Compare the character of Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with the character of Maria in Stephen Sondheim's musical West Side Story....

There
are a number of similarities and differences between the two characters ofand Maria. Both ladies
are young, and both of them fall in love with a boy that belongs to the "enemy." For
Juliet, it is a member of a rival family. For Maria, it is a member of a rival gang. For both
ladies, their romance is with a forbidden lover. What's fun to take note of is that both Maria
and Juliet met their love at a party.

A difference between the two characters
can be found in their social class. Juliet is a member of a wealthy upper class family; however,
Maria's economic status might not even be considered lower-middle class.

Maria is also a much more dominating presence, in my opinion. She is not a person to back down
from conflict. She's strong-minded and confident. That is strikingly different than Juliet, who
comes across as much more timid throughout large parts of the play. She bravely gets married and
does tell her father her feelings, but Juliet is much more passive than Maria in...