The play West Side Story, by Arthur Laurents, is based upon the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Despite a few differences, both works, in essence, have the same plot. The source of violence in Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story is the ever-present hatred between families and between gangs, although, because of the "star-cross’d lovers" motif in Romeo and Juliet, the hatred plays a larger role in producing the ending of West Side Story than it does the ending of Romeo and Juliet. The tension and hatred between gangs in West Side Story has a drastic affect on Maria and Tony’s relationship as well as on the outcome of the play. Because of the hatred between their respective gangs, Tony and Maria are not able to meet or even talk in public - they must do it secretly. Also, Bernardo and Riff are strong focuses of hate. They cannot see past their blind hatred for each other. Because of this, both of them, as well as Tony, are killed in the "rumble." Anita’s hatred for the Jets is fueled by their treatment of her at Doc’s candy store. This influences her to tell them that Maria is dead, thus affecting the ending of the play. Chino is another source of hatred. When Tony kills Bernardo, Chino is driven by the need for revenge and he kills Tony. In order to fully understand the plot of West Side Story, one must have an understanding of the nature of gangs in the 1950’s and know the reasons for their actions. Between 1941 and 1956, more than 500,000 Puerto Ricans moved to major cities in the U.S. such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Cleveland. The majority of them lived in poor areas of their city. Puerto Rican gangs formed so that they could protect themselves from prejudiced Americans. Many people took advantage of the immigrants’ poor social status. For example, Bernardo says, "And Chino makes half what the Polack makes - the Polack is American!" (Laurents 165) Youth agencies and youth boards concluded that most gangs formed because of the poverty, disease, and racism present in the ghetto. Gangs, which were usually made up of teenagers, fought over girls, territory (otherwise known as "turf"), and racial matters. Italian, Jewish, and Irish gangs were worried that the Puerto Ricans were taking over their "turf". "Turf" could range... ... middle of paper ... ...and Juliet, when they marry, must marry secretly because of the feud. However, Maria and Tony do not marry, although they do perform a mock wedding. Another example of a difference is that Anita purposely tells the Jets that Maria is dead because of her hatred for them. But when Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead, he does it without knowing that it isn’t true. The last major difference between the two works is the death of the heroine. Juliet kills herself because she knows that her Romeo is dead and she cannot live without him. However, Maria is left alive at the end of West Side Story. It is almost as though she does not die so that she can accuse society of its prejudicial attitude against the Puerto Ricans and reveal everyone’s role in her and Tony’s love story. As it is with any work that is based on something else, it is the differences as well as the similarities that make both the original and the inspired appealing. Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story continue to portray the common themes of hatred and violence. However, because Juliet and Romeo’s relationship is so altered by fate, they are less affected by the violence in their society than Tony and Maria are.
Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story have many differences and similarities. Characters such as Chino and Count Paris are very similar. There are also many similar events like their rumble. However, there are some differences in the scenes such as the tomb scene.There are many similarities and differences in West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet.
Paramount aspect of the movie and the play, the theme, were the same, and the overall messages in both were the same. For example, one main message in the stories was that love conquers all. This was demonstrated in both the play and the film when Romeo and Juliet kept secretly meeting each other even though they knew it was against their families’ wishes. In one scene of both the movie and the play Romeo and Juliet even got married and died together so that even if they could not be together on earth they would be together in death.
In 1596, William Shakespeare published the tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The origins of this story are uncertain but Shakespeare’s chief source for his adoption of the story was from “…The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, a poem by Arthur Brooke (1562). He also knew the story from Palace of Pleasure, by William Painter, which appeared in several editions prior to 1580.”(Boyce 563) Shakespeare’s classic tale is about “two young lovers caught in the crossfire of a senseless family feud.”(Shakespeare 3) This feud between the two families ultimately is the cause of the two lovers untimely demise. In 1996, Baz Luhrmann produced a modern film of the classic tragedy entitled William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. Adding familiar images and common ideas, Luhrmann brought the classic story to modern times. Though Romeo + Juliet has many differences from the original version from Shakespeare, it supports the original characters, themes, dialogue, and key issues of the classic tale of the star-crossed lovers.
Romeo and Juliet is a play about two adolescents—Romeo and Juliet from two hostile families fall in love with each other. This prohibited love ultimately turns into a romantic tragedy, in which they commit suicide for each other. Both Franco Zeffirelli’s (1968) and Baz Lurhmann’s (1996) versions retained the dialogues written by William Shakespeare in their movies. However, these two movies are directed in their own unique ways, which have several distinctive differences.
