* Aeschylus (525-456 BCE): Aeschylus is considered the father of tragedy. He wrote over 90 plays, of which only seven have survived. His most famous works include *The Oresteia*, *Prometheus Bound*, and *Seven Against Thebes*.
* Sophocles (496-406 BCE): Sophocles is considered one of the greatest playwrights of all time. He wrote over 120 plays, of which only seven have survived. His most famous works include *Oedipus Rex*, *Antigone*, and *Electra*.
* Euripides (480-406 BCE): Euripides is considered one of the most innovative playwrights of all time. He wrote over 90 plays, of which only 19 have survived. His most famous works include *Medea*, *The Trojan Women*, and *The Bacchae*.
Renaissance England
* William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all time. He wrote over 38 plays, including *Romeo and Juliet*, *Hamlet*, *Macbeth*, and *King Lear*.
* Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593): Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare and is considered one of the most important Elizabethan dramatists. He wrote over 20 plays, including *Tamburlaine*, *Doctor Faustus*, and *Edward II*.
* Ben Jonson (1572-1637): Jonson was a playwright, poet, and actor. He wrote over 50 plays, including *Volpone*, *The Alchemist*, and *Bartholomew Fair*.
19th-Century Europe
* Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906): Ibsen is considered one of the most important playwrights of the 19th century. He wrote over 30 plays, including *A Doll's House*, *Ghosts*, and *The Wild Duck*.
* Anton Chekhov (1860-1904): Chekhov is considered one of the greatest short-story writers and playwrights of all time. He wrote over 20 plays, including *The Cherry Orchard*, *Three Sisters*, and *Uncle Vanya*.
* August Strindberg (1849-1912): Strindberg is considered one of the most important Swedish playwrights of all time. He wrote over 50 plays, including *The Father*, *Miss Julie*, and *The Ghost Sonata*.
20th-Century America
* Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953): O'Neill is considered one of the greatest American playwrights of all time. He wrote over 40 plays, including *The Emperor Jones*, *Long Day's Journey into Night*, and *A Moon for the Misbegotten*.
* Arthur Miller (1915-2005): Miller is considered one of the most important American playwrights of the 20th century. He wrote over 30 plays, including *Death of a Salesman*, *The Crucible*, and *A View from the Bridge*.
* Tennessee Williams (1911-1983): Williams is considered one of the most important American playwrights of the 20th century. He wrote over 30 plays, including *A Streetcar Named Desire*, *Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*, and *The Glass Menagerie*.