When was Romeo and Juliet play written?

Romeo and Juliet, a play by William Shakespeare, was written around 1594–96 and first published without authorization in 1597. An authorized version was published in 1599, which was longer and more reliable. Another edition, based on the second, was used for the First Folio of 1623. The characters, Romeo and Juliet, have inspired literature, music, dance, and theater. They are iconic as star-crossed lovers from feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets.

Shakespeare drew inspiration from 'The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet' (1562), a narrative poem by English poet Arthur Brooke. Brooke, in turn, adapted the story from a French translation of a tale by the Italian Matteo Bandello.