William Shakespeare is almost universally considered the English language's most famous and greatest writer. In fact, the only people who might dispute that are those who think he didn't write the surviving 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems still attributed to him. Even people who never get around to reading his works in class are instantly familiar with titles like King Lear, Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo & Shakespeare.

Of all Shakespeare's works, Romeo & Juliet is probably the most famous of all. Arguably the most famous play in history, everyone is familiar with the classic tragedy, which tells the love story of a young boy and girl from rival families, and the fateful results that come about because of their forbidden love.