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 shakespeares most popular plays during his lifetime and along with hamlet is one of his most frequently performed playstoday the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and juliet play by william shakespeare written about 1594 96 and first published in an unauthorized quarto in 1597 the appeal of the young hero and heroine is such that they have become in the popular imagination the representative of star crossed lovers. Romeo and juliet is a tragedy written by william shakespeare between 1591 1595 and it remains one of his most popular and frequently performed plays the romance between romeo and juliet has become the foundation for many derivative romantic works and established the title characters as the best known of any young lovers in literature. William shakespeare william shakespeare romeo and juliet apart from the early titus andronicus the only other play that shakespeare wrote prior to 1599 that is classified as a tragedy is romeo and juliet c 1594 96 which is quite untypical of the tragedies that are to follow written more or less at the time when shakespeare was writing a midsummer nights dream romeo and juliet