This document provides an overview of William Shakespeare and his famous play Romeo and Juliet. It notes that Shakespeare was an English playwright who lived from 1564 to 1616 and wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Romeo and Juliet is one of his most famous tragedies, telling the story of the doomed love between the young title characters from feuding families in Verona, Italy. The play explores universal themes of love, hate, fate and death that still resonate with modern audiences over 400 years later.