Daniel Omotade English Language Arts B90 Mr. Sackville 5th June 2024 Tragic Love in Different Eras: West Side Story VS Romeo and Juliet West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet tell a tragic story of forbidden love between two feuding groups. The former is a modern musical set in mid-20th century New York City and the latter is a classical Shakespearean play set in Renaissance-era Verona. Although separated across different centuries and visual media, these two works of art explore the same themes of love, conflict, and hate. West Side Story adapts Shakespeare’s play into a representation of the political issues such as gang violence and immigration that were rampant during the mid-20th century in New York. Meanwhile, Romeo and Juliet dive into the historical feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, …show more content…
Tony and Maria are the star-crossed lovers in West Side Story, mirroring Romeo and Juliet. These two pairs and their love for each other cause conflict in each story. They both have good intentions for trying to put an end to the tension between both groups. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence says “For this alliance may so happily prove, To turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3.91-92), which supports the claim for their actions paralleling Maria persuading Tony to stop the rumble, to which Tony responds saying he will. West Side Story involves the characters of Riff of the Jets, Bernardo of the Sharks, Anita as Bernardo’s girlfriend, and Valentina. Romeo and Juliet have similar personas, like Mercutio, the prince’s kinsman who supports the Montagues, Tybalt, who is Juliet’s cousin, the Nurse, and Friar Laurence. The characters in both stories, although different in their backgrounds, share similar beliefs, behaviours, and struggles. These similarities are demonstrated in the directions of the plot structures but are acclimated to fit their distinct settings and