Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK

Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare, 1597

Shakespeare's play has been free for centuries. Modern editions, West Side Story and the famous films each have their own owners.

First published
1597
Author died
1616
Original language
English
Start my adaptationOriginal texts

Copyright status

Copyright ends at different dates in different countries. Here is where this work stands in the three places most readers release in.
WhereStatus
United StatesPublic domain. First published in 1597, before 1931: the 95-year US term for works of that age has run out.
European Union and United KingdomPublic domain since 1 January 1687. William Shakespeare died in 1616, and the term is 70 years after the end of the year of death.
Other countriesMost countries protect a work for 50 to 100 years after its author's death, and some have transition rules. If you release or sell in a specific country, check its law.

Status checked on October 26, 2026 against the sources listed in our legal guide.

In Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets have been feuding for years. Romeo Montague falls in love with Juliet Capulet at her family's feast, and Friar Laurence marries them in secret the next day. When Juliet's cousin Tybalt kills Romeo's friend Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished. To escape a forced marriage, Juliet takes a potion that makes her seem dead; the message explaining the plan never reaches Romeo.

Free to use

  • The play's text, its characters (Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt, the Nurse, Friar Laurence) and the balcony scene.
  • Every line, including "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" and "A plague o' both your houses!"
  • The early printed texts, the 1597 and 1599 quartos and the 1623 First Folio.
  • Any setting: modern gangs, two companies, two planets, two families of your own.

Watch out for

  • Modern editions of Shakespeare add protected material: notes, introductions and editorial choices. Use an old edition or the early printed texts.
  • West Side Story (1957) and its songs are protected, as are the scripts, music and designs of the 1968 and 1996 films.
  • Music written for the story, such as Prokofiev's ballet score, has its own status in each country. Check it, and the recording, before using it.
  • Never prompt for an actor from a famous version.

The full rules, with the laws and court decisions behind them, are in our guide to adapting public domain works.

An adaptation idea

The message that never arrived: the story told by Friar John, the messenger who failed.

Format: A 15-minute short, or a feature in a modern city that keeps Shakespeare's lines.

Adapt it in ScreenWeaver

These are the steps as they run in ScreenWeaver today. You read and edit every step, and you start every generation yourself, in the app.

  1. 1Download the text below and save it as a PDF with a text layer. A play's dialogue is already split by character, which makes the scenes easy to build.
  2. 2Attach it to a film project and ask the assistant for the characters and places. Decide early whether you keep Shakespeare's verse or write modern dialogue.
  3. 3Write the art direction: the setting of your version, the two families' colours, the tomb. Add a style image of your own.
  4. 4Ask for the scenes act by act, then the shots of each scene.
  5. 5Generate the frames in Storyboard, then the clips in Production.

How a whole book becomes scenes and shots: novel to storyboard.

Original texts

Where to get Romeo and Juliet from a legal source

Questions

Is Romeo and Juliet public domain?
Yes. Shakespeare wrote it in the 1590s and died in 1616. It is free everywhere.
Can I use a modern edition of the play?
The text Shakespeare wrote is free, but a modern editor's notes, introduction and choices can be protected. Work from an old edition, or compare with the early printed texts.
Can I make my own West Side Story?
You can set Romeo and Juliet among rival gangs. You can't copy West Side Story's songs, characters or script, which are protected.

General information, not legal advice. Copyright, trademark and personality rights depend on the country and on the facts of each project. For a commercial release, have a lawyer check your chain of rights.

Other works to adapt

Start your adaptation.

Import Romeo and Juliet, build the cast and the places, write the scenes and cut them into shots. The Screenwriter plan is free.
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