Two tales of star-crossed loversRomeo and Juliet is a well-known classic tale and has been remade in almost every form of media. Two star-crossed lovers, torn apart by destiny: an iconic and tragic love story. One of the most popular remakes is West Side Story, a transformed musical film. With catchy tunes, a stunning cast and dances like works of art, it quickly attracted a large audience and is now almost as popular as the original itself. What is less known is that the film is extremely close to the original play and is probably the most accurate retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Most of the characters, themes, and even scenes are almost identical, mostly retaining Shakespeare's original meaning. West Side Story has a new element that the original didn't have: racism, which affects the story in small ways. One of the main characters, Maria, meant to be Juliet, is exactly like her counterpart. Tony, who is supposed to be Romeo, is different in many ways. The iconic balcony scene of course remains the same. No story of Romeo and Juliet is complete without it. As mentioned above, Maria and Juliet have many similarities. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is a naive 13-year-old girl who knows little about life's experiences. She trusts the nurse, who is more of a mother to her than her own. She quickly fell in love and never looked back. In West Side Story, Maria is still young and naive, but a little older. She lacks experience due to moving to America, creating a new beginning. Anita, the nurse's counterpart, plays a strong female figure in Maria's life, much like in the original. Much like Juliet, Maria fell in love at first sight and ignored everything else. They both have an older, more purple middle of paper......, and bring it up repeatedly, over and over again, for no real reason. It's important that this stays the same because it really isn't Romeo and Juliet without it. West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet, two classic tragedies about young love. The two have many similarities and differences, but none are prohibitive. Things that should remain the same are left as is, leaving Shakespeare's original meanings unchanged. The new aspects and changes needed to modernize the story are well written, still leaving a rather accurate retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The differences are what make him unique from others – the racism, Tony's point of view – all of that is important. It's the similarities that keep it true to the original: Juliet and Maria, and the famous balcony scene. Everything the writers put in is what makes West Side Story a classic, just like Shakespeare would have it..