Romeo And Juliet Vs West Side Story

     Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story both have a lot in common as well as major differences that set them apart. Although West Side Story is a direct rendition of Shakespeare's original play, many of the themes and symbols are altered to fit the modern perspective. The characters have a direct correlation to each other, yet racial issues give them a new light. Many of the events also reflect each other, yet small differences give them uniqueness. West Side Story differs from Romeo and Juliet in characterizations, plot sequences, and themes.

The motif of light vs. dark in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is developed by imagery to demonstrate how love can not be conquered by hate.

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.

The main theme of Romeo and Juliet is hatred is destructive. For example, in Act 5 Scene 3, Pg 285 the Prince said “Capulet! Welcome to the Montegue! Do you see what great evil results in your hate?” The Prince shows how hatred kills their only kids and realizes that hating one another only brings chaos.

Three Hundred Fifty Years of Blind Love: A Contraposition of Shakespeare and Robbins’ Romeo and Juliet Andy Warhol once said, "They say that time changes things, but actually you have to change them yourself." Two hundred fifty years passed between the original Romeo and Juliet and the premiere of West Side Story on Broadway in 1957. However, time did not change the message of the story, simply the creators’ unique visions evolved. Shakespeare’s delivery of the timeless tale of desperate love in his classic Romeo and Juliet proves to only intensify through retelling and modern interpretation. Audiences cherish Romeo and Juliet as one of the most beloved plays of all time from the Elizabethan Age to the present.

Since the beginning of time people have been intrigued by the story of “two star-crossed lovers”, those who long to be together but never can. Such is the case of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and the collaboration work, West Side Story. The purpose of this paper is to show the similarities and differences between these two tragic love stories.

A Comparison of Scenes From West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet Cinematography The scene before the meeting scene in West Side Story Maria spins around in her dress the camera then carries on spinning which creates a colourful blurred effect on the screen. The effect makes her look like she is almost spinning into the next scene. When Tony and Maria meet, all the other characters that were dancing, slow down and fade behind Tony and Maria. The room becomes dark and there is a spotlight on Maria and Tony.

In the book “Romeo and Juliet” there were a lot of events and actions that caused their relationship to fail. Themselves and their family played a part in how and what they do, causing themselves to be doomed. They had a love and hate relationship with no guidance and just judgment. Due to the different opinions, it will cause conflict between Romeo and Juliet and their choices. The theme of love versus hate in Romeo and Juliet is supported by light and dark through word choice, diction, and figurative language.

The author’s use of Figurative Language, Diction, and Word Choice reveals that the theme of Love Vs Hate can relate to Romeo and Juliet. Romeo uses Love vs Hate to describe the relationship between him and Juliet. He also uses Light and Dark to describe him and Juliet's relationship. Light and Dark and Love vs Hate represents how Romeo can have love for Juliet and when it can also represent when Romeo feels emotional because he knows Juliet does not love him. The theme of Love vs Hate in Romeo and Juliet is supported by Light and Dark through word choice, diction, and figurative language.

Romeo and Juliet shared a secret, forbidden love, much like Tony and Maria’s. The Montagues and the Capulets- both sophisticated, wealthy families would have been driven mad to hear that their children had fallen in love, and had plans to marry secretly and run away together. The jets and sharks- two street gangs- would quite literally kill one another upon finding out about Tony and Maria’s short-lived romance. Neither of the groups wanted for the two to fall in love- whether it was because of a family hatred traced back for generations or because of a simple dispute over the street- their love way truly forbidden. When their love was discovered, there was a sense of betrayal, that by loving their enemies they were destroying their allies within their own groups. The gang members of West Side Story felt as if they had to get revenge for the death of their leader- and that led to more killing. Revenge became a common denominator in both

In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, about two love struck teenagers whom aren’t able to be together due to their families feud/ social situation. There are two key themes that of love and hate. Before Romeo and Juliet meet, the audience is only aware that he is a Montague and that she is a Capulet. This adds to the scene being so dramatically effective as do other happenings throughout the length of the scene. These include the speech of Capulet and the happy and joyous mood of the party, The romantic speech of Romeo, The hatred and harshness of Tybalt’s speech, a direct contrast with that of Romeo’s and the drama when the two lovers, Romeo and Juliet first meet.

The Opposing Themes of Love and Hate in the Play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragic love story. The story concerns the love between two young people, Romeo and Juliet. This is set against a feud between their two families: the Montagues and the Capulets. This feud develops the themes of conflict, deception and dignity in the play. The play includes a lot of themes, love, family, hate, deception and revenge.

In Romeo and Juliet hate s a big component of the play. This hatred is used in the many fights that end up with someone being killed. “To strike him dead I hold not a sin.” In this quote Tybalt is wanting to kill Romeo because he is a Montague and Tybalt is a Capulet. This means that there is a lot of conflict. “ ’Tis he that villain Romeo.” Tybalt calls Romeo a villain because of the conflict between the two parties. Hatred is a very big part of the story of Romeo and Juliet. Hatred is a big part of Romeo and Juliet being

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, tells the tale of two young lovers whose lives end in great tragedy. What makes their story so tragic is that despite their love for one another, their families are mortal enemies. Conflict is a central ingredient in Romeo and Juliet's sad fate. Although their love for each other is strong, it cannot overcome the deluge of conflict that surrounds them. Ultimately they are defeated by the conflicts of person vs person, person vs self, and person vs society.