There are many dramatic plays that have been done over many times. Sometimes the remake is more popular that the original, sometimes not. Romeo and Juliet may be the most popular to fit into this category. West Side Story was made to be a modern day Romeo and Juliet, therefore there are many similarities in these two plays, but also many scenes and character traits that are unique to their individual play. This essay will compare Tony and Romeo, Juliet and Maria, and the endings of the two stories.
Tony and Romeo both fall in love with someone they cannot be with very early on in the story. They both end up meeting their rushed love at a party, which neither of them wanted to go to; they had to be persuaded by their friends. For Tony, the girl is a Puerto Rican named Maria, who is the sister of the rival gang's leader. As for Romeo, it is a Capulet, Juliet, whom his family is feuding with. Both of these young men died because they were told that their love had died. Tony was told that Maria was killed by Chino, therefore he went out searching for …show more content…
Both stories end with a fight and at least one death. In West Side Story, Tony has been killed by Chino out of hate, and in Romeo and Juliet Romeo has killed himself out of apparent grief for Juliet. Tony's death could be considered a suicide for the fact that he went out searching for his killer, but he did not actually kill himself like Romeo did. Upon finding Romeo dead, Juliet also kills herself, finding life not worth living without him. Maria however acts maturely and stands up for what she believes was the cause of all the deaths that took place throughout the play, which was the hate between the two gangs. She does not kill herself, but instead gives the two gangs wise words accompanied by a stern tone. The ending of Romeo and Juliet was also caused by the hate between the two families of Montague and
Tony and Romeo both fall in love with someone they cannot be with very early on in the story. They both end up meeting their rushed love at a party, which neither of them wanted to go to; they had to be persuaded by their friends. For Tony, the girl is a Puerto Rican named Maria, who is the sister of the rival gang's leader. As for Romeo, it is a Capulet, Juliet, whom his family is feuding with. Both of these young men died because they were told that their love had died. Tony was told that Maria was killed by Chino, therefore he went out searching for …show more content…
Both stories end with a fight and at least one death. In West Side Story, Tony has been killed by Chino out of hate, and in Romeo and Juliet Romeo has killed himself out of apparent grief for Juliet. Tony's death could be considered a suicide for the fact that he went out searching for his killer, but he did not actually kill himself like Romeo did. Upon finding Romeo dead, Juliet also kills herself, finding life not worth living without him. Maria however acts maturely and stands up for what she believes was the cause of all the deaths that took place throughout the play, which was the hate between the two gangs. She does not kill herself, but instead gives the two gangs wise words accompanied by a stern tone. The ending of Romeo and Juliet was also caused by the hate between the two families of Montague and