William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1186 Words

When discussing classic love stories, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is often included in the conversation. The tragic story of the â€Å"star-crossed lovers† (Shakespeare 6) is taught in high schools and studied in colleges. Its poetry has graced many stages and silver screens. Romeo and Juliet is also often reimagined for a modern audience. One such interpretation is West Side Story. Written by Stephen Sondheim, it made its Hollywood debut in 1961 under directors Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. Instead of feuding families in Verona, West Side Story touts rival gangs in New York City. Although the plots of West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet themselves seem interchangeable, key differences exist that make West Side Story a†¦show more content†¦West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet both delve into battle rather quickly, making haste to display the deadly feuds between characters. This fight happens before any dialogue occurs, but it still direct ly mirrors how the initial fight in Romeo and Juliet occurs. Instead of exchanging banter, battles between the Jets and Sharks â€Å"are mild at first: a boy being tripped up, or being sandbagged with a flour sack or even spit on† (Sondheim 1.1). The early fighters of Romeo and Juliet, on the other hand, are not immediately physical with each other, aside from Sampson rudely biting his thumb toward Abram (Shakespeare 1.1.44). Moving on from the fight, Romeo and Mercutio plot to sneak into the Capulet’s ball, while Tony is convinced to go to the dance in the gymnasium. Romeo and Tony, however, have similar premonitions of â€Å"some consequence yet hanging in the stars† (1.4.114), â€Å"a miracle due† (Sondheim 1.2), ultimately predicting that fate will have a hand in the night. As balconies turn into fire escapes, female love interests are thought to be dead, and feuds end, West Side Story continues to emulate Romeo and Juliet almost seamlessly, but not quite flawlessly. A few instances seen in West Side Story ensure its independence from the Shakespearean love-story. These differences, however, strengthen West Side Story as a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet marry each other, but Tony