Shakespeare’s plays are famous for their depth, characters, and storytelling, but many students don’t know that most of his works were inspired by earlier books, legends, and historical chronicles.
For English Literature exams like UGC NET, SET, TGT, PGT, questions often appear about the source texts behind Shakespeare’s plays.This post gives you a simple, accurate, and complete list of Shakespeare’s major works along with their original source books.
Use these notes for quick revision, exams, or teaching.
✔ Shakespeare Works & Their Sources — Only List
Tragedies
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Hamlet – Historica Danica (Saxo Grammaticus)
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Macbeth – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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Othello – Gli Hecatommithi (Cinthio)
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King Lear – Holinshed’s Chronicles / King Leir
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Romeo and Juliet – Romeus and Juliet (Arthur Brooke)
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Julius Caesar – Plutarch’s Lives
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Antony and Cleopatra – Plutarch’s Lives
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Coriolanus – Plutarch’s Lives
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Timon of Athens – Plutarch / Lucian
Histories
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Henry V – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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Henry IV (Part 1 & 2) – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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Richard III – Holinshed’s Chronicles / Thomas More
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Richard II – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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Henry VI (Part 1–3) – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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King John – Holinshed’s Chronicles
Comedies
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The Merchant of Venice – Il Pecorone
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The Taming of the Shrew – Ariosto / Gascoigne
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Much Ado About Nothing – Bandello
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Twelfth Night – Gl’Ingannati
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As You Like It – Rosalynde
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Classical myths
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The Comedy of Errors – Plautus (Menaechmi)
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All’s Well That Ends Well – Decameron
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Measure for Measure – Promos and Cassandra
Romances
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The Tempest – Sea Venture accounts
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Cymbeline – Holinshed’s Chronicles
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Pericles – Confessio Amantis (Gower)
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The Winter’s Tale – Pandosto (Greene)
Poems
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Venus and Adonis – Ovid
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The Rape of Lucrece – Ovid
✅ MCQs on Shakespeare’s Works & Their Source Books
1. Which Shakespeare play is based on Saxo Grammaticus’s Historica Danica?
A. Macbeth
B. Hamlet
C. Othello
D. King Lear
Answer: B. Hamlet
2. The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet is the source of which play?
A. Twelfth Night
B. Romeo and Juliet
C. The Tempest
D. Much Ado About Nothing
Answer: B. Romeo and Juliet
3. Holinshed’s Chronicles is NOT a major source for which play?
A. Macbeth
B. Henry V
C. King Lear
D. Othello
Answer: D. Othello
4. “Un Capitano Moro” by Cinthio is the source story of:
A. Othello
B. Julius Caesar
C. The Tempest
D. Timon of Athens
Answer: A. Othello
5. Plutarch’s Lives is the main source of all the following EXCEPT:
A. Antony and Cleopatra
B. Coriolanus
C. Julius Caesar
D. The Merchant of Venice
Answer: D. The Merchant of Venice
6. Which Shakespeare comedy is based on an Italian play Gl’Ingannati?
A. As You Like It
B. Twelfth Night
C. All’s Well That Ends Well
D. Much Ado About Nothing
Answer: B. Twelfth Night
7. Rosalynde by Thomas Lodge is the source of:
A. The Tempest
B. As You Like It
C. Measure for Measure
D. Cymbeline
Answer: B. As You Like It
8. Pandosto by Robert Greene inspired which Shakespeare romance play?
A. The Winter’s Tale
B. Pericles
C. Cymbeline
D. The Tempest
Answer: A. The Winter’s Tale
9. Gower’s Confessio Amantis is the source for:
A. Pericles
B. Cymbeline
C. Measure for Measure
D. All’s Well That Ends Well
Answer: A. Pericles
10. Which Shakespearean tragedy draws greatly from both Holinshed and the older play King Leir?
A. Macbeth
B. King Lear
C. Hamlet
D. Timon of Athens
Answer: B. King Lear
Knowing the source books of Shakespeare’s plays helps you understand the origins of his plots, characters, and themes. These references are extremely important for competitive exams, literary analysis, and research.
Keep this list as your quick reference guide for UGC NET, SET, BA/MA English Literature, and content creation.
If you want, I can also create MCQs, PDFs, tables, flashcards, or infographic posts on the same topic.
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