Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet was written between the years of 1591 and 1596. 1595 is accepted as the most likely date by scholars.

As in most Shakespearean plays, the idea was not an original one. This is not to say that Shakespeare plagiarized work or stole ideas, he merely took inspiration from other sources and, ultimately, improved the originals!

The main source for the play is most likely to have been a long poem by Arthur Brooke called "The Tragical Historie of Romeo and Juliet" (1562). Brooke's poem was, in turn, originally based on the Greek myth of Pyramus and Thisbe.� Shakespeare probably relied heavily on this text for much of the inspiration for his play.

This kind of story � children of enemies falling in love � is very common in history and in literature. West Side Story shares the same central idea, as does the feuding episode from Mark Twain�s Huckleberry Finn.

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