West Side Story Romeo Juliet
What would Romeo and Juliet be like if Juliet hadn't died? What if Paris killed Romeo, instead of vice versa? What if instead of occurring several centuries ago, it took place on the streets of New York City during the 1950s, with a bunch of fresh-faced youths posing as street toughs and dancing and singing their hearts out? Well, just take a look at West Side Story, and you will have your answers. It is impossible for anyone familiar with both texts to not note the obvious major similarities between the two plays. From the opening scenes in both, up through the rumble in West Side Story/death of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the plays mirror each other (Poelstra). It isn't until the last part of West Side Story, where Tony, our modern-day Romeo, dies and Maria, Tony's Juliet, doesn't (unlike the two star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare's work), that the major difference between the two works becomes apparent. Granted, instead of tension between feuding families, West Side Story offers prejudice between races, as illustrated between street gangs, the Jets and Sharks. Some of the characters in West Side Story are carbon copies of those in Romeo and Juliet: Maria (Juliet), Tony (R
Laurents, Arthur. West Side Story. (A musical, based on a conception Going mad, shooting sparks into space. (Laurents 42)
Some common words found in the essay are:
Tony Maria, Romeo Juliet, West Story, Chino Tony, Bernardo Laurents, Puerto Rican, Friar Laurence, Bernardo Maria, Lieutenant Laurents, Tonight Tonight, romeo juliet, west story, tony maria, act scene, scene romeo, tonight tonight, riff bernardo, doc's candy store, act romeo, street gangs, agree meet, act romeo juliet, deaths riff bernardo, fire escape scene, scene tony maria,
Approximate Word count = 1973
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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