FREE ESSAY ON ROMEO & JULIET VS. WEST SIDE STORY

ROMEO & JULIET VS. WEST SIDE STORY

Shakespeare's is one of the most read writers ever and his writing was so successful that
not just one group of people liked it. He did this by relating to his audience using
universal truths. . Human emotions are not something that change over time and they are
also known as universal truths; love, hate, revenge, and envy are all examples of
universal truths. This play was so successful that many other movies have copied the plot
but changed the scenery. Over the past 400 years since this play was written the world
has changed drastically, but the emotions and feelings in this play have withstood the
test of time. This is why the movies, Romeo and Juliet (1996) and West Side Story (1961)
were so successful. Shakespeare's play and the two movies modeled after it have many
similarities and many differences, but one thing remains constant in all of them, They
all use universal truths to relate to their audiences.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a timeless play that concentrates on many different
human emotions and reactions. Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story are alike in many
ways, they were both very successful in their day. West Side Story is essentially the
same play that was revived in 1961. Like Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria are of opposite
families, They fall in love and their love is forbidden. Maria is Puerto Rican and Tony
is Irish. In West Side Story they don't get married but they do have a torrid love
affair. The hate between the two groups was modernized to racism and not as many of the
main characters die in West Side Story. 
One of the major differences is that Maria doesn't die, she is left alone. In Romeo and
Juliet, Juliet kills herself after she finds that Romeo has perished. Another major
difference is that in Romeo and Juliet Romeo kills Paris who is supposed to marry Juliet
then himself when he thinks that Juliet is dead. In West Side Story, Tony is killed by
Chino (the equivalent of Paris) . Romeo and Juliet has a stronger sense of love and
irony. 
Love is a universal truth that is portrayed similarly in both Romeo and Juliet and West
Side Story. Two members of warring groups fall in love. Love is something that we can all
relate to in one way or another and it will never change over time. In Romeo and Juliet
both Romeo and Juliet have such a strong love for each other that they both commit
suicide when the other dies. In West Side Story, Tony and Maria talk of running away and
they have such a strong love that they believe that they can end the hatred with their
love. 
Hate is another universal truth that has a strong influence in both of these plots.
Everyone has felt hate at one time or another in their life. As it is in Romeo and Juliet
with Mercutio and Tybalt, in West Side Story Maria's brother, Bernardo and Tony's best
friend, Riff are the focus of hate. These characters could not see past their blind
hatred and many others were killed.
The original play Romeo and Juliet and the new movie are almost exactly alike in their
script, but the interpretation of the dialogue is unique to the actors. One major
difference is that at the end of the original play the two families end their feud but in
the new movie that is not shown. Irony is when something ends up being the opposite of
it's obvious and literal beginning and this change takes out the whole sense of irony
that Friar Laurence achieved when he joined the two families.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was such a classic that today it is considered a standard.
This story was so well written to please audiences that is was redone over 400 years
later and it is still a success. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was also copied to make a
musical for Broadway and today it is one of the most famous musicals ever. These were all
so victorious because they utilized the universal truths of love and hate which are
easily relatable and captivating yet timeless to all audiences both young and old, both
then and now.
Bibliography
none, i used my brain