The document provides background information on William Shakespeare and his most famous play, Romeo and Juliet. It discusses that Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet from 1564 to 1616 who is considered the greatest writer in the English language. Romeo and Juliet is one of his most renowned tragedies, written in the late 1590s, which has inspired many modern adaptations like West Side Story. The play was performed in an open-air theater called The Globe with minimal staging and effects, and only men and boys acted all roles on stage during Shakespeare's time. The plot of Romeo and Juliet follows the classic tragedy structure of exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action,

1. William Shakespeare Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English Literature