Ten Of The Best Drama Books
Dramas performed on the stage have become a popular way of entertainment since ancient times. They were presented as a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., presented in a theatre, on a stage or radio or television. However, people soon understood that there exists a pleasure of ‘reading dramas’ instead of sitting in the theatre watching the performance on the stage.Â
On the other hand, if you admire the moment of sitting in your home comfortably with a book in your hand and love dramas, this is the best way to go with. Here is a list of top 10 must-read drama books in 2020 that you have to try!
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1. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine (Editor), Barbara A. Mowat
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy published early in his career by William Shakespeare about two innocent star-crossed lovers whose murders eventually unite their feuding societies. It was among the most famous works of Shakespeare during his lifetime and is one of his most often performed plays along with Hamlet. Today the main characters are called archetypal teenage couples.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 368
Goodreads rating – 3.74/ 5
Our rating – 6.5/ 10
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2. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Harold Bloom (Contributor), Rex Gibson (Editor)
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s lengthy work and is deemed one of the world’s most influential and prominent literary works, with a plot worthy of “seemingly infinite reimagining and translation by others”. It was one of Shakespeare’s most famous works throughout his life and still rates among his most effective, leading the Royal Shakespeare Company performance list and its predecessor.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 289
Goodreads rating – 4.02/ 5
Our rating – 8.2/ 10
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3. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
A brave Scottish general named Macbeth obtains from either a trio of witches a revelation that he might one day be the King of Scotland. Consumed with greed and persuaded by his wife to move, Macbeth is killing King Duncan and claiming for himself the Scottish throne. He would then be beset with paranoia and guilt. He soon will become a tyrannical leader, accused of committing ever more killings to safeguard himself from hostility and mistrust. The bloodbath and the resulting civil war quickly takes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the worlds of insanity and destruction.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 249
Goodreads rating – 3.90/ 5
Our rating – 7.9/ 10
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4. Othello by William Shakespeare
The story revolves all over two of its main characters: Othello, a Venetian army Moorish general, and his traitorous admiral, Iago. Despite its complex and recurring themes of injustice, passion, envy, deception, vengeance, and redemption, Othello is still regularly presented in both professional and community theatre and has been the basis of several operatic, television, and literary adaptations.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 314
Goodreads rating – 3.94/ 5
Our rating – 8.0/ 10
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5. King Lear by William Shakespeare
King Lear is a disaster William Shakespeare has written down. This tells the story of a king who legates his authority and property to two of his three daughters after proclaiming their affection for him in an incredibly fawning and obsequious manner. His third daughter does not get much, so she won’t flatter him as her sisters did. He is angry to the point of insanity as he feels disrespected by the two daughters who now have his wealth and power. He eventually gets reconciled tenderly with his third daughter, just before the tragedy strikes her and then the king.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 338
Goodreads rating – 3.91/ 5
Our rating – 7.9/ 10
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6. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Waiting for Godot is a drama written by Samuel Beckett wherein two protagonists, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), wait for someone called Godot to arrive and, while having to wait, indulge in a multitude of conversations and meet three certain characters. Waiting for Godot is Beckett’s translation of his first French-language play, En attendant Godot, and subtitled (in English only) “a tragicomedy in two acts”.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 109
Goodreads rating – 3.83/ 5
Our rating – 7.7/ 10
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7. The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The Tempest is a play written originally in 1610–1611 by William Shakespeare and considered as one of the last works Shakespeare composed alone. After the first scene that occurs throughout a storm on a ship at sea, The rest of the story is centred on a remote island wizard Prospero, a fascinating and ambiguous hero, resides with his daughter Miranda and his two servants — Caliban, a wild beast creature, and Ariel, an airy spirit.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 218
Goodreads rating – 3.81/ 5
Our rating – 7.6/ 10
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8. The Crucible by Arthur Miller,Christopher Bigsby (Introduction)
The Crucible is a mirror used by Miller to reflect the anti-communist hysteria that was motivated by the “witch-hunts” of Senator Joseph McCarthy in the US. Inside the document as a whole, Miller contemplates the similarities, reading, “Political opposition… is provided with a cruel icon, which further validates the repeal of all usually applicable traditions of civilized behaviour. Political policy is linked with legal right and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence.”
Genre – Drama
Pages – 143
Goodreads rating – 3.58/ 5
Our rating – 7.2/ 10
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9. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman is a stage play by American playwright Arthur Miller, published in 1949. This won the 1949 Pulitzer Drama Prize, and the Best Play Tony Award. The game made its debut in February 1949, lasting for 742 days, and was revived four times on Broadway, winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival. This is widely considered as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century.
Genre – Drama
Pages – 117
Goodreads rating – 3.51/ 5
Our rating – 7.1/ 10
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10.The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The madcap farce of Oscar Wilde over mistaken identities, hidden engagements, and interferences of lovers still revelled readers more than just a century after publishing and finale quality in 1895. For decades, the gradual-fire wit and loveable characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a staple of the high school curriculum.
 Genre – Drama
Pages – 76
Goodreads rating – 4.17/ 5
Our rating – 8.3/ 10
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Also See : Ten Drama Movies Like Dunkirk (2017)
