Henry VIII, who broke his country's links with Rome and set himself up as head of the Church of England, abolishing England's monasteries and nunneries and seizing their wealth. Meanwhile, he ran through six wives in his ambition for sons to carry on the Tudor line. Shakespeare was rather kind to Henry - no doubt because he was the father of England's reigning Queen, Elizabeth I.

Prospero, a former Duke of Milan whose brother stole his dukedom, is now a sorcerer living on a remote island with his daughter Miranda, a slave called Caliban, and some fairies. He uses his magical powers to arrange for his enemies (including King Alonso of Naples and Prospero's brother Antonio, the false Duke of Milan) to land on his island, believing they are shipwrecked. Young Miranda falls in love with Alonso's son, Prince Ferdinand. Eventually Prospero reveals himself to the visitors, and Alonso sensibly restores Prospero's dukedom. For more, see Recap.

King Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Queen Hermione, of cheating on him with his good friend Polixenes. So Leontes drives Polixenes out of the kingdom, but this leads to unforeseen results - the arrival of a dangerous bear, a baby abandoned in the snow, love, death, and a statue which comes to life.

Ancient Athenian Timon is well-known for his generosity - his many friends come to all his parties and like to get presents from him. But then Timon suffers losses and finds himself in debt, and his friends melt away. He loses faith in humanity and becomes a hermit.

Octavius Caesar (later known as Augustus), Mark Antony, and Lepidus form a triumvirate to rule the Roman Empire. Antony will rule in the east and goes to Egypt, where he becomes the lover of Queen Cleopatra. When Pompey raises an army to fight the triumvirate, Antony returns to Rome and marries Caesar's sister, Octavia. Cleopatra becomes jealous and plans to win Antony back. Caesar breaks a deal with Pompey and defeats him. Antony sends Octavia home to Rome and goes back to Cleopatra, and in Egypt he raises an army and a navy to fight Caesar. Antony's forces lose a critical sea battle when Cleopatra's ship flees. Antony hears Cleopatra has committed suicide and falls on his own sword. Cleopatra is taken prisoner and kills herself.

This play is the story of Joan of Arc, but seen through English eyes.

This play is about the attempts of King John to hold onto the English throne, despite the better claim of Prince Arthur, the son of his elder brother Geoffrey, who is supported by the French.

For more, see Recap.

Prince Pericles, visiting Antioch, solves King Antiochus's riddle to his daughter's suitors - the answer is that the King has had an incestuous relationship with his daughter. Pericles realizes he must escape to Tyre, and from there he goes to Tarsus to relieve a famine. Pursued by Antiochus's men, his ship is wrecked on the shores of Pentapolis and he marries Thaisa, the daughter of its King. Thaisa gives birth to a daughter, Marina, at sea, and in a great storm Thaisa is thrown overboard in a sea-chest. Coming to land at Ephesus, she believes Pericles is drowned and becomes a priestess of Diana.

Pericles arranges for Marina to be brought up by Cleon of Tarsus and his wife Dionyza, and returns to Tyre. Fourteen years go by, and Dionyza, jealous of Marina, is about to have her murdered, when Marina is kidnapped by pirates, who send her to a brothel in Mytilene. Cleon tells Pericles that Marina is dead. Meanwhile, in Mytilene Marina's purity triumphs, startling the governor of the city, Lysimachus, and she gets honest work. Pericles visits Mytilene, where he recognizes Marina, and the goddess Diana, in a dream, tells him to go to her temple at Ephesus, where he finds Thaisa, too. Marina is betrothed to Lysimachus, and they are now to rule in Tyre, while Pericles and Thaisa retire to Pentapolis.

Claudio and Benedick come home from the wars, having fought under Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, to suppress a rebellion by his weird brother, Don John. Leonato, Governor of Messina, welcomes Claudio and Benedick into his house. Claudio woos Hero, Leonato's daughter, while Benedick quips and quarrels with Beatrice, Hero's cousin.

Claudio and Hero get engaged to marry and try to trick Benedick and Beatrice into also falling in love. Don John sets out to make mischief and persuades Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero is a scarlet woman. Claudio denounces Hero in front of her family and refuses to marry her, Hero faints. Friar Francis helpfully suggests that Hero be said to have died until her name can be cleared.

Left alone in the church, Benedick and Beatrice exchange vows of love and Beatrice gets Benedick to promise he will kill Claudio for the harm he has done Hero. A duel is planned, but before it can take place Don John's dastardly plot is uncovered and Hero is restored to favour, then to life. For reasons best known to her, she makes it up with Claudio.

The King of Navarre and three of his lords take an oath of study and chastity for three years, but they begin to change their minds when the Princess of France and three of her ladies-in-waiting arrive at court to discuss the debts France owes to Navarre. A clown called Costard mixes up two letters, so that one from Armado to Jacquenetta (a village girl) is read to the Princess, while Jacquenetta receives a love sonnet from Berowne to Rosaline. This leads to some confusion. In the last act of the play, the lords meet the ladies in a mock-Russian entertainment, and news arrives that the King of France has died. The Princess and her ladies get ready to leave Navarre and give their lovers a series of tasks for a year and a day.