Shakespeare for Everyone! | 16Personalities

Heading back to school? Maybe your teachers will assign you some Shakespeare to broaden your horizons. Or maybe you are just a fan of the Bard and want to check out a few plays for fun.

We at 16Personalities decided to dust off our copies of Shakespeare’s folio, and for fun, we thought we’d recommend a play that each personality type might enjoy. There’s so much to explore – let’s get started!

Analyst Personality Types

Architect (INTJ): Richard III

We aren’t saying that Architect personality types are like the diabolical Richard III. We’re thinking that all of the intrigue, plot twists, and Richard III’s overall dispassion will make an intriguing play for an analytically minded Architect like you to wrap your thoughts around.

Logician (INTP): Hamlet

We aren’t saying that Logicians are like the Prince of Denmark… Um, maybe we are. With lots of deep pondering and indecisiveness throughout this play, Logicians like you will probably be able to relate to (and learn from) Hamlet’s struggles and tragic flaws. Plus, it’s just a really great play!

Commander (ENTJ): Macbeth

The so-called Scottish Play is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies and one that many strong-willed Commander personalities may relate to. Macbeth might be able to provide some powerful lessons for determined Commanders. The hunt for power and control has many pitfalls, and one of the purposes of tragedy has always been to learn from someone else making bad decisions rather than making them yourself.

Debater (ENTP): The Merchant of Venice

This is a challenging play of morals, bad choices, and difficult decisions. The climactic courtroom scene is filled with witty banter and attempts at reparation for long-held grievances in the form of a literal pound of flesh. As a Debater with a very active mind, you should find a lot to observe and consider about human behavior.

Diplomat Personality Types

Advocate (INFJ): The Tempest

The Tempest is Shakespeare’s final, and some say greatest, play. It is not just an intriguing story with lots of depth – it is also a commentary on social justice that passionate Advocate personality types are likely to adore. Featuring sorcery, impassioned speeches, and injustices waiting to be fixed, it’s also a tale brimming with complex characters across the spectrum of humanity. It can offer a lot of insight into others – and yourself.

Mediator (INFP): As You Like It

We know you really wanted A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mediator, but give this one a try. It’s a love story with lots of twists and maybe not always the best choices. We think you’ll really like the story of two young women who, disguised and avoiding persecution with other exiles of the court, are struggling to figure out whether or not they can actually stand their fellow refugees.

Protagonist (ENFJ): Henry V

King Hal has come a long way since his party-boy days of creating more problems than he solved in Henry IV. Now he must lead his country in its long war against France. Henry is a beloved character because of his noble spirit, charismatic leadership, and classic quotes – all things that, as a Protagonist personality and a natural leader, you’ll likely appreciate. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!”

Campaigner (ENFP): A Midsummer Night’s Dream

As active as Campaigners like you are, this play might just get you to sit still. It’s got mischievous fairies, magically twisted love triangles (um, squares?), plays within plays (both literally and figuratively), and one Puckish character orchestrating all of the madness. Sounds like a fun time for a Campaigner. (And yes, Mediators, you will also have lots of fun with this one as we traipse down the pathway between illusion and reality.)

Sentinel Personality Types

Logistician (ISTJ): King Lear

We think you’ll be “mad” about this one, Logistician. It’s about people making bad decisions and struggling with the consequences, including betrayal, madness, and death. You’ll especially appreciate the story of Cordelia’s steadfast loyalty to her elderly father in the face of others’ cruelty, resentment, and greed.

Defender (ISFJ): The Merry Wives of Windsor

We think Defender personalities like you will enjoy the antics of the Merry Wives as they trick their would-be seductor into a trap of their own. It’s a comedy with romance – or, at least, the foolish Falstaff’s greedy attempts at romance – at its heart. This play will likely delight Defenders who know too well what it’s like when others attempt to take advantage of their kind natures.

Executive (ESTJ): Julius Caesar

Want to lead the world? Just be sure that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer – and we trust that you, Executive, will be better able to tell which is which than this play’s titular character. You may also want to pay attention when any random soothsayers warn you to beware the Ides of March. Just saying.

Consul (ESFJ): The Taming of the Shrew

What a great play, and we chose it for Consul personality types because of the intriguing plot and all the fun as Petruchio attempts to woo Katherina, a woman who really, really wants nothing to do with him – or any other suitor. You may initially identify with Katherina’s popular, well-loved younger sister, but we think that by the end you’ll be rooting for the story’s shrewish heroine.

Explorer Personality Types

Virtuoso (ISTP): Titus Andronicus

You may be like, Titus wha?, but really, Virtuosos should try this play out. A Roman general forces a German queen to marry him, and the result… Well, it isn’t good for anyone. We really, really think that you’ll revel in all the twists and turns of this dark but meaty play.

Adventurer (ISFP): Romeo and Juliet

What can we say? This play seems simple, but it always delivers. If you haven’t seen the 1996 Romeo + Juliet movie, definitely check it out – or if you have seen it, watch it again – we think aesthetic-loving Adventurer personalities will appreciate this version. Maybe create your own R&J-inspired work while you’re at it.

Entrepreneur (ESTP): Othello

Well, with the main antagonist having an Entrepreneur personality type, you may really enjoy watching the machinations and manipulations of his character as he sets Othello up for tragedy. This brooding story of passion and betrayal provides plenty of intrigue to keep any Entrepreneur engaged.

Entertainer (ESFP): Much Ado About Nothing

Is it true that being absolutely unable to stand someone is a sign of true love? Maybe? Benedick and Beatrice really, really can’t stand each other, but they also can’t seem to stop talking about each other. We think that you Entertainers out there will enjoy all of the delicious drama in this play.

Final Thoughts

We hope that you’ve had as much fun as we have diving into the great plays of Shakespeare!

For more information on any of these plays, check out the Folger Shakespeare Library’s list and summaries of all of Shakespeare’s works.

What is your personality type and favorite Shakespeare play? Any recommendations for your fellow students of the Bard? Let us know in the comments below!