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How Did Romeo And Juliet Influence Shakespeare's Works

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How Did Romeo And Juliet Influence Shakespeare's Works
William Shakespeare is arguably the most prolific and inspirational writer of all time. His great works reach high ends such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Shakespeare’s work has countlessly inspired many idolized modern stories such as West Side Story and Lion King which were based on Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. Shakespeare’s works have had a huge impact in songs, even in some of the most popular contemporary songs! For example, the English band Mumford & Son’s album, Sigh No More, was inspired by Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare’s works have inspired numerous stories, paintings, and movies. However one of the most notable is Romeo and Juliet serving as a stepping stone for popular 20th century musical West Side Story in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the streets. However this situation begins to seem even more complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival gang member’s sister.
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Juliet finds Romeo supposedly dead, so she kills herself, and when Romeo finds Juliet dead he decides to also kill himself. In West Side Story on the other hand Maria goes about her life grieving and always being in pain after finding out that Tony was killed by Chino. This is a big difference in the plot, and is a key part in the way West Side Story is told compared to how Romeo and Juliet is presented. In Conclusion Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story are both very closely related forbidden love stories, in which relatives of rivals fall in love. Their love however is very short lived and both end in tragic ways. Both of these stories share extremely similar parts and some very different parts, however they will always be remembered and will serve as inspiration in the world of English
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