Romeo And Juliet

An 1870 oil painting by

Ford Madox Brown

depicting Romeo and Juliet's

famous balcony scene.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy

written early in the

career of playwright

William Shakespeare

about two young "star-cross'd lovers"

whose deaths ultimately

unite their feuding families.

It was among Shakespeare's

most popular plays

during his lifetime and,

along with Hamlet and Macbeth,

is one of his most frequently

performed plays.

Today, the title characters

are regarded as archetypal

young lovers.

Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition

of tragic romances

stretching back to antiquity.

Its plot is based on an Italian tale,

translated into verse as

The Tragical History of Romeus

and Juliet

by Arthur Brooke in 1562,

and retold in prose in

Palace of Pleasure by

William Painter in 1582.

Romeo and Juliet has been adapted

numerous times for stage,

film, musical and opera.