Romeo & Juliet vs West Side Story

             Many movies were adaptation of the famous novel and other works of art. Nowadays, surely no one who does not know about the famous literary works of Romeo and Juliet, the romantic story with a tragic end in form of novels or movies. Now we also have heard about the movie West Side Story. West Side Story written by Arthur Laurents is actually a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. But not all the scene and plot is the exact same with Romeo and Juliet.



          Because West Side Story is a movie musical, it will be a lot of narrative conveyed through the song. While in the Romeo and Juliet we will be more find the characters says to himself or herself using poetic words of Shakespeare. That is the general differences that clearly visible on both movie. But if we examine in more detail, the movie West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet have many similarities and differences consider their plot, their character and their setting.

            Initially, both movies West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet have similarities and differences consider their plot. The similarities can we find in the first scene that shows the fight between two enemies. West Side Story’s opening was the fight of Jets and Shark who hate each other. In Romeo and Juliet movie also open with the fight of Capulet and Montague who is enemy. And then the main characters were falling in love at the first sight in the dance party. Romeo and Juliet first meet at the ball party of Capulet and fall in love at the first sight. Also in West Side Story, Tony and Maria meet in the dance party and fall in love at the first sight. After the party the main men character go to their love’s house to meet her. Romeo went to Capulet house to meet his lover, Juliet, although he knew that he is forbidden to enter Capulet house. Also Tony did the same, went to Maria apartment and met his love. And then at the scene where the main men character kills their love’s relative. Romeo killed Tybalt who is Juliet cousin after Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend. And also Tony who is accidentally killed Bernardo, Maria’s brother, after Bernardo kills Riff who is Tony’s best friend. And then at the last scene which is the main men character is dies. Romeo was died by himself that is drinking a poison. Also Tony was dead at the end story but killed by Chino. But there are some plot which also different. Like the wedding scene where Romeo and Juliet have their real marriage in church, whereas Tony and Maria just pretend to be married in bridal shop where Maria work. And after that is when the main men characters try to stop the fight of two groups. Romeo try to stop the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio because his own, but in West Side story, Tony try to stop the rumble because he was asked by Maria. And the clear difference is about the dead of the main women character. Juliet shot herself after she saw that Romeo had drink the poison for her, but Maria did not do the same as Juliet, she just crying and full of sadness because her love was dead. In short, the plot of both movie almost similar but also have the some difference.

            Beside consider their plot, both West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet have similarities and differences in their characters. In both story, the main character is come from different group which hate each other. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the Montague and Juliet is Capulet, and we know that Montague and Capulet is enemy for long time. In West Side Story, Tony is an American (Jets) and Maria is Puerto Rican (Sharks), which each group is a rival. The main men characters have the same character that is extreme emotion. It show when Romeo sneaked into Capulet territory to meet Juliet, and when he killed Tybalt in duel, also when he committed suicide upon erroneously believing Juliet is dead. With Tony we can see when he killed Bernardo after heated argument and when he challenge Chino to kill him because he was killed his love. But they have same character that has the courage to live with his love although their family was forbid them. The differences I saw in the main women character. Juliet is different with Maria, although their purity and their faith to their love are same. Maria is look more exited and enthusiastic about her life, from the way she talks and act. Juliet is made up to be a weak character because she is wont stand up for what she believe is wrong, like when she is forcing by her mother to marry Paris. But at the end we can see how strong the character in Juliet when she fight for her husband Romeo and when he sacrifice her life for Romeo. And the character of their parents is not shown in West Side Story, but in Romeo and Juliet their parents have the important role in the story. Certainly there are almost have the same characteristics in the main men character, but different in the main women character.

            And about their setting also have similarities and differences in both movie West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet. The scenes when the main men characters meet their love have the same setting. The lovers almost meet in the main women character’s house and almost at the night. Romeo meets Juliet almost in Juliet’s room or Juliet’s balcony and always at the night. Also Tony and Maria, they meet in Maria’s room or Maria’s balcony at night. The time also similar when the main men character killed the main women character’s relative. Romeo killed Tybalt at the night, and Tony killed the Bernardo at the night too. Also when the main men character died, they died at night but in different place. Romeo died in the church with Juliet and Tony died in the playground near Doc’s store. The clear difference is the setting of place where they live. The movie West Side Story have setting place in Upper West Side Manhattan, New York city in 1957, then Romeo & Juliet takes in Verona, Italy in about 1594. We can see from the way they dress up. In short, the setting in both movies West Side Story and Romeo & Juliet have more differences than similarities. 

            However, when the age become more modern, many movie adapted from the novel. And from one original movie we can find many series of that. Like the movie of Romeo & Juliet which adapted from Shakespeare’s play, now we can find the musical series of this, which is West Side Story. Overall the story is similar, but it makes us not creative if all the plot and other surely same. So Laurent make the story different in some aspect. The movie of Romeo & Juliet also has two versions, classic and modern. Because West Side Story is a musical, so we will get the message of the movie and the narration from the song that they sang. In Romeo & Juliet movie we can get the message and the narration from the poetic words that the character said to himself or herself in the movie. So the movie West Side Story beside have many similarity with the movie Romeo & Juliet, it have many differences too consider their plot, their characters and their setting.