As you can see by the previous answers, this question is almost a trick question. Depending on whether you consider certain parts of Shakespeare’s famous plays “poems” or whether you consider works such as The Passionate Pilgrim as “poems” will affect your answer. In order not to write a dissertation on what it means to be a “poem” by debating minute aspects of this literary form, I would suggest making things simple and listing the number of Shakespeare’s poems as 156.
In order to make this answer as simple as possible, I would have to report the number of Shakespeare’s true poems as 156: Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets and his two agreed upon long narrative poems. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Shakespeare’s true love and his livelihood were his plays; however, something serious happened in London that prevented further performances: the plague. It is a fact that the plague forced the British government to close down many public places (specifically theaters) in order to prevent the spread. This was what left Shakespeare able to develop his poems. It is also interesting to note that almost all 156 of Shakespeare’s poems have the theme of love and are sensual in some way (while some are outright sexual). Shakespeare’s sonnets’ subject are an interesting debate in itself. Were they written for a woman? Shakespeare’s wife? A young male lover? No one really knows, but scholars have fun debating these ideas. It is generally known that the two longer narrative poems called Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were written for a “supposed” male lover of Shakespeare’s: The Earl of Southampton. In fact, the two poems are dedicated to him.
In conclusion, although this eNotes Educator sets the number of Shakespeare’s poems at 154, she must admit that the eNotes Educators above are also “correct” in suggesting different numbers. There are excerpts of Shakespeare’s plays that are often considered poems. There are also other pieces like A Lover’s Complaint and The Passionate Pilgrim that can be argued either way. My answer, then, removes any work that scholars disagree upon in regards to the literary form.
William Shakespeare wrote poems between 1593 and 1594. A plague ravaging the country forced the closure of most public places, including theaters, offering him ample time to develop his poems. He wrote two long narrative poems which were erotically themed. The two poems include Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. In the first poem, Venus sexually approaches Adonis, who rejects these advances. In the second poem, Tarquin, rapes Lucrece, a well-mannered wife. The poems were dedicated to the Earl of Southampton and sought to describe the perils of lust. During the same period, Shakespeare developed other narrative poems including, A lover’s Complaint, telling a story of a young woman pursued by a seductive suitor and The Phoenix and the Turtledove . The four poems have been attributed directly to...
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Shakespeare because they were published with his consent.
The Passionate Pilgrim was not actually a poem but a collection of poems attributed to Shakespeare. However, the collection is marred by controversy as only five of the twenty pieces show Shakespearean standards.
Shakespeare’s surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems embedded into the plays themselves.
According to tradition, Shakespeare wrote his two long narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and Lucrece, in 1592-94, during a period of forced unemployment when an outbreak of the plague closed London’s theaters. The poems were published, respectively, in 1593 and 1594.
Shakespeare’s famous sonnets and another fairly lengthy poem, The Phoenix and Turtle, are believed to have been written early in his career. They were published some years later, perhaps without his permission. The first 17 sonnets advise a beautiful young man to marry and produce a child. The next 109 sonnets prounounce the poet’s love for this young man and claim that the poems will preserve the young man’s beauty. The sequence concludes with 28 sonnets to or about a "dark lady."
Scholars disagree about whether to attribute another poem, A Lover's Complaint, to Shakespeare.
Scholars generally agree that Shakespeare wrote thirty eight plays, although recent claims have been made for King Edward III and some scholars would include part of Sir Thomas More. Another play, Cardenio, has not survived.
Interestingly, Shakespeare’s complete works – including both his poems and plays – consist of 884,647 words and 118,406 lines.
While William Shakespeare is better known as the greatest playwright that ever lived, he also wrote many sonnets. In total, he wrote thirty-seven plays, 154 sonnets, and five long narrative poems, including "Venus and Adonis", "The Rape of Lucrece", "The Passionate Pilgrim", "The Phoenix and the Turtle", and "A Lover's Complaint". From what I have read, poems were usually reserved only for nobility, which is probably why Shakespeare only had five published. He, himself, was not nobility. All of his poems were very well-received, and the majority of them dealt with erotic themes. He dedicated two of the poems, "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece", to the Earl of Southampton, whom some scholars consider to be Shakespeare's lover.
