Sources for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In 1320, Dante mentions the "Montecchi “(Montagues) and the “Cappelletti” (Capulets) in his Divine Comedy. Come and see, you who are negligent, ‘Montagues and Capulets, Monaldi and Fillppeschi One lot already grieving, the other in fear. The reference is part of a polemic against the moral decay of Italy because of the centuries-long struggle for influence between the Holy Roman Empire and successive popes, leading to incessant bickering and warfare between rival political parties. In 1476: Salemnitano sets the story of "Mariotto and Gianozza” in then contemporary Siena (includes a secret marriage, the colluding friar, Mariotto's exile, Gianozza's forced marriage, the potion plot, and the crucial message that goes astray). In 1530 Luigi da Porto adapted the story as Giulietta e Romeo and gave it much of its modern form, including the names of the lovers, the rival families of Montecchi and Capuleti, and the location in Verona. He claimed it took place in the late 1300s. In 1554, Matteo Bandello published a version of Giu/etta e Romeo.) Bandello emphasises Romeo's initial depression and the feud between the families. In 1562 Arthur Brooke writes a narrative poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. This collection included a prose version of "The goodly History of the true and constant love of Romeo and Juliett". In 1595, William Shakespeare follows Brooke's poem closely, but adds extra detail to both major and minor characters (in particular the Nurse and Mercutio).