Author
William Shakespeare
15 books here
Measure for Measure
Young adult · 1200L · 2020
Dark, morally complex, and genuinely unsettling—a play about sexual coercion and judicial abuse that feels modern despite 1604. Best with a thoughtful adult co-reader who can discuss the ending's ambiguities and what justice actually means.
King Lear
Young adult · 1300L · 2000
The most emotionally devastating Shakespeare for teens; Lear's fall from pride to madness to grief is unflinching and unforgettable, but requires a strong reader and a willingness to sit with tragedy without resolution.
King Richard II
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1200L · 2017
The most accessible Shakespeare tragedy for teen readers—shorter than Hamlet, psychologically intimate, and Richard's self-aware collapse teaches more about ego and powerlessness than any YA novel.
The Tempest
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1400L · 1997
The most accessible Shakespeare for older teens—short, playable, rooted in tangible conflict (survival, love, betrayal)—but early modern English demands real effort; best with performance or annotated edition.
All's Well That Ends Well
Young adult · ages 13–18 · 1100L · 2017
Shakespeare's most morally complicated comedy—Helena is brilliant and resourceful but her triumph hinges on a deceptive trick, which modern readers will debate; perfect for teens ready to sit with ambiguity.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1200L · 2021
Shakespeare's funniest play about gender and desire—the language is genuinely witty (not impenetrable), and the gender-bending premise still hits because the emotional confusion is real, not just theatrical setup.
The Merchant of Venice
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1100L · 1934
A play that rewards 14+ readers willing to wrestle with its language and moral ambiguity — Shylock's humanity forces uncomfortable questions about prejudice and mercy that don't resolve neatly.
Macbeth
Young adult · ages 12–18 · 1100L · 2021
The most rewarding entry point to Shakespeare for confident readers — Macbeth is short, psychologically intense, and the ambition-to-damnation arc hooks teens who are ready for moral complexity.
Romeo and Juliet
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1040L · 2016
The play's emotional velocity and linguistic wit still hit; adolescents genuinely *feel* the lovers' haste and the families' tribal logic—and the tragedy lands because both are comprehensible.
Julius Caesar
Young adult · ages 13–18 · 1100L
The most accessible Shakespeare tragedy for teens — short, visceral, and genuinely ambiguous about who was right, which makes 14-year-olds argue.
King Henry V
Young adult · ages 13–18 · 1300L · 2020
A play about power, ambition, and the moral geometry of war—dense language but genuinely gripping if approached with a guide (teacher, edition notes, or film first).
Henry IV, Part 2
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1400L · 2021
The most accessible of Shakespeare's histories for teens—dark humor, a beloved comic character in Falstaff, and a protagonist genuinely grappling with growing up amid power and betrayal.
William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet
Young adult · ages 12–18 · 1050L · 2016
Shakespeare's language is a genuine lift for most 13-year-olds, but the plot is urgent and the emotional stakes are real; this version likely includes helpful notes without cutting the text.
Othello
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1330L
Essential for high schoolers studying rhetoric and racism, but the play demands active decoding (early modern English) and emotional maturity to process the sexual violence and racial slurs; pair with critical context and discussion.
King John
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 1200L · 2019
Shakespeare's least popular history, but genuinely useful for 14+ readers wrestling with political legitimacy and moral compromise — the play's refusal to redeem John lands harder than his redemption arc would.