Differences Between Laurence's West Side Story and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Laurence's West Side story is an apparition of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet differ in many ways. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona in about 1594. West Side Story takes in New York City in 1957. Tony is the modern character of Romeo and Maria is the modern character of Juliet. In the two tragedies the major conflict is two opposing families, or gangs, do not agree of the relationship of their child. This conflict was resolved in a very tragic manner, one of the two couples killed themselve