English plays

Shakespeare's dramatic works

English plays are dramatic works written for theatrical performance in the English language, spanning from medieval mystery plays through Shakespeare and his contemporaries to modern drama.

The term often implies the British theatrical tradition specifically: We studied English plays from the Restoration period.

In casual use, it may simply mean plays written in English regardless of origin.

ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
JacobeanPertaining to King James's reign
stage directionsInstructions within a script
fourth wallInvisible stage-audience barrier
BetrayalBreaking of sacred trust

William Shakespeare · drawing room comedy · Samuel Beckett · Restoration · Christopher Marlowe · blank verse · Romance · George Bernard Shaw · Oscar Wilde · Medieval · Edwardian · period costume · Victorian · Contemporary · West End · National Theatre · opening night · curtain call

Opposites

dramatic form/genre

English playsItalian opera

Lyric drama from Rome's peninsula

grand opera · opera · ballet · pantomime · operetta

national/linguistic origin

English playsGreek tragedy

Classical dramatic form featuring downfall

Chinese opera · Greek tragedies

medium/format

English playsEnglish novels

Fiction written in Britain

English poetry · radio drama · screenplays · television drama · English literature

Family

English, play, Englishman, Englishmen, played, playing, player, players, playful

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G