William Shakespeare's most famous play, Romeo and Juliet, is set in Renaissance Italy. Shakespeare was writing during the Elizabethan (or Tudor) period, which is contemporary to the Italian Renaissance. English culture of the time did bear some influence from the intellectual and artistic shifts of the mainland, and Shakespeare had likely read about Italian life or possibly even visited. Shakespeare does not mention a particular year for the setting of his play, but based on context clues, we can assume it to have been set around the time of his writing. For example, noble families played a large part in the development of the Renaissance. These families were wealthy enough that they could sway government and commission buildings or works of art to further their social standing. Of course, rivalries sprung up and often lasted for many generations. The feud between the Montagues and Capulets fits perfectly into the culture of Renaissance Italy.
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