"Romeo and Juliet" vs. "The West Side Story"

Though both Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story tell the timeless tale of two forbidden lovers struggling to save their relationship, there are many apparent similarities and also many differences between this classic text and the 1960' movie. Even though West Side Story is set in more modern times, all the characters obviously parallel characters from Shakespeare's famous novel, the differences between the two tales occur in the plot and setting.
Many of the characters in West Side Story are similar to those in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is Tony, of the Jets. …