Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
Romeo and Juliet had a profound influence on subsequent literature. Before then, romance had not even been viewed as a worthy topic for tragedy. In Harold Bloom's words, Shakespeare "invented the formula that the sexual becomes the erotic when crossed by the shadow of death". Of Shakespeare's works, Romeo and Juliet has generated the most—and the most varied—adaptations, including prose and verse narratives, drama, opera, orchestral and choral music, ballet, film, television, and painting. The word "Romeo" has even become synonymous with "male lover" in English.
The most famous and inspirational works of William Shakespeare include: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Orpheus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, The Tempest, Venus and Adonis, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure, The Winter's Tale and many more.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was een Engels toneelschrijver en dichter. Hij wordt door velen beschouwd als de beste schrijver die Engeland ooit heeft voortgebracht. Shakespeare schreef 38 tragedies, koningsdrama's en komedies. Daarnaast schreef hij 154 sonnetten en een aantal langere gedichten.
Over het algemeen is men het er over eens dat de meeste van de aan hem toegeschreven stukken zijn geschreven in de periode 1585–1610.
