The Text and Early Performances

Romeo and Juliet exists in three different texts: the first Quarto (Q1), published in 1597; the second Quarto (Q2), published in 1599; and the first Folio (F), published in 1623. It is, indeed, one of what is now called Shakespeare’s multi-text plays, and as is true with all these plays the existence of two or more texts creates challenges for editors, performers, readers, and scholars — and, as will be suggested, opportunities for thinking about performance.