of these works is equally conjectural as that of Romeo and Juliet,
and the argument of style is inconclusive, since it could also be
maintained that parts of Romeo and Juliet resemble Shakespeare's
earliest work, traditionally dated in the opening years of the
1590's. If in the future Shakespeare's sonnets and first few plays
are redated somewhat earlier, more respect may be accorded the
date of 1591 which, since there was an earthquake in England
in 1580, is suggested by the Nurse's statement that Juliet's wean-
ing is 'since the earthquake now eleven years' (I.3.25). The
implication of this topical allusion is usually rejected, in part
because Romeo and Juliet was a popular play and there are no
extant references to it before 1598. However, if the play was
written in 1591 or 1592, it might have been performed only a few
times before the plague closed London theaters in 1592; ²² and
thus its popularity may date from the reopening of theaters
in 1594. A conservative conjecture for the date of composition
is 1591 or 1592.

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