Romeo And West Side Story Comparison

Romeo and Juliet versus West Side Story Literary Analysis Essay Human are impulsive. Sometimes we do things without thinking. Acting without without taking time to think car have tragic consequences is a theme to both Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet and the 1961 movie West Side Story;however, It is more shown in Romeo and Juliet.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Arthur Laurent’s West Side Story were both tragic, romantic, works. West Side Story was a close variation of the play Romeo and Juliet, but the author of West Side Story changed characteristics of Tony to differ from his Romeo and Juliet equivalent, Romeo. Tony became more of an introverted, optimistic, and innocent character. On the other hand, Romeo was outgoing, seemingly bipolar, and violent. These changes in character between Tony and Romeo altered the themes from societal expectations, fate over free will, and complicated families to societal expectations in the 1950’s, inevitability of fate, and gang rivalry due to racism.

Romeo and Juliet is a classic play by William Shakespeare, In 1968 it was adapted in a full movie, and later on in 1996 was again adapted into the big screen, both movies have so many similarities and so many differences, in the 1968 movie it is a more realistic, more true to the script, but the 1996 movie takes place in verona beach in the US, in modern times, the sword fights are actually guns, both use shakespearean english, but the most important part of any Romeo and Juliet performance, is to show their love was never meant to be, both movies do an excellent job in portraying this concept, in this essay I will explore that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is starcrossed is portrayed by the 1968 and 1996 version through the first time they meet in the party, the balcony scene, and the scene where they are in bed.

The Friar mistakenly thinks he has been with Rosaline all night. Romeo clears up the miscommunication and tells him he is talking about Juliet. The Friar yells at Romeo for being so indecisive. For example the Friar says, “Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit of an old tear that has not stained yet.” The Friar is scolding Romeo because he was just crying over Rosaline a day ago and now he supposedly is in love with someone else.

Friar Laurence is bringing up Juliet, his love, to save Romeo from “slay thyself”. In addition, after Friar Laurence compares Romeo to a powder in an inexperienced soldier’s flask, Friar Laurence says, “What, rouse thee, man! Thy Juliet is alive, / For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead” (3.3.141-142). Friar Laurence attempts to calm Romeo down by bringing up that “thy Juliet is alive”. Friar Laurence is aware that by bringing up who Romeo loves, Romeo will come to the realization that Romeo should not be crying over banishment.

In William Shakespeare’s drama Romeo and Juliet and Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’s film West Side Story, the main male characters, Romeo and Tony, are depicted as being consubstantial and dissimilar in terms of personality. Tony is the more modern counterpart of Romeo. As many intricate events occur throughout the film and the drama, Tony and Romeo’s characteristics, words, and actions reveal how similar and different they are. Although Romeo and Tony are both affectionate, passionate men, Romeo acts on capricious and irrational tendencies, whereas Tony is more stable and mature. Romeo and Tony are both headstrong young men.

“Romeo and Juliet”, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, is held in Verona, Italy. The play portrays the reality of a trascurring feud between two households, Montagues and Capulets, which resulted in tragic consequences for the main characters, Romeo and Juliet. The events contrast hate with love, forcing the young star-crossed lovers to grow up quickly and die tragically in despair. The theme of hate is shown through the transcurring feud of both households; the reason behind all six deaths in the play and the prohibition of the love of two star cross 'd lovers. Shakespeare does not reveal why the families hate each other, but one of the many possible reasons could be that the feud is so longstanding that the families themselves don 't know why it started.

Romeo and Juliet is a play about star-crossed lovers. Romeo is apart of a high class Montague family; their rival is the Capulet family. Romeo falls in love with the daughter of Lord Capulet. They want to get married but they know that this will not be approved between their family feud. This is why they secretly ask Friar Laurence to marry them in secret.

Crucial to the plot, and an overall important character, Friar Lawrence also acts as a father character whom Romeo confides his secrets with. When Romeo tells Friar Laurence of his new romantic interests, he is shocked, “Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! / Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” Because at the time Friar Laurence would have felt that love is a holy experience, he is utterly shocked that Romeo would abandon his previous interests in favor of some new girl.

In the story, Romeo’s characteristics and actions are very immature. After the party, Romeo, who has ‘fallen in love’ with Juliet, meets with Friar

"O, she knew well/ Thy love did read by rote and could not spell." (Act 2, Scene 3, 87-88). As was his love for Rosaline, the Friar believes that his love for Juliet will not last. Even though he thinks that the marriage is flawed he agrees to marry them in his own self-interest of ending the feuding.

Before he loved Juliet, he loved Rosaline although she did not love him back. Romeo says about Rosaline, “She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow / Do I live dead, that I live to tell it now” (I.i.231-232). When he sees Juliet for the first time, Romeo describes Juliet as, “As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear- / Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear” (I.iv.53-54).

So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their heart, but in their eyes” (II., iii, 65-68). This shows how immature Romeo was when he met Rosaline, because he loved the sight of her, but did not really know her and it shows how he matured after he met Juliet. Also, when Romeo hears of Juliet 's death and goes straight to an Apothecary to get a poison.

“Romeo, who lies there dead, was the husband of that Juliet. And she, who lies there dead, was that Romeo’s faithful wife. I married them; their secret wedding day was the day Tybalt died. His untimely death caused the bridegroom to be banished from the city,”(5.3.281, Shakespeare) In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, the deaths of the two title characters are both Romeo and Juliet.

The Reality of Romeo Romeo a kind, noble sir. Romeo is a character that is more realistic to today's audience. Romeo shows heroism and compassion all through the play. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, is supposed to be a tragedy it shows how love was won, but by hurt and sadness that was done. Romeo shows his love for Juliet in many special and heroic ways throughout the story.