Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was probably first performed in the 1590s. Scholars commonly date its composition to about 1591–1595, with a first performance likely around 1595.
The exact premiere date is not known because surviving theatrical records do not provide a definite first-performance entry. The play was printed in 1597, when an unauthorized quarto appeared, and a substantially fuller quarto followed in 1599. These early editions help establish the play’s place in Shakespeare’s chronology.
Dating Romeo and Juliet can be confused with dating its printed editions. The first known publication was in 1597, but publication came after the play had likely already been staged. The 1599 quarto is often regarded as a better and more authoritative early text.
The work’s language, verse style, and relationship to Shakespeare’s other plays support a date in the 1590s rather than the early seventeenth century.