Shakespeare and the Stars: The Hidden Astrological Keys to Understanding the World's Greatest Playwright

by Priscilla Costello MA

Overview

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, this book offers fresh and exciting insights into the ever-popular works of the world's greatest playwright. It specifically highlights Shakespeare's use of the archetypal language of astrological symbolism in both obvious and subtle ways. Such references would have been commonly known in Shakespeare's time, but their deeper significance is lost to modern-day playgoers and readers.

The first half of the book describes the Elizabethan worldview and how the seven known planets were considered an integral part of the cosmos and instrumental in shaping human character. The second half of the book examines six of Shakespeare's best-loved plays in the light of astrological symbolism, showing how they are entirely keyed to a specific zodiacal sign and its associated (or ruling) planet. The chosen plays are A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, The Tempest, and King Lear. Each chapter incorporates information and examples from astrological tradition, classical and Renaissance philosophy, Greek and Roman mythology, esoteric wisdom, modern psychology (especially that of C. G. Jung), and great literature.

Thoroughly researched and well-illustrated, this book illuminates the plays from a fresh perspective that will deepen and profoundly transform how we understand them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892542161
Publisher:	Nicolas-Hays, Inc
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Priscilla Costello, MA, Dipl. CAAE, is a teacher, writer, speaker, and counseling astrologer. An enthusiastic lover of Shakespeare's work, she taught English language and literature for over 30 years. As a professional astrologer, she has the unique ability to synthesize Shakespeare's literary and the astrological themes. Founder and Director of The New Alexandria, a center for religious, spiritual, and esoteric studies, she is the author of The Weiser Concise Guide to Practical Astrology (2008) and Shakespeare and the Stars series (2016).

Table of Contents

Introduction 11

The Unique and Elusive Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright Astrology… 13

Astrology and Shakespeare: his Attitude to and Knowledge of Astrology 20

The Many Lenses for Viewing Shakespeare's Works-and This One 30

Section I Decoding Shakespeare

1 Shakespeare's Use of Daily and Seasonal Cycles: Astrology in Essence 37

The Sun in Shakespeare's Plays 37

Poetic Use of the Sun and Moon 40

2 The Planets, the Elements, and the "Humours": Why Shakespeare's Characters Are the Way They Are 46

The Players and the Planets: How Shakespeare Uses Astrology to Create Character(s) 46

