The play of Romeo & Juliet and the musical of West Side Story are very similar in comparison. West Side Story was based on Romeo and Juliet. The similar comparisons included the main characters meeting each other for the first time and a secretive relationship. In contrast, the feuding between each side in both plays are different. The feuding between the Montagues and Capulets in R & J and the fighting between the Sharks and the Jets from West Side Story were somewhat different. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues was an ‘ancient grudge’ and had been going on for years, whether it had been jealousy and envy. In WSS, there is more of a racial tension in the feud. The Jets are white and the Sharks are Puerto Rican; each had a side of the town and a reputation. At the end of each story, after Romeo and Juliet die, and after Tony dies, the feuding in each play disappeared, they came together. A comparison between the two plays is a balcony scene. In Romeo and Juliet, both of the main characters meet at a party, kiss and supposedly fall in love, then, later on, Romeo finds Juliet outside on her balcony. In West Side Story, the two main characters Maria and Tony meet at a dance, they kiss and fathom each other, and after curfew, Tony seeks for Maria on her balcony to talk for a while. …show more content…
Romeo and Juliet had to keep their relationship a secret because the Capulets and Montagues are rivals and their relationship could be misjudged and disowned by both sides. Romeo was the son of the Montagues and Juliet was the daughter of the Capulets. Maria and Tony had to keep their relationship a secret because the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks; they’d be in deep despair if anyone found out. Maria was a member of the sharks, and Tony was a member of the