 Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet was published in two quarto editions prior to the publication of the First Folio of 1623 . These are referred to as Q1 and Q2 . The first printed edition , Q1 , appeared in early 1597 , printed by John Danter . Because its text contains numerous differences from the later editions , it is labelled a ' bad quarto ' ; the 20th @-@ century editor T. J. B. Spencer described it as " a detestable text , probably a reconstruction of the play from the imperfect memories of one or two of the actors " , suggesting that it had been pirated for publication . An alternative explanation for Q1 's shortcomings is that the play ( like many others of the time ) may have been heavily edited before performance by the playing company . In any event , its appearance in early 1597 makes 1596 the latest possible date for the play 's composition . 
