How Long Is Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet is a play by William Shakespeare that is set in Verona, Italy. The story follows the star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet as they fall in love at first sight. The play was first performed in 1595, and has since been adapted for stage, film and television countless times. The play is set over the course of five days. The first act takes place on St. Valentine’s Day, when Romeo attends a party thrown by his friends Benvolio and Mercutio at the Capulet mansion. There he meets Juliet for the first time, and instantly falls in love with her. Later that night he sneaks into her bedroom to meet her again, where they pledge their love for each other without knowing who they really are. Romeo returns home to find out that his father has arranged for him to marry Rosaline—a girl who doesn’t even like him—and tells his father he will never marry anyone else but Juliet. When Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) insults Romeo at a later party, he gets into a fight with him which ends up with Tybalt dead (Romeo killed him). Because of this Romeo is banished from Verona until he can prove himself worthy enough.