Similarities Between Romeo And Juliet And West Side Story

Differences are what make people who they are. If everyone was the same, life would be boring. People have been saying this for as long as anyone can remember. However, differences can oftentimes be fatal. The ways in which diversity and divisions affect people and their relationships can be shown in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, as well as the film West Side Story, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. Romeo and Juliet takes place in the 1500s in the city of Verona. This tragic play tells the story of two teenagers from opposing families, the Capulets and the Montagues, who fall in love with each other against all odds. Eventually, the tensions between their families are too intense for them to bear, and the lead lovers of the

In order to do so, one must be informed of the relationships being affected in Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. To clarify, one is able to compare the ways in which race can affect relationships in both the play and the film because race divides. Even though race is not the issue in Romeo and Juliet, it is similar to the actual issue, which is bloodline, or the family one comes from. It is a pattern in world history that people want to feel superior. One can find it wherever they go, even in present-day High School. The problem of superiority comes in the form of the Capulets and Montagues fighting over who the richer family is in Romeo and Juliet whereas in West Side Story, it is the Jets believing they are superior to the Sharks simply because they are white. All in all, these dividing factors, no matter what they are, create the same hatred that will cause problems for the love that follows. In Romeo and Juliet, the young lovers that the play revolves around are obviously Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is a Montague, a few years older than the newfound love of his life, Juliet, who, incidentally, is a Capulet. The two meet at a party hosted by the Capulets that Romeo is not supposed to be at. However, the two fall in love anyway despite their bickering families. They soon are wed by a Friar, in secret of course, since they know their families will not approve of them being together. In the end , Romeo

Romeo would be the same person if he was a Montague or a Capulet or anything else. One could say the same about ethnicity. A person is not what they look like, or what a name on paper says about them. A person is their soul, their brain and their heart working together to create a personality that is the only thing that can ever define them. Juliet supposedly loves Romeo for who he is on the inside. She could care less what family he comes from. The same goes for Tony and Maria in West Side Story. In this film, the brawl occurs between rival gangs in New York City, the Jets and the Sharks. The reason for their argument, race, has been previously discussed. Now one must focus on the relationship that blooms from these two battling posses. Tony, a modern day version of Romeo, belongs to the Jets gang, which would clearly translate to be the Montagues. Maria is a Puerto Rican who comes from the Sharks, or the contemporary Capulets. Obviously, she would be playing the role of Juliet. Similar to the way in which Romeo and Juliet meet, Tony and Maria meet at a school dance and instantly fall in love. However, unlike Shakespeare’s protagonists, most everyone is aware of Tony and Maria’s feelings for each other, and openly disapprove. This is clearly a problem for anyone who wants to start a relationship with someone. Tony and Maria cannot start their lives together without approval from both of