 In his 1562 narrative poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet , Arthur Brooke translated Boaistuau faithfully , but adjusted it to reflect parts of Chaucer 's Troilus and Criseyde . There was a trend among writers and playwrights to publish works based on Italian <unk> — Italian tales were very popular among theatre @-@ goers — and Shakespeare may well have been familiar with William Painter 's 1567 collection of Italian tales titled Palace of Pleasure . This collection included a version in prose of the Romeo and Juliet story named " The goodly History of the true and constant love of Romeo and <unk> " . Shakespeare took advantage of this popularity : The Merchant of Venice , Much Ado About Nothing , All 's Well That Ends Well , Measure for Measure , and Romeo and Juliet are all from Italian novelle . Romeo and Juliet is a dramatisation of Brooke 's translation , and Shakespeare follows the poem closely , but adds extra detail to both major and minor characters ( in particular the Nurse and Mercutio ) . 
