Four centuries after William Shakespeare put quill to parchment, his plays still pull in audiences, ignite debate and inspire fresh reimaginings on stages and screens worldwide. But which of his works truly stand the test of time? To find out, Time Out turned to the people who know them best: its global audience of theater‑goers, readers and Shakespeare obsessives.
In this worldwide poll, thousands cast their votes for the Bard’s greatest plays, weighing bloody tragedies against sparkling comedies, knotty histories against experimental late romances. The result is a revealing snapshot of how Shakespeare lives in the popular inventiveness today – which titles still thrill, which speeches still resonate, and which characters refuse to fade quietly into the archive.
What follows is not a canon handed down from on high, but a ranking shaped by contemporary tastes, diverse cultures and personal passions. These are Shakespeare’s best plays of all time – as chosen by you.
Uncovering the definitive Shakespeare ranking as chosen by Time Out readers worldwide
Across continents, cultures and time zones, readers clicked, argued and finally cast their votes, turning centuries of academic debate into a living, global verdict. What emerged is not a dusty canon but a vibrant snapshot of how Shakespeare lands in the 21st century: tragedies dominating the top tier, comedies punching above their weight, and a couple of so‑called “problem plays” muscling their way into the spotlight. The results show a clear affection for works that blend high drama with quotable lines and complex, flawed heroes, but they also reveal deep pockets of love for plays that rarely see the school syllabus. In other words, this is Shakespeare arranged not by scholars or theatres, but by the people who still buy tickets, stream performances and argue about casting on social media.
What defines the crowd‑sourced canon? Passion, not politeness. Readers championed plays for very specific reasons, from iconic roles to meme‑ready scenes. Common themes emerged among the favourites:
- Big, broken protagonists – characters like Hamlet and Lear that audiences can obsess over.
- Emotional whiplash – the thrill of plays that swing from comedy to catastrophe in a single scene.
- Staging spectacle – storms,battles and ghosts that still feel made for the big screen.
- Lines that live online – quotes that thrive as captions, tweets and protest slogans.
| Global Favorite | Why Readers Back It | Vibe in One Word |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | Endlessly quotable, psychologically rich | Haunted |
| King Lear | Epic family meltdown, brutal honesty | Ruthless |
| Romeo and Juliet | First love, bad decisions, instant tragedy | Feverish |
| Macbeth | Witches, power-grabs, blood on the hands | Visceral |
| Twelfth Night | Gender play, music, razor-sharp wit | Playful |
Why this tragedy tops the global poll and where to see its most powerful productions now
The people have spoken, and the world’s favourite Shakespearean drama is the one that still feels like breaking news: a story of ambition, loyalty and moral collapse that could be unfolding in any modern capital. Its relentless pace, quotable lines and forensic dissection of power make it catnip for directors looking to interrogate contemporary politics, from the corridors of Westminster to the backrooms of Washington and beyond. Audiences repeatedly return to this play because it offers no easy heroes, only flawed humans making terrible choices in real time.That ambiguity keeps it permanently topical, a mirror that refuses to flatter.
Right now, some of the most riveting interpretations are happening far beyond the traditional proscenium arch.Directors are staging stripped‑back, 90‑minute versions in black‑box theatres, immersive adaptations in disused warehouses and multilingual productions that shift the action from ancient Rome to present‑day protest movements. If you’re hunting down the boldest stagings, keep an eye on:
- Major national theatres – Expect star casting, radical cuts and cutting‑edge design.
- Fringe and off‑off spaces – Shoestring budgets, huge ideas, often the rawest emotion.
- Touring ensembles – Nimble, political, and able to react fast to current events.
