Is Romeo and Juliet an original work?

The story of Romeo and Juliet is not an original work. It is based on an earlier Italian tale called 'The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet' written by Arthur Brooke in 1562. Brooke's poem was in turn inspired by an Italian novella called 'Historia novellamente ritrovata di due nobili amanti' written by Luigi da Porto in 1530.