Current events of 1600s
Romeo and Juliet the play was written by William Shakespeare somewhere between 1591 and 1596. The story of Romeo and Juliet takes place around the 1600s, therefore the story was not influenced very much by current events in the 1600s, Shakespeare may have had his story influenced by some events taking place in the late 1500s and early 1600s. In 1616 William Shakespeare dies, so he does not have his book influenced by events after that. The book was written in a time of war and conquering, this could be the reason that the story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. In 1552 the Russia conquered the Khanate of Kazan, followed by that the Spanish were defeated by the Ottoman Navy in 1560. The British and Spanish war on the Atlantic started in 1585. Many other events took place in the 1600s, in 1610 Galileo Galilei saw the moons of Jupiter through his telescope, and also saw the Copernican system. Understanding the current events from this time period can help you understand the text, because you know what is going on in this time period, besides the story you are reading. Current events can influence an author and his story. To fully understand a story from the past you must also know what else is going on in the world at this time.