West Side Story: Similarities and DIfferences between Romeo and Juliet and West SIde Story (the plot)

Here are  a few extracts outlining the similarities and difference of Romeo and Juliet and West Side  Story:


Key: Green=Romeo and Juliet (difference)
        Orange=WSS (difference)
        Red=Similarity

Laurence's West Side story is an apparition of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet differ in many ways. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona in about 1594. West Side Story takes in New York City in 1957. Tony is the modern character of Romeo and Maria is the modern character of Juliet. In the two tragedies the major conflict is two opposing families, or gangs, do not agree of the relationship of their child. This conflict was resolved in a very tragic manner, one of the two couples killed themselves the other couple just one got killed. When the death of the persons happened it brought the two foes together. West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet is indeed different in many ways...




Three incidents show Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story differs from one another. The first thing shows the difference between Maria and Juliet, and Romeo and Tony. When Juliet finds that her lover Romeo is dead Juliet kills herself. Maria does not kill herself but instead she puts her sadness into treating the two gangs with a gun. When Romeo finds Juliet supposedly dead he drinks poison to kill himself too. Chino killed Tony because Chino was in love with Maria but so was Tony. This is just one way that Romeo and Juliet differ from West Side Story...

Another way the two stories differ is the wealth of the two families, or gangs. At the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare describes the Montague's and the Capulet's houses. The size of the two houses shows how wealthy the families are. In West Side Story the author only tells about the Sharks dwelling. The Sharks live in an apartment which shows that the Sharks are not wealthy. The Sharks and the Jets are very poor compared to the Capulets'' and the Montagues'...Swords were used in Romeo and Juliet and guns were used in West Side Story. The reason guns were used in West Side Story was to make the story more modern. Swords were really used in the time of Romeo and Juliet. These are just a few ways that Romeo and Juliet differ from West Side Story...


Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, two timeless dramas that will live forever. One main difference is that in Romeo and Juliet the sililoquy is spoken while in West Side Story there is sililoquy, but it is in song.  While both equally express the character's feelings at the moment, it is my feeling that West Side
Story's musical style brings the viewer/listener further into the play and makes the play more effective.  An example of this is when, in Act II, Scene II, of Romeo and Juliet, otherwise known as the balcony scene, Romeo expresses his thoughts in a sililoquy until Juliet shows up.  While in Romeo and Juliet all of this is spoken, in West Side Story, this is written as music shared between Maria and Tony...

Another major difference between these two stories is that in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet sees Romeo dead and decides to kill herself.  While, in West Side Story, Tony (the Romeo of the play) does die - shot by Chino- Maria is not so stricken and overshelmed that she decides to kill herself.  This is very important because in Romeo and Juliet, neither Romeo or Juliet is allowed to move on with their lives.  In West Side Story, however, I'm sure Maria, although not shown in the film, moves on and gets over Tony...My theory on why the above is true, is that Romeo and Juliet are kept apart by family ties or blood; Juliet a Capulet and Romeo a Montague.  Blood ties are what family is all about and tend to be very strong bonds.  In West Side Story the only thing holding each other back from one another are their ties to gangs; Maria, the Sharks and Tony,the Jets.  This, in my eyes, makes Romeo and Juliet's love for one another stronger than Maria and Tony's.  This is why it is easier for Maria to get over Tony...
Also a major difference between these tragedies is the issue, or non- issue as it were, of marriage.  Marriage is another tie that Romeo and Juliet have that Tony and Maria don't.  In Romeo and Juliet's case marriage is seriously brought up almost immediately after they meet.  In Tony and Maria's case marriage is brought up but, only in a joking/kidding manner.  To me this indicates that Romeo and Juliet are more grown up and ready to tackle life's challenges, while Tony and Maria are a little more childish and unprepared for what they've gotten themselves into...

Although not a major difference, there is the absence of Tony and Maria's parents.  This may not affect the story too much, but Romeo and Juliet's parents come into major play in William Shakespeare's love story or love tragedy, depending on your point of view.  In Romeo and Juliet, without Lord Capulet there is no wedding conflict and much of the quick "thinking" doesn't have to take place...