Similarities Between Romeo And Juliet And West Side Story

“Tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.” This line from West Side Story shows that love can make a person’s world stop. Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare took place in the 1300 in the city of Verona, Italy. In Romeo and Juliet two young teens fall in love despite their families. West Side Story, written by Tony Kushner, takes place on the westside of Manhattan, New York City. In West Side Story two young teens in a more modern world, divided by gang rivalries, fall in love. Although the settings of these tragic love stories are vastly different, the parallel characters and plot elements of both stories help to develop the theme of love. Characters in each story have many similarities and differences. Romeo and Tony’s similarities include being in love with people they cannot be with. They both die at the end of the story. Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, and Tony's best friend, Riff, are killed by rival-members' actions. Tybalt kills Mercutio in a duel while Bernardo kills Riff in a rumble. Romeo and Tony’s differences are Romeo is rich, while Tony is poor. Another difference is Romeo kills himself, but Chino shoots Tony. The other set of parallel characters are Juliet and Maria. Juliet and Maria each have a

The theme of love happens in Romeo and Juliet when Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet party and they kiss and hold hands. They also marry in less than twenty four hours of knowing each other. In West Side Story love is presented when Tony and Maria meet at a dance and fall in love. They meet, kiss, and start to get to know each other more, showing they want more, showing they want to be together. These examples show how love is timeless despite both stories taking place several centuries apart from each other. Love will always remain relevant because of the human nature of families and people not getting