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Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616; his lifetime spanned the  Anglo-SaxonElizabethanPlantagenetRegency and  medievalRestorationClassicalJacobean eras. The specific composition date of Romeo and Juliet is unknown; however, it is know that it was written during the  historiccomediclateearly part of Shakespeare’s career, around 1595–1597, during the Elizabethan era. 

The story of Romeo and Juliet was not created by Shakespeare; it is based on an Italian tale, first translated into English by Arthur Brooke in 1562 in his narrative poem 'The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet'. Using existing work(s) as a basis for a play is something Shakespeare  did only twice, for Romeo and Juliet and King Leardid oftendid not do oftendid only twice, for Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a more developed version of this tale than its predecessors. It has a carefully woven narrative, subtle characterisation, strong overarching themes, and an intricate use of language; these elements are  found only in Acts 3–5 of Romeo and Julietfound only in Romeo and Julietcharacteristic of Shakespeare's playsuncommon in Shakespeare's plays.

Romeo and Juliet is, in some ways, a reflection of the societal structure and gender norms of Elizabethan England. Sixteenth-century England was a   matriarchalMarxistfeministpatriarchal society in which men were generally considered to be   unsuitable for marriageinferiordominant leaderssubmissive, and women to be   dominantunsuitable for marriagetheir superiorstheir inferiors. It was thought that women needed to be looked after throughout their life, by their parents as they were growing up and then by their husbands once they were married. In the play, Juliet is controlled by her parents and treated as  an individualan animalworthlessproperty. When she does defy their wishes by refusing to marry  BenvolioParisMercutiothe prince, her parents are furious.

Juliet’s parents' decision to arrange her marriage seems bizarre by modern standards as Juliet is only   12151318 years old. However, in Elizabethan times, people typically got married at a much younger age than they do today. Parents would usually chose their child's partner based on factors such as  family connectionswhat languages they spokeheightappearance and wealth. When Lady Capulet presents the idea of marriage to Paris to Juliet in Act 1, Scene 2, she describes Paris as extremely handsome in order to persuade Juliet to think favourably about the marriage. However, the true motive behind her parents' desire for the marriage seems to be Paris's status. In Act 3, Scene 5, Capulet demonstrates this motive when he describes Paris as 'a gentleman of  noble parentagefine wordshigh regardwealth'.