This is a plan to read the complete works of Shakespeare within one year.
You may start at any point in the year and can move through the readings until you’ve finished them all.
This compilation was put together by Taylor D’Amico. Follow @MotherAcademic on Substack.
All the texts for the readings have been provided. (Thanks are due especially to the Folger Shakespeare Library for their wealth of resources.)
Where able, I’ve also provided links to performances (audio, video, or both) of the plays or poems.
There are 52 weeks in a year and there are 51 reading weeks to this plan. If you complete one assigned reading per week, this leaves one catch-up or off week for the year.
Dates for 2026 have been provided. I’ve scheduled the off-week to happen over the week of Christmas Day 2026.
Each reading will take roughly 1-3 hours per week to read with most only taking about 1 hour. Watching a performance separately will take additional time.
Extra Credit: I encourage you to see any live Shakespeare performance in your area, even if it is for a play you’ve not yet read, as it will enhance your experience of this course.
You may not understand what is happening at the beginning of a play. Trust that you can keep reading and the heart of the story will quickly become clear.
If you find yourself particularly confused, try reading along while viewing the performance. This can help, especially if you are entirely new to reading Shakespeare’s work.
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