Romeo & Juliet Vs West Side Story

Romeo & Juliet Vs West Side Story

*Romeo & Juliet* VS ~West Side Story~

Shakespeare's is one of the most read writers ever and his writing was so successful that not just one group of people liked it. He did this by relating to his audience using universal truths. . Human emotions are not something that change over time and they are also known as universal truths; love, hate, revenge, and envy are all examples of universal truths. This play was so successful that many other movies have copied the plot but changed the scenery. Over the past 400 years since this play was written the world has changed drastically, but the emotions and feelings in this play have withstood the test of time. This is why the movies, Romeo and Juliet (1996) and West Side Story (1961) were so successful. Shakespeare's play and the two movies modeled after it have many similarities and many differences, but one thing remains constant in all of them, They all use universal truths to relate to their audiences.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a timeless play that concentrates on many different human emotions and reactions. Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story are alike in many ways, they were both very successful in their day. West Side Story is essentially the same play that was revived in 1961. Like Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria are of opposite "families", They fall in love and their love is forbidden. Maria is Puerto Rican and Tony is Irish. In West Side Story they don't get married but they do have a torrid love affair. The hate between the two groups was modernized to racism and not as many of the main characters die in West Side Story.

One of the major differences is that Maria doesn't die, she is left alone. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet kills herself after she finds that Romeo has perished. Another major difference is that in Romeo and Juliet Romeo kills Paris who is supposed to marry Juliet then himself when he thinks that Juliet is dead. In West Side Story, Tony is...
  • Submitted by:
  • Date Submitted: 09/10/2008 07:13 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 714
  • Pages: 3
  • Views: 42
  • Rank: 3024

Related Essays

  • Hamlet Hamlet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). The American actor Edwin Booth as Hamlet, c....
  • 1984 Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quic...
  • Romeo And Juliet Romeo and Juliet- Analytical Essay The story that could have never been, The melodramatic story which we now recognise as Romeo and Juliet could have been a fairy...
  • How Does Shakespeare Use Dramatic Devices In Act 3 Scene 1 Of... How Does Shakespeare Use Dramatic Devices In Act 3 Scene 1 Of Romeo And Juliet In Order To Make It Such An Interesting, Exciting And Important Scene? How Does Sha...
  • Romeo And Juliet: Comparison Of Female Roles William Shakespeare's classic play Romeo and Juliet there are three main female characters, Lady Capulet, her daughter Juliet and their Nurse Angelica. They are a...

Saved Essays

Save essays to help find them more easily!

Join Now

Instant access to thousands of essays.

Join Now