Customer Reviews

Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

This is two books in one: the text of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" and the text of "West Side Story," the 20th century musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The book also includes an introduction by Norris Houghton, who notes, among other things, that WSS is based on R&J. Each text tells the story of a love affair between a young woman and a young man who are caught between warring factions.

I find it stimulating and useful to have these two pieces, linked in theme but separated by centuries, together in one volume. Each is a great text on its own, but having them together may help the reader to see each piece in a different light. One of the things I find most striking as one moves from R&J to WSS is how the latter text adds the element of ethnic tension to the fundamental story of "star-crossed lovers."

R&J is more than just a classic piece of literature; it's also a touchstone of pop culture (hey, it's even been incorporated into a "Brady Bunch" episode!). Despite the passage of centuries, I find Shakespeare's portrayal of the joy and pain of forbidden love to remain relevant and compelling. And R&J holds up as a reader's text, even with the availability of filmed versions. I think that WSS, being a musical play, naturally loses some impact as a text strictly on the page, but nevertheless I found it a rewarding reader's text also. One might try listening to a CD of WSS's songs as an accompaniment to reading the text.

To supplement WSS's portrayal of urban Puerto Ricans, I recommend that interested readers seek out some writings by "Nuyorican" authors; to start with, try Roberto Santiago's illuminating anthology "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings."

This dual book provides both the timeless Shakespeare classic and then the more-modern New York City gang tale. Romeo and Juliet was one of Shakespeares top efforts; a tragic love between youngsters from warring factions. In initially-difficult old English, the story glows as the tragedy examines love, distance, and the foolhardy hostilities that divide us. The couple tries but cannot navigate the difficult waters of their love, and come to tragic end via hostility and misunderstanding. Seldom has Shakespeare so captured the human condition as here. West Side Story is the stunning musical adapted to modernity. Tony is a Jet, a white gang that senses they are losing their New York City neighborhood to the Puerto Ricans and their gang the Sharks. These more-recent arrivals feel the sting of hostility and discrimination. When Tony meets Maria the two fall in love, but Maria's brother Bernardo leads the sharks will never accept Tony. Again, tradgedy results, and Tony and Maria are not the sole victims of hatred. Ironically, the Jets and Sharks of the 1950's seem much tamer than today's drug-running, gun-toting gangs.

Two excellent plays, emphasizing tragic hostility, and highly popular with younger readers.

This single volume containing the scripts of both "West Side Story" and its source, "Romeo and Juliet," is an excellent resource for comparing and contrasting both plays. I highly recommend it.

Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet is a story that combines swordfighting, disguise, misunderstanding, tragedy, humor, and some of the most romantic language found in literature all in the name of true love.
In Verona, Italy , two powerful families the Montagues and the Capulets have been feuding with each other for years. Old Capulet, Juliet's father, throws a party to which he invites all his friends. Romeo asists to that party and falls instantly in love, but is disappointed when he finds out that Juliet is a Capulet. Juliet notices Romeo too, but she is unaware that he is a member of the hated Montagues.
The very next day, with the help of Romeo's friend Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet are secretly married.
On the day of the wedding, Juliet's cousin, Tybalt is out to get Romeo for crashing the Capulet's party so he starts a fight with his friends. Romeo shows up, but does not want to fight Tybalt because he no longer holds a grudge against Juliet's family. Mercutio is killed. To avenge the death of his friend, Romeo kills Tybalt, an act that will award him even more hatred from the Capulet family. The Prince of Verona banishes Romeo and he is forced to leave Juliet, who is devastated by the loss of her love. Juliet's father, not knowing of his daughter's marriage, decides to marry her to another young man named Paris.
In despair, Juliet consults with Friar Laurence. Then, the Friar will send Romeo to rescue her. Bad news travels fast. Before the Friar can tell Romeo of the hoax, Romeo hears from someone else that his beloved Juliet is dead. Overcome with grief, Romeo buys a poison and goes to Juliet's tomb to die beside his wife.
Inside the vault, Romeo drinks the poison and kisses his last breath next to his sleeping wife.
Moments later, Juliet awakens to see her husband's dead body. With no reason left to live, Juliet kills herself with Romeo's dagger.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic novel, but very enthusiastic and incredible. In my opinion best Shakespeare's play. It's theme is very attracted: a couple of lovers who want to be together no matter what their families say. Both families hate each other because of an ancient feud. Juliet was a Capulet and Romeo was a Montague. Romeo did many things for Juliet along the play.
The couple was ready to die if they had to. Romeo was exiled because he murdered Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, so he had to go away. But the lovers weren't ready to separe. So to be together they decided to die rather to live without love so that is what they did. Like Juliet said: "I'd rather be dead than live without thou love, Romeo".
So as a conclusion we could say that this novel is an example of true love.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic novel, but very enthusiastic and incredible. In my opinion best Shakespeare's play. It's theme is very attracted: a couple of lovers who want to be together no matter what their families say. Both families hate each other because of an ancient feud. Juliet was a Capulet and Romeo was a Montague. Romeo did many things for Juliet along the play.
The couple was ready to die if they had to. Romeo was exiled because he murdered Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, so he had to go away. But the lovers weren't ready to separe. So to be together they decided to die rather to live without love so that is what they did. Like Juliet said: "I'd rather be dead than live without thou love, Romeo".
So as a conclusion we could say that this novel is an example of true love.

Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet is set in Italy in Feudal time, in which large powerful wealthy family ruled certain states as if they were small countries. The two main characters Romeo and Juliet belong to different opposing houses; Romeo and Juliet only find these out once they have fallen in love.
Romeo was forced to abandon Verona, leaving Juliet alone for a simple reason: He had killed the cousin of his only love, Tybalt.
Shakespeare describes a society which was extremely sexist, where women's hadn't the same right as the men. Juliet shows us that women's are more intelligent and braver than the men in some aspects.

i love the story. i am a teenage girl and i could really relate to the book. the story is very interesting and one you can really get into. if you like romance stories you'll absolutly love this one. i would deffinatly recomend this book.