Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Norris Houghton (Introduction) "Two households both alike in dignity,..." (more)
Key Phrases: gonna rock, silver sound, buddy boy, Enter Romeo, Enter Capulet, Enter Nurse (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers.  In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the world's great plays: Romeo And Juliet.  In our own time, Shakespeare's drama has been used as a basis for the overwhelmingly successful musical play West Side Story.  Though one of these works is set among the nobility of Verona, and the other among immigrant families of New York's West Side, both tell the story of the plight of young star-crossed" lovers.



As Norris Houghton writes in his introduction: "What we see is that all four young people strive to consummate the happiness at the threshold on which they stand and which they have tasted so briefly.  All four are deprived of the opportunity to do so, the Renaissance couple by the caprice of fate, today's youngsters by the prejudice and hatred engendered around them....



"Poets and playwrights will continue to write of youthful lovers whom fate drives into and out of each other's lives.  The spectacle will always trouble and move us, even as the two dramas in this volume do today."

From the Publisher

The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the world's great plays: Romeo And Juliet. In our own time, Shakespeare's drama has been used as a basis for the overwhelmingly successful musical play West Side Story. Though one of these works is set among the nobility of Verona, and the other among immigrant families of New York's West Side, both tell the story of the plight of young star-crossed" lovers.

As Norris Houghton writes in his introduction: "What we see is that all four young people strive to consummate the happiness at the threshold on which they stand and which they have tasted so briefly. All four are deprived of the opportunity to do so, the Renaissance couple by the caprice of fate, today's youngsters by the prejudice and hatred engendered around them....

"Poets and playwrights will continue to write of youthful lovers whom fate drives into and out of each other's lives. The spectacle will always trouble and move us, even as the two dramas in this volume do today."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (August 15, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440974836
• ISBN-13: 978-0440974833
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love musicals, plays, and the like, this is for you!, April 16, 1999

By A Customer

I have been hooked on musicals and plays in general since before I can remember. When I first found this book, I couldn't believe my eyes, I got the script for West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet together in one volume, so I had the words to all my favorite songs and I could study the varied, hilarious lines too. I could relieve the thrills of watching the play, or just reread my favorite scenes. If you're the least bit like me, you'll love this too.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story, December 19, 1998

By A Customer

A great word-for-word rendition of both plays. It was especially helpful to me, because I had a research paper comparing the two.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great chance to compare and contrast the plays, May 28, 2001

By	"ckellerman" (Arlington, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romeo And Juliet (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

Everyone has read "Romeo and Juliet", the classic love story by William Shakespeare, and most have seen the movie "West Side Story," probably noticing some similarities- two groups against each other with lovers in the middle, and a tragic ending. But with these two plays together, you will discover almost every scene from West Side Story parallels one from R&J. The text of R&J also has notes to help the reader understand some of the difficult Shakespearean language. I am a freshman in high school and this book really helped me with an essay.