In the book The Outsiders the people joined the gang for protection from the Socs who liked to jump them like in the West Side Story the people join for there protection against the other gang from kicking them out but they also join to protect their place to live. They both are in Gangs for protection but unlike The Outsiders where the gangs are divided by social class, the gangs in the West Side Story are divided by race.
How are modern day gangs compared to Shakespeare’s book, “Romeo and Juliet?” Romeo and Juliet is based on a play and gang violence can be based on a play, a real life story, or reality. Today, I will be comparing modern day gang violence in California to the family feud in Romeo and Juliet. The purpose for writing this essay is to inform readers on how family issues can be considered as gang related issues.
In comparison, Romeo and Juliet story can be compared to West Side Story. For instance, the dance held in both stories is where the lovers met. The common trait between the love of Romeo & Juliet and Tony & Maria was it was forbidden. Both Romeo and Tony angered their friends because they neglected them for their lovers. Also, both Maria and Juliet completely disagree with their arranged marriages. However, the difference between these stories is only one lead to the death of both
The romantic tension between Romeo and Juliet and Tony and Maria in Shakespears original play and its modern day remake, Westside Story, is what makes them have such passionate and entrancing scenes. The main reason for romantic tension in these two plays is because the two couples can’t be together like they want to be. There are many different aspects that create different quality of romantic tension in these two scenes. Although the two plays have similar plots, the romantic tension between the two lovers is very different because of the setting, the language and the circumstances in which the lovers face.
West Side Story is about the Jets and the Sharks, both gangs were formed first by others, identifying them as a gang, or unified group, and then by every member identifying under that gang title. This is the basis of the concept coined by sociologist as labeling theory, which is defined as “the belief that individuals subconsciously notice how others see or label them, and their reactions to those labels, over time, form the basis of their self-identity” (Conley, __). In the movie West Side Story, Bernardo was known as a Shark, no matter where he went, the police officers, the school teachers, the owner of the local store, and members of the Jets knew that Bernardo was a Shark. In turn Bernardo viewed himself as a shark, and the leader of the
Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story share many similar themes. Romeo and Juliet both chronicle a story of overcoming prejudice and hatred, forbidden love, and defying stereotypes that nobody thought could be broken. The two stories are similar in a multitude of ways, even though their settings are centuries apart- Romeo and Juliet set in the 1500’s, and West Side Story set in the 1950’s. Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story both teach a lesson of how prejudice can teach you how to hate, and how one of your rivals may be the one who helps you remember how to love. In both Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, prejudices are so strong between two distinct groups of people that the hatred is passed from generation to generation, always against the same rival group.
The main characters, Romeo and Juliet, from the play Romeo and Juliet, as well as Tony and Maria, from West Side Story, join together in astonishment of each other. In both stories the lovers are practically frozen in time, trying to take in their love for each other. Once they have gotten past the initial sight of each other they realized that their families would not approve of their love, but both sets of characters refused to end their love affairs. In both stories the lovers snuck around, hoping for a way for them to be together. The couples refused to let the things such as a last name or where they came from tear them apart, and were willing to go through anything to be
“And remember, as it was written, to love another person is to see the face of God.” -Victor Hugo. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic, romantic play. The story takes place in place Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. It was produced in the 16th century. Romeo and Juliet is the tale of two lovers. The Remains of the Day deals with the conflicting emotions and feelings of a butler named Mr. Stevens. It was produced in the 21st century. Romeo and Juliet and The Remains of the Day are extremely similar in regards to theme and characters, and although there are contrasting elements in the setting and plot, there are still similarities to be found.
West Side Story is a play that has stood test of time. The musical is based on the story West Side Story by Arthur Laurents. Laurents wrote the book as a loose retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story was included in a book that contained more of Laurents works. The year in which the book of works was released is unknown. The original production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The production is based on a conception by Robbins. It was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Before West Side Story became the production it is, it was originally going to be called East Side Story. East Side Story was about an interreligious Christian/Jewish relationship between two young lovers. After
Secondly, a difference would be when Juliet finds her lover Romeo is dead Juliet kills herself, Maria doesn't kill herself but instead she takes out her emotions on the two gangs with a gun. When Romeo
As similarities, both stories center on star-crossed lovers; they come from different classes/levels, and in both stories, the man comes from a lower class, and the lady comes from royal society. Both of the ladies in the stories were being forced to marry another man, even if she loved someone else. Examples of differences are when in Romeo and Juliet, both Romeo and Juliet die, while only Jack dies in Titanic. In Romeo and Juliet, only a few characters die, and all their deaths are scattered throughout the book, while in Titanic, lots of people die, and they all die at once when the ship hit the iceberg and sinks. In Titanic, the upper and lower classes did not want to kill each other - like in Romeo and Juliet - they just treated them