Comparison of Romeo and Juliet to Westside Story
             These stories are very similar. They both have characters that act the same way. As a matter of fact you would have thought the same person had written both stories. From Romeo and Tony to Tybalt and Bernardo the characters play the same role. Did the author of Westside Story rewrite Romeo and Juliet to appeal to a modern audience? Is Maria actually Juliet?
             Anyone who has seen both "Romeo and Juliet" and "Westside Story" would be able to tell that the plots of the stories are very similar. Both stories start off by introducing two rival groups. In Romeo and Juliet the writer describes two households. These "houses" are ancient, prominent families in the city of Verona, Italy, and their names are Montague and Capulet. In the movie, these families desire to dominate as the most wealthy and influential "house" in Verona. In Westside Story there are two groups. The New York gang, the Jets, and a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants called the Sharks. The two are battling for superiority and domination of New York's street territory. There is little difference in the desire that these rivals have in the two stories. They want control of their city. The similarities of the stories end with the final disaster in which the love affair between a beauty of one rivalry group with a male leader of the other rivalry group ends when he is killed. T!
             he story's happen in a different time and a different place but relay the same timeless message, that love will perserver.
             The way in which the main characters meet one another is very similar. In Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers meet at a party thrown by Juliet's parents. Members of the Montegue household are not invited but get in wearing disguises. In Westside Story, Tony and Maria also meet at a party, in their case a dance. There is an instant "love at first sight" in both stories. This is a dangerous situation because of the rivalry between th...