Romeo And Juliet And West Side Story Essay example

Most people are familiar with the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, or the monumental musical of West Side Story. These two stories have obvious similarities in their basic plot lines, but many things are different as well. For example, the time periods, moods, and settings are polar opposite between the two. Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story are obviously similar in many ways, but there are many things that make each of these stories unique from the other.
The plot lines of Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story both have very evident similarities that can be easily picked out. Both of these stories have the main idea of two opposing sides at war with each other, then a member from each side happen to fall in love with each other. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Montague falls in love with Juliet Capulet, but the Montague and Capulet families have been rivals for centuries. In West Side Story, Tony, the best friend of the leader to the street gang the Jets, and Maria, sister of the leader to the Sharks, fall in love. The Jets and Sharks are rivals as well. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the main female character, Juliet, states, “My only love sprung from my only hate” (1.5.138)! Juliet is expressing that the only thing she hated was the Montagues, but the only thing she loved was a Montague. Another example, this one from West Side Story, by Arthur Laurents, the character Riff sings “Then you are set With a capital J/ Which you 'll never forget/ Till they…