Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous love story in the world and was already immensely popular during Shakespeare's lifetime. He wrote his drama around 1595, drawing on Arthur Brooke's epic poem Romeo and Juliet from 1562 as a source. With remarkable instinct, Shakespeare condenses the events surrounding the immortal lovers from the feuding houses of Montague and Capulet, giving the rapidly unfolding plot its tragic inevitability. Even today, couples from all over the world are drawn to the setting of the story in Verona, where the scenes take place, and whose love dialogues are considered some of the most beautiful in world literature.