Think of King Lear, who sinned knowingly and scoffed at the stars. Or Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, who defied the stars and then used them to his benefit. The “star-cross’d” Romeo believed the poison from the apothecary was the only thing that would “shake the yoke of inauspicious stars” from his “world-wearied flesh.” And Anthony, in Julius Caesar, attributed his first defeat to the fact that the stars had forsaken him, blaming the moon’s eclipse for his ultimate fall.
In all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays there are more than a hundred allusions to astrology, and many of his characters’ actions are said to be favored or hindered by the stars. The signs of the zodiac are mentioned in six of Shakespeare’s plays, and the planets may even be blamed for disasters, especially as they wander from their spheres. Several of Shakespeare’s characters were governed by particular stars, as Posthumous was born under the benevolent planet Jupiter, and thus had a favorable destiny at the end of the play. Another character, Monsieur Parolles, was born under Mars and became known fittingly as a soldier. The moon–known for its influence on emotions and self-image–was said to govern Elizabeth, who wept throughout the play Richard III. These examples and many other astrological passages scattered throughout his dramatic works show that Shakespeare was at least interested in astrology and used the art abundantly in the creation of some of his most striking passages. He probably did this because it would have an appeal to the Elizabethan audience at the time. Whether he had a sincere interest in astrology is unknown. Read the rest of this entry »