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English Literature: The Essentials, Part 1- Drama

A professional theatre director and instructor in British Literature attempts to come up with 100 essential works that are intended to form a core reading and viewing list for British Drama. There has been some attempt at verisimilitude, so many hard choices were made made to keep the list manageable. Hopefully, the choices and omissions will spark some lively debate. To answer the two most anticipated questions - 1) "Othello" and "Romeo & Juliet" were excluded in favor of "Twelfth Night" and "Henry IV" in order to show the breadth of Shakespeare's genius; and 2) Samuel Beckett was not included because, in this director's humble opinion, he more properly belongs in World Drama.
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Medieval and Tudor Drama (Gassner)
Medieval and Tudor Drama
1
Gassner
The Cornish Ordinalia (Anonymous)
The Cornish Ordinalia
2
Anonymous
The Wakefield Second Shepherds' Play (Anonymous)
The Wakefield Second Shepherds' Play
3
Anonymous
The Castle of Perseverance (Anonymous)
The Castle of Perseverance
4
Anonymous
Everyman (Anonymous C. 1500)
Everyman
5
Anonymous C. 1500
English Renaissance Drama (Bevington)
English Renaissance Drama
6
Bevington
The Spanish Tragedy
The Spanish Tragedy
7
Bussy D'Ambois (George Chapman)
Bussy D'Ambois
8
George Chapman
Dr. Faustus (Christopher Marlowe)
Dr. Faustus
9
Christopher Marlowe
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
10
Edward II (Christopher Marlowe)
Edward II
11
Christopher Marlowe
Norton Facsimile First Folio (Shakespeare)
Norton Facsimile First Folio
12
Shakespeare
Richard III (Shakespeare (Signet))
Richard III
13
Shakespeare (Signet)
Henry IV, Part I & II (William Shakespeare)
Henry IV, Part I & II
14
William Shakespeare
Hamlet (Shakespeare (Signet))
Hamlet
15
Shakespeare (Signet)
Twelfth Night (Shakespeare (Signet))
Twelfth Night
16
Shakespeare (Signet)
King Lear (Shakespeare (Signet))
King Lear
17
Shakespeare (Signet)
MacBeth (Shakespeare)
MacBeth
18
Shakespeare
The Tempest (Shakespeare (Signet))
The Tempest
19
Shakespeare (Signet)
Volpone and Other Plays (Ben Jonson)
Volpone and Other Plays
20
Ben Jonson
The Alchemist (Ben Jonson)
The Alchemist
21
Ben Jonson
The Changeling
The Changeling
22
Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women
23
The Revenger's Tragedy
The Revenger's Tragedy
24
The White Devil
The White Devil
25
The Duchess of Malfi (John Webster)
The Duchess of Malfi
26
John Webster
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
27
The Country Wife (William Wycherley)
The Country Wife
28
William Wycherley
Love for Love (William Congreve)
Love for Love
29
William Congreve
The Way of the World (William Congreve)
The Way of the World
30
William Congreve
The School for Scandal (Richard Brinsley Sheridan)
The School for Scandal
31
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
The Rivals (Sheridan)
The Rivals
32
Sheridan
The Beaux' Stratagem
The Beaux' Stratagem
33
She Stoops to Conquer
She Stoops to Conquer
34
19th Century Plays (Rowell)
19th Century Plays
35
Rowell
London Assurance (Boucicault)
London Assurance
36
Boucicault
The Bells (Leopold Lewis)
The Bells
37
Leopold Lewis
The Importance of Being Ernest (Oscar Wilde)
The Importance of Being Ernest
38
Oscar Wilde
Man and Superman (George Bernard Shaw)
Man and Superman
39
George Bernard Shaw
Pygmalion (George Bernard Shaw)
Pygmalion
40
George Bernard Shaw
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