This paper compares the play, "Romeo and Juliet", written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan Times in the late
1500s with four modern day movie adaptations: "West Side Story", directed by Robert Wise in 1961; "Romeo and Juliet", directed by Baz Luhrmann in 1996; "Shakespeare in Love", directed by John Madden in 1998; and "Romeo Must Die" directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in 2000. The findings conclude that "Romeo Must Die" has little to do with the
original play in terms of plot and
passion. "Shakespeare in Love" evokes some of the passion that "Romeo and Juliet" had, but deviates substantially in events. The paper shows that, while the movie, "Romeo and Juliet", comes closest to the storyline of the original play, only "West Side Story" succeeds in capturing the romantic passion first relayed by Shakespeare.