West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet share several similarities. Both stories involve two enemy groups and feature a main character meeting the love interest at a dance party. The balcony scene is replicated and one friend is killed by the other group, leading the surviving friend to kill in revenge. However, there are also differences between the stories - West Side Story is set in 1950s New York and features racial discrimination between Puerto Rican and white gangs, while Romeo and Juliet takes place in 16th century Verona between two families. West Side Story is also a musical whereas Romeo and Juliet is a play.

1. WEST SIDE STORY
ROMEO & JULIET

2. Similarities
 IN BOTH STORIES THE MAIN CHARACTERS
MET AT A DANCE PARTY.

3. Similarities
 THERE ARE TWO ENEMY GROUPS IN BOTH
STORIES.

4. Similarities
 THE SCENE OF THE BALCONY IS THE SAME
IN BOTH STORIES.

5. Similarities
 IN BOTH STORIES, TYBALT KILLS ROMEO’S
FRIEND AND THEN, ROMEO KILLS TYBALT.

6. Similarities
 BEFORE MEETING ROMEO, IN BOTH
STORIES JULIET IS ENGAGED WITH
ANOTHER BOY.

7. SIMILARITIES
 THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE THE SAME
BUT THEY AREN’T NAMED THE SAME.

8. SIMILARITIES
MARIA = JULIET

9. SIMILARITIES
ROMEO = TONY

10. SIMILARITIES
ANITA = NURSE

11. SIMILARITIES
BERNARDO = TYBALT

12. SIMILARITIES
RIFF = BENVOLIO

13. SIMILARITIES
INDIO = MERCUTIO

14. SIMILARITIES
DOC = LAURENCE

15. SIMILARITIES
CHINO = PARIS

16. SIMILARITIES
OFFICER KRAPKE = PRINCE OF VERONA

17. DIFFERENCIES
 THE DISCRIMINATION OF WEST SIDE STORY
DOESN’T APPEAR IN ROMEO AND JULIET.

18. DIFFERENCIES
 THE CHARACTERS’ NAMES ARE DIFFERENT
OFFICER KRAPKE = PRINCE OF VERONA
CHINO = PARIS
MARIA = JULIET
ANITA = NURSE
BERNARDO = TYBALT

19. DIFFERENCIES
 WEST SIDE STORY IS A MUSICAL, SO THEY
ARE ALWAYS SINGING AND DANCING.

20. DIFFERENCIES
 WEST SIDE STORY WAS FILMED IN THE
60’S, AND ROMEO AND JULIET WAS
WRITTEN IN THE 16TH CENTURY.
1596 1961

21. DIFFERENCIES
 THE STORIES TOOK PLACE IN DIFFERENT
PLACES.
West Side Story
NEW YORK
Romeo and Juliet
VERONA

22. DIFFERENCIES
 IN ROMEO & JULIET THE HATE IS BETWEEN
TWO FAMILIES. IN WEST SIDE STORY IT’S
BETWEEN TWO BANDS: ONE OF THEM
DISCRIMINATE THE OTHER BECAUSE THEY
ARE PUERTORIQUEANS.