TABLE OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS[23]

Play Total Prose Blank Penta- Rimes, Songs Publ- Supp-
                 of meter Short ished osed
              Lines Rimes Lines Date

I.—­PLAYS OF FIRST (RIMING) PERIOD

Love’s Labor’s 2789 1086 579 1028 54 32 1598 1588-9
  Lost
Comedy of 1778 240 1150 380 —–­ —–­ 1623 1589-91
  Errors [24]
Midsummer 2174 441 878 731 138 63 1600 1590-1
  Night’s Dream
Two Gentlemen 2294 409 1510 116 —–­ 15 1623 1590-2
  of Verona
Romeo and 3052 405 2111 486 —–­ —–­ 1597 1591-3
  Juliet
Richard II. 2756 —–­ 2107 537 —–­ —–­ 1597 ? 1593
Richard III. 3619 55? 3374 170 —–­ —–­ 1597 ? 1594-5

II.—­HISTORIES AND COMEDIES OF SECOND PERIOD

King John 2570 —–­ 2403 150 —–­ —–­ 1623 1594-5 Merchant of 2660 673 1896 93 34 9 1600[24]? 1595-6
  Venice
1 Henry IV. 3176 1464 1622 84 —–­ —–­ 1598 1596-7[25] 2 Henry IV. 3446 1860 1417 74 7 15 1600 1598-9 Henry V. 3380 1531 1678 101 2 8 1600 1599[25] Merry Wives 3018 2703 227 69 —–­ 19 1602 1599 Much Ado, &c. 2826 2106 643 40 18 16 1600 1599-1600 As You Like It 2857 1681 925 71 130 97 1623 1599-1600[25] Twelfth Night 2690 1741 763 120 —–­ 60 1623 1601[25] All’s Well 2966 1453 1234 280 2 12 1623 1601-2
  (Love’s Labor’s Won, 1590)

III.—­TRAGEDIES AND COMEDY OF THIRD PERIOD

Julius Caesar 2478 165 2241 34 —–­ —–­ 1623 1601[3]
Hamlet 3931 1208 2490 81 —–­ 60 1603[24]1602-3[25]
Measure for 2821 1134 1574 73 22 6 1623 ? 1603
  Measure
Othello 3316 541 2672 86 —–­ 25 1622 ? 1604
Macbeth 2108 158 1588 118 129 —–­ 1623 1605-6[25]
King Lear 3334 903 2238 74 —–­ 83 1608[24]1605-6[25]
Antony and 3063 255 2761 42 —–­ 6 1623 1606-7
  Cleopatra
Coriolanus 3410 829 2521 42 —–­ —–­ 1623 ? 1607-8

IV.—­PLAYS OF FOURTH PERIOD

Tempest        2064   458  1458     2    —–­  96  1623   1609-10
Cymbeline      3339   638  2585   107    —–­  32  1623   1609-10
Winter’s Tale  3075   844  1825   —–­    —–­  57  1623   ? 1611

V.—­DOUBTFUL PLAYS

Titus 2523 43 2338 144 —–­ —–­ 1594 1588-90 Andronicus 1 Henry VI. 2677 —–­ 2379 314 —–­ —–­ 1623 1592-4 2 Henry VI. 3162 448 2562 122 —–­ —–­ 1623 1592-4 3 Henry VI. 2904 —–­ 2749 155 —–­ —–­ 1623 1592-4 Contention 1952 381 1571 44 —–­ —–­ 1594 1586-8 True Tragedy 2101 —–­ 2035 66 —–­ —–­ 1595 1586-8