- University companies – Experimental takes that push the text to its limits.
| City | Venue Type | Typical Spin |
|---|---|---|
| London | Repertory | High‑tech, politically sharp |
| New York | Off‑Broadway | Intimate, actor‑driven |
| Berlin | State theatre | Avant‑garde, visually extreme |
| Tokyo | Experimental | Hybrid, cross‑cultural |
The comedies that still make audiences laugh and the cities staging the sharpest revivals
Centuries on, Shakespeare’s funnies are still detonating laughs in packed houses, with audiences gasping at how modern the jokes feel. Directors are leaning into the chaos of mistaken identities, cross-dressing and romantic farce, playing up the physical clowning in “Twelfth Night”, the bawdy wordplay in “Much Ado About Nothing” and the anarchic magic of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. In 2025, the sharpest productions aren’t afraid to slice away fusty tradition: gender‑swapped Benedicks, Malvolios in office‑party yellow, and Athens restyled as a neon-drenched nightclub are now standard, not scandalous.
- London – The Globe and West End spearhead stripped‑back, actor‑driven comedies.
- New York – Off‑Broadway outfits push queer, cabaret‑inflected takes on the festive plays.
- Stratford-upon-Avon – The RSC road-tests radical cuts and razor‑sharp new translations of the jokes.
- Berlin – Experimental stages splice Shakespeare with techno, video art and improv.
- Sydney – Open‑air summer seasons turn the comedies into picnic‑friendly blockbusters.
| Play | City | Revival Style |
|---|---|---|
| Much Ado | London | Regency rom-com with live strings |
| Twelfth Night | New York | Queer dive-bar musical |
| Dream | Berlin | Immersive forest installation |
| The Comedy of Errors | Sydney | Harbourside slapstick carnival |
Underrated gems you voted for and how to stream or experience them on stage today
Among the heavy hitters, you quietly rallied behind a handful of plays that rarely make the poster, let alone the syllabus. “Cymbeline,” “Timon of Athens,” “Measure for Measure” and “The Two Noble Kinsmen” all crept into your votes,a reminder that Shakespeare’s outliers can be the most startlingly modern. These are the works where tyrants look suspiciously like tech bros, virtue is weaponised, and happy endings arrive with a crooked smile. Festivals and fringe houses are increasingly latching on: directors relish the freedom of staging something audiences don’t know line-for-line, while actors get to sink their teeth into roles unflattened by centuries of over-familiarity.
Finding them is no longer a treasure hunt reserved for academics. Today, you can cue them up from your sofa or catch them in stripped-back productions that feel almost guerrilla in their intimacy:
- National Theatre at Home rotates lesser-known works, including occasional runs of “Timon of Athens”.
- Royal Shakespeare Company offers digital rentals and live cinema relays for oddities like “The Two Noble Kinsmen”.
- Globe Player hosts recordings of “Measure for Measure” and other problem plays shot on the famous open-air stage.
- Local fringe theatres and pub stages often experiment with cross-gender or site-specific versions of these titles.
| Play | Where to Stream | Best Live Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Cymbeline | Globe Player | Open-air summer festivals |
| Timon of Athens | National Theatre at Home | Modern city-set productions |
| Measure for Measure | RSC streaming platforms | Studio theatres with minimal sets |
Concluding Remarks
Four centuries on, the plays that rose to the top of this global poll are still doing what Shakespeare always did best: holding a mirror up to human nature and refusing to offer easy answers. From the blood-soaked battlements of Macbeth to the star-crossed streets of Romeo and Juliet and the storm-wracked island of The Tempest, your votes reveal a playwright whose range still feels startlingly modern – brutal and tender, political and intimate, tragic and bitingly funny, often in the space of a single scene.
What this worldwide ranking really captures isn’t just a canon, but a living conversation. Audiences in London, Lagos, New York and New Delhi are still arguing over the same speeches, falling for the same rogues, bristling at the same injustices. Teachers, translators, directors and TikTok creators are continually rewriting the rules of how these texts are staged, shared and fought over.
So if your personal favourite didn’t make the top spot – or didn’t make the list at all – that might be the most Shakespearean outcome of all. His plays were built for rivalry, debate and reinvention. This poll is a snapshot of what resonates right now; the next production you see,or the next generation of readers,may shift the rankings all over again.
In the meantime, the results are a reminder that, despite streaming wars and shrinking attention spans, a 400-year-old dramatist can still command a global audience. As long as we’re wrestling with love, power, jealousy, ambition and the absurdity of being human, Shakespeare’s best plays will stay in rotation – and the final word on which one is greatest will always, fittingly, belong to you.
