It might seem surprising to modern audiences that this story wasn’t treading any new ground at the time of its “conception,” and some might wonder why the brilliant and mighty Shakespeare might have retold a story whose twisted ending came as no surprise to its audience. The tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers existed for a few hundred years before Shakespeare took a stab at it, and audiences in the early modern era were familiar with the story before setting foot in the theater. Romeo and Juliet is one of the best known, and yet Shakespeare did not invent the story. In his lifetime, William Shakespeare wrote thirty-nine plays, most of which are still read and performed today. 400 years in the future, a literary scholar may marvel over the complexity of rhyme and rhythm of a Jay Z song as we marvel over Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Though we may find his writing an eloquent maze of prose today, we must remember that he was writing to every class and creed. Shakespeare is largely considered to be the greatest writer in the English language.
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