"Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Arthur Laurent's "West Side Story" are plays about a tragic love story. It looks at how the main characters in both of these stories are on a quest for love and encounter many oppositions and constraints along the way. It also discusses how the plot is generally the same except for the changes made due to the settings. The time periods differ by over three hundred and fifty years, but the theme of tragic love remains the same.

From the Paper:

" Both Romeo and Tony seek help from the people they trust the most. Tony goes to the owner of the drugstore, Doc, and he allows him to hide in the basement. Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence and confides in him that he would rather die then to be banished from his country, and go to a place where he will never see Juliet again. Both men are then visited by their lovers' romantic confidantes, the nurse and Anita. Up until this point, both stories have had similar plots; however, they now take a twist. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Dell Publishing, 1965. (1-130)
• Laurents, Arthur. The West Side Story. New York: Dell Publishing, 1965. (131-224)

More papers on "Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story":

• Comparison Essay # 44659 : "Romeo & Juliet" and "West Side Story"
• Comparison Essay # 144739 : "Similarities Between "Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story"
• Book Review # 95161 : "Film: "West Side Story"

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