The Tragedy of Toneo & Mariette

So first and foremost I want to say that I'd heard of West Side Story before this weekend, but only in passing; I never realized it was meant to be a Romeo & Juliet adaptation until I actually watched it (and, well, until we were told so in class). Having seen it now though, I can say with certainty that I would've recognized it for what it is right away, even though the setting is radically different.

There were some details about the movie I really appreciated, such as how the conflict wasn't a feud between families, but instead about the struggles between Puerto Rican immigrants and neglected lower class teenagers, and how it escalated into gang warfare- certainly not the direction I would have taken it, primarily because it's not a reality we often see these days (or perhaps, one we're not shown).

A smaller detail I found interesting was the fact that Tony, the equivalent of Romeo, was not technically involved in the feud prior to his meeting Maria. While he had once been one of the Jets, he had left the gang, removing himself from the conflict with the Sharks. This was in stark contrast to the original, where Romeo was directly involved in the fighting between the Montagues and Capulets from the beginning.

In class, we discussed how it was weird that both Juliet and Maria ended up hooking up/discussing marriage with someone they barely knew, even after their lover murdered their brother. We all agreed that even in Romeo & Juliet this was bizarre, but I'd also like to point out why I feel like it's even moreso in West Side Story: Because in WSS, we actually see the relationship between Maria and Bernardo.

In Romeo & Juliet- unless I missed a big section- we never actually see Tybalt and Juliet interact. The only way we know they had a relationship at all is that someone- I think one of the Capulet parents, or maybe the nurse- refers to Tybalt as Juliet's 'beloved brother' or something like that when telling her about his death. We don't see the love between them; we're told, and I feel like that important detail is what makes it slightly easier to overlook the fact that Juliet still wants to elope with her brother's killer.

But WSS, unlike R&J, actually explores this sibling relationship. Although there's not a ton of interaction between the two, we do see enough to get the impression that Bernardo loves Maria very much and is very protective of her, and Maria- although annoyed by this- loves him back. This is what made it so much harder for me to ignore the fact that she still wants to elope with Tony; despite us actually seeing how much she and her brother loved each other, she still instantly forgives the man who kills him, and even sleeps with him. It's jarring and out of character for her to essentially be 'Murderer! You killed my brother!', have Tony say 'I know it was an accident I'm sorry lol', and Maria's just be like 'Aight then take those clothes off'. It's just weird.