Tragedy, intrigue, drama, and sacrifice are all terms which describe the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, one of all most popular works written by English playwright William Shakespeare. Others such as Leslie Stuart and Riccardo Cocciante have even created their own spin on Romeo and Juliet, paralleling it to other plays, musicals, or other literary works such as, The Belle of Mayfair and Giulietta e Romeo. Providing an outstanding example of this, is the musical West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein.
Bernstein created a very similar story of Romeo and Juliet, A West Side Story. In comparing the two tales, one could draw several close parallels between the characters and plots. Both stories begin by introducing two rival groups. …show more content…
From Romeo and Tony, to Juliet and Maria. For example, Romeo shares similar traits to Tony. Since they both fall in love with someone they can't be with, they both try to come to good terms with their enemies and in the end, pay the ultimate price for their efforts. Both have similar personalities as well. Romeo and Tony are definitively impulsive as evidenced by their desire to marry or run away with the girl that they fall in love with respectively the day after meeting them. Similar decisions follow this action, including visiting the object of their affections and risking getting caught, and attempting to stop a fight, but failing. In the end, both meet the same fate as they die. However, between these characters, there are also significant differences. For example, one of the most striking differences is Romeo and Tony’s socio-economic backgrounds. Romeo Montague is the son of one of the most rich and powerful families in the city of Verona. Tony is the son of Polish immigrants, one of whom goes to night school. We can imagine Tony’s abject poverty as he is the co-founder of a gang with his best friend in order to have familial ties. Further evidence that these primary characters play the same roles comes in the form of Juliet and Maria. These two are similar because they both are women who fall in love with someone who is beyond their reach while they are promised to men that they do not love. As with Romeo and Tony, their defining characteristics are the same. Both girls are respectful to their elders as shown by Juliet acting respectfully towards her mother in the third scene when we first meet her, and Maria acting respectfully in the beginning of the movie when Maria's mom tells her to come back inside. Another personality trait which makes them similar is their kind nature. The reader observes this when Juliet shows
Bernstein created a very similar story of Romeo and Juliet, A West Side Story. In comparing the two tales, one could draw several close parallels between the characters and plots. Both stories begin by introducing two rival groups. …show more content…
From Romeo and Tony, to Juliet and Maria. For example, Romeo shares similar traits to Tony. Since they both fall in love with someone they can't be with, they both try to come to good terms with their enemies and in the end, pay the ultimate price for their efforts. Both have similar personalities as well. Romeo and Tony are definitively impulsive as evidenced by their desire to marry or run away with the girl that they fall in love with respectively the day after meeting them. Similar decisions follow this action, including visiting the object of their affections and risking getting caught, and attempting to stop a fight, but failing. In the end, both meet the same fate as they die. However, between these characters, there are also significant differences. For example, one of the most striking differences is Romeo and Tony’s socio-economic backgrounds. Romeo Montague is the son of one of the most rich and powerful families in the city of Verona. Tony is the son of Polish immigrants, one of whom goes to night school. We can imagine Tony’s abject poverty as he is the co-founder of a gang with his best friend in order to have familial ties. Further evidence that these primary characters play the same roles comes in the form of Juliet and Maria. These two are similar because they both are women who fall in love with someone who is beyond their reach while they are promised to men that they do not love. As with Romeo and Tony, their defining characteristics are the same. Both girls are respectful to their elders as shown by Juliet acting respectfully towards her mother in the third scene when we first meet her, and Maria acting respectfully in the beginning of the movie when Maria's mom tells her to come back inside. Another personality trait which makes them similar is their kind nature. The reader observes this when Juliet shows