How many plays did William Shakespeare write?
William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets, as well as some longer poems. The plays are in the best chronological order available: Henry VI, Part One, Henry VI, Part Two. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry VI, Part Three, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, Richard II, King John, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV, Part One, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, Part Two, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Twelfth Night Or What You Will, Troilus and Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Othello, Measure for Measure, Timon of Athens, King Lear, Macbeth, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Coriolanus, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Cardenio Henry VIII.
How many plays and poems did Shakespeare write?
We're not exactly sure. We think there are two lost Shakespeares, Cardenio and Love's Labour's Won. Some scholars think that Shakespeare wrote Edward III alone, and we know he had a share in writing Sir Thomas More. Some other plays - like Henry VIII (included in the usual total) - are thought to have been co-written with other writers. The Two Noble Kinsmen, though not included in the First Folio, is also now generally believed to be by Shakespeare.
So the answer to "how many plays?" depends on who you believe. It's 38 (including "The Two Noble Kinsmen") Edward III and Sir Thomas More, and - if they indeed existed - Cardenio and Love's Labour's Won. That comes to 42.
Poems is a similar story, I think. We know what we've got: 154 sonnets, A Lover's Complaint, The Rape of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, The Phoenix and the Turtle, and The Passionate Pilgrim. Though again some scholars disagree about precisely which ones are wholly Shakespeare.
So the jury's out. The lack of information points to the lack of information we have about Shakespeare himself.
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
William Shakespeare is believed to have written at least 37 plays, as well as a collection of sonnets which remains widely read today. However, it is possible that Shakespeare wrote more plays than the ones we know about today. There are several plays which no longer exist but which are mentioned in other texts, and which many historians believe to be "lost" Shakespeare plays. Remember also that the concept of authorship was different in this period, and collaboration, between multiple writers and between writers and actors, was common. It is very likely that Shakespeare also contributed to other plays, most notably "The Book of Sir Thomas More," for which he was only one of several authors.
The First Folio of Shakespeare's works was collected by his friends shortly after he died and contains 36 plays. It was this folio which first separated Shakespeare's works into histories (such as Henry V and Richard III), comedies (such as Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night) and tragedies (such as Othello and King Lear).
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
Poolj - I am interested in your comment. What do you mean that "Shakespeare is Satan"? Is this merely a comment expressing your dislike of reading Shakespeare, since I am suspecting that you are a student? If you have not already done so, try watching one performed - they were written to be performed, don't forget. Lots of good plays are available on dvd and video. Also, check bookstores (online and otherwise) for modern language versions of Shakespeare. Hope this helps. I have found these to be effective in teaching Shakespeare.
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
Yes, the matter is complicated and there is talk of co-written plays and lost texts, but to include these in the total is pushing it rather a lot. Of course, there are people who believe that Shakespeare wrote none of the plays at all, but the clearest anwswer to the question is that given by the earlier answerers.
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
The answers above fall into a bit of a trap - the matter is far more complicated than they suggest: as there are at least two plays which we think Shakespeare wrote which have not survived.
Meres writes of "Love's Labour's Won" (a sequel, we think, to "Love's Labour's Lost") and another textual source (Humphrey Mosely) tells us of another lost play "Cardenio". No copies of either has survived.
Some scholars, moreover, think that Shakespeare wrote "Edward III", and it is now generally accepted that he wrote - at least some of - a play called "Sir Thomas More". Scholars disagree about whether the writing (which has survived) is Shakespeare's, or the work of another playwright. Some of the plays - including "Henry VIII" - which we know to be by Shakespeare, were likely also co-written with other writers.
"The Two Noble Kinsmen" is also now - though not included in the First Folio - generally believed to be by Shakespeare.
So the answer depends on who you believe. It's 38 (including "The Two Noble Kinsmen") plus (depending on what you believe) "Edward III" and "Sir Thomas More", and - if they indeed existed - "Cardenio" and "Love's Labour's Won".
So the best scholarly answer at present is 42. But who knows what time will reveal!
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
Shakepeare's plays can be ordered into 3 categories:
Comedy - 17
Tragedy - 10
History - 10
for a total of 37.
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.