What are the essential Shakespeare plays? So far I have read:

Hamlet is the only essential one.

>>9749129
read at least one comedy. Midsummer is the most popular.

personally, Tempest is my favorite, a summation of his career.

you need to read some sonnets too

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>>9749129

Just read them all.

Twelfth Night

>>9749129
All of them

>>9749181
This
>>9749129
Merchant of Venice and King Lear are top tier of their genres though

>>9749129

The Tempest is the best.

>>9749129
Falstaff

>>9749129
King Lear is widely regarded as his masterpiece. So you should go read that.

What is the actual theme/moral lesson of Julius Caesar, rather than the one peddled by fake news recently?

>>9749129
The Tempest as another anons have said. I really enjoyed Titus Andronicus, maybe give that a go if you're into the Roman theme.

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>>9749129
king lear
a midsummer night's dream
the tempest
merchant of venice
romeo and juliet
henry iv

>>9749428
>King Lear is widely regarded as his masterpiece.
Implying that he has just the one masterpiece.
Hamlet. Midsummer. Othello. McBeth. Richard. Henry. Much Ado. Tempest.

>>9749445
It's just about good men doing their best. I'd say the moral is that it isn't about if you succeed or even if you're right or wrong (whose ever really to judge?). It's about how nobly you struggle.

No love for 'measure for measure' ITT?