Empowering Shakespeare’s Juliet through Popular Culture: "West Side Story" (1961), "Romeo & Juliet (H & M)" (2005), and "Juliet Immortal" (2011)

William Shakespeare’s plays are an inspirational material for the creation of popular culture productions. Indeed, on many occasions, his stories are adapted with a specific purpose in mind. That is the case with Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ film West Side Story (1961), David LaChapelle’s advertisement Romeo & Juliet (H & M) (2005), and Stacey Jay’s novel Juliet Immortal (2011). In this paper, I approach the objects of study from a feminist perspective to prove or disprove this research hypothesis: the authors of West Side Story, Romeo & Juliet (H & M), and Juliet Immortal have reinterpreted the figure of Juliet to construct versions of the character that reflect shifting conceptions of female agency across time. It is concluded that Wise and Robbins, LaChapelle, and Jay portray a more independent Juliet who becomes the only protagonist of this tragic love story as she highlights women’s liberation.