The generally accepted number of plays written by William Shakespeare is 38. This includes plays he wrote alone and collaborations with other playwrights.
Here's a breakdown of the reasoning:
-
Scholarly consensus: Most Shakespearean scholars agree on 38 plays as part of the Shakespearean canon.
-
Variations: Some scholars might debate the authorship of a few plays, including "Double Falsehood" and parts of "Sir Thomas More."
-
Lost plays: There's also the possibility of lost plays that haven't survived.