Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that he wrote early on in his career. It is about the love affair that develops between two young Italians who come from families that are at odds with each other.

Shakespeare wrote one of his most well-known plays during his lifetime, and it is also one of the most frequently performed, even more so than Hamlet. In modern times, the characters in the title are considered to be the quintessential examples of young lovers.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is part of a long-standing tradition of tragic romances that dates back to ancient times. The plot is based on an Italian story that was written by Matteo Bandello.

In 1562, Arthur Brooke translated the story into verse and titled it The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. In 1567, William Painter retold the story in prose and titled it The Palace of Pleasure.

The plot was expanded by Shakespeare through the development of a number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both of these but expanded the plot.

It is suggested that the play was written between the years 1591 and 1595, and the quarto edition of the play was initially published in the year 1597. However, the text of the first quarto edition was of poor quality, and subsequent editions made corrections to the text to bring it closer to the original that Shakespeare had written.

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