The "Humours': Using Astrology to Discover a Person's Temperament 49

The Origin and Development of the Theory of the "Humours' 50

Introduction to Shakespeare's Use of Humoral Types 56

The Melancholic Type: Keyed to Earth and Saturn 58

The Choleric Type: Keyed to Fire and Mars 61

The Phlegmatic Type: Keyed to Water and the Moon 66

The Sanguine Type: Keyed to Air and Jupiter 69

3 The "Elizabethan World Picture": The Framework for Shakespeare's Plays 74

Climbing the "Ladder of Heaven" 87

The Number Seven-as in the Seven Classical Planets 90

The "Music of the Spheres" 95

The Importance of Rhyme and Rhythm to this Worldview 106

Connecting the Levels: the Imagery of Similes and Metaphors 110

4 If All is Order and Harmony, How Do Disorder and Disharmony (even Evil) Enter? 118

Mastering the Passions: The Moral Dimension of Shakespeare's Works 126

5 Archetypes and Symbols: Exploring the Language of Astrology 139

The Modern Psychological Perspective on Archetypes 143

Archetypes and their Expression as Symbols 146

Astrology as a Language of Symbols 151

6 The Mystery of Artistic Creation and the Genius of Shakespeare-And Did He Create Consciously? 155

Section II The Plays

Introduction to Section II 165

The Multiple Levels of Astrological Interpretation 166

The Dominant Key to Shakespeare's Romantic Comedies: Venus 168

The Dominant Key to Shakespeare's Tragedies: Mars 171

7 The Hidden Astrological Key to A Midsummer Night's Dream: Cancer and its Ruler the Moon 177

The Story 177

The Sign Cancer and its Ruler the Moon 178

The Many Meanings of the Moon 182

The Enigma of Time in A Midsummer Night's Dream 187

The Moon and the Unconscious 191

To Sleep… 194

…Perchance to Dream 197

The Faeries and the Realm of Faerie 200

Bottom Transformed with an Ass's Head 206

Under the Sphere of the Moon 209

The Means of Entering the Moon's Realm: the Faculty of Imagination 210

The Play-and Life?-Is but a Dream 213

8 The Hidden Astrological Key to Romeo and Juliet: Gemini and its Ruler Mercury 219

The Story 219

The Sign Gemini and its Ruler Mercury 220

The Sign Opposite to Gemini: Sagittarius 231

Herbalism or the Doctrine of Signatures 232

The Flaw that Generates the Tragedy: Impulsiveness 236

The Idea of Twin Souls and Love at First Sight 239

Individuation and Initiation in Romeo and Juliet 242

Their Final Union and the Mystic Marriage 245

The Ultimate Tragedy 247

9 The Hidden Astrological Keys to The Merchant of Venice: Taurus and its Ruler Venus, and Libra and its Ruler Venus 249

The Story 249

Determining the Play's Astrological Link 250

Venus: The Planetary Ruler of Taurus and Libra 251

Venus and Taurus: Issues of Money and Value 254

Venice: the City of Venus 256

Taurus and the Theme of Money Management 258

Melancholia and the Wealthy 261

The Fairy-Tale Element of the Play: the Three Caskets 263

Taurus and Money-Lending: the Problem of Usury 265

Venus as the Planetary Ruler of Libra 268

Libra and Its Associations with the Law 273

Venus and the Love of Friends 279

Venus and Libra: Love and Marriage 284

It All Ends in Belmont 289

10 The Hidden Astrological Key to Macbeth: Scorpio and its Ruler Mars 293

The Story 293

The Key to Macbeth: Mars 295

The Zodiacal Sign of Scorpio, Ruled by Mars 297

The Water Element and Emotions: Control versus Repression 301

Water Signs and the Power of the Imagination 305

The Need to Protect: Masking and Hiding 307

Scorpio and the Will 308

Mars, Masculinity, and the Roots of Violence: Lady Macbeth's Manipulative Technique 309

The Banishment of the Feminine (Venus) 314

The Witches' Persuasive Technique: Equivocation 316

Scorpio and the Occult 320

Issues for Scorpio: Temptation, Sin, and Evil 325

The Consequences of Evil: In Nature, the Human Realm, and the State 328

Scorpio: From Degeneration to Regeneration 336

Scorpio: Wounding and Healing 340

Macbeth-and Evil-Destroyed 342

11 The Hidden Astrological Keys to The Tempest: Pisces and its (Traditional) Ruler Jupiter (and Modern Ruler Neptune) 345

The Story 345

Pisces and its (Traditional) Ruler: Jupiter 346

Jupiter and the Theme of Freedom 353

The Modern Ruler of the Sign Pisces: Neptune 359

Dreams, Altered States, and the Perfect World: Pisces and Neptune 362

Piscean "Knowledge" and the Study of Magic 365

Prospero's Control of the Four Elements 368

Is Prospero a White Magician? 373

Harmony-and Order-Restored 377

12 The Hidden Astrological Key to King Lear: Capricorn and its Ruler Saturn 379

The Story 379

The Sign Capricorn and its Ruler Saturn 381

Saturn in Classical Mythology 387

The Astrological Saturn: Its Qualities and Symbolism 389

Esteemed Virtues of Saturn: Patience, Loyalty, and Honesty 393

Disorder-How the Tragedy Begins and Multiplies 398

Eclipses: Portents of Disorder and Disaster 403

Dragons-Symbol of Saturn-and their Fiery Breath 406

Elizabethan Psychology: Saturn, Melancholy, and Madness 410

Modern Psychology: Saturn and the Breakdown of the Ego 414

Loss of Identity: Voluntary or Involuntary 419

Suffering, the End of Suffering-and the Ending of King Lear 424

The Death of Cordelia-and What Does Lear See? 430

Summing Up: Celestial Design Then and Now 435

Appendix: Is Alchemy also a Key to Understanding King Lear? 443

The Play as an Allegory of Alchemy: The Dragon Transformed 443

Acknowledgements 451

Bibliography 455

Endnotes 469

Index 531