Shakespeare in the Sky

Most of the planets, constellations, and heavenly bodies we see in the sky through our telescopes are named after the gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines of the old classics, mostly the old Roman classics. But there are also some heavenly bodies out there that are named after Shakespeare's characters (Pope's too, but who cares?). The planet Uranus has 27 moons, or satellites, named Cordellia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Mab, Belinda, Perdita, Puck, Cupid, Miranda, Francisco, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberan, Caliban, Stephano, Trinculo, Sycorax, Margaret, Prospero, Setebos, and Ferdinand. Most of these moons are very very small.

But they are there, and the fact that they were named mostly after Shakespearean characters shows that while most heavenly bodies are named after the old classical traditions, Shakespeare is part of an important tradition too.

This picture is one I got from the Astronomy Picture of the Day site, which has lots of lovely astronomy pictures and information.

Taming Romeo?

Before I started reading Romeo and Juliet, I looked at a few articles of literary criticism on it. One of the ones which interested me most was an article The taming of Romeo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet discussing Juliet taking charge and “simulating maleness” to sort of tame Romeo and use him as a way of escaping from her own trapped social position. It was a very gendered reading and it rather annoyed me. I was rather annoyed at the author saying that Juliet was acting male because she was realistic and to the point.

He says that he believes that Juliet “demonstrates her independence and masculine mindset” and that “[Shakespeare] inverts the gender roles, making Juliet engage in behavior usually exclusive to men.” He backs this up with the falcon imagery. Juliet is likened to the falconer, and Romeo to the falcon, though normally falconers are male, and the falcons used were female. I kind of see this, since I do see the passages he points out—the clear references such as “O for a falconer’s voice / to lure this tassel-gentle back again”(II. 2. 158-159) and also the references to Romeo being in the dark (like a hooded falcon)—