who wrote romeo and juliet

The tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" was written by William Shakespeare. It is one of his most popular and frequently performed plays, believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595. The play tells the story of the tragic romance between two young lovers from feuding families in Verona, Italy. Shakespeare expanded the original plot by developing supporting characters and using poetic dramatic structure. The first published version appeared in 1597, although a poor-quality quarto edition was released then, with later corrected versions closer to Shakespeare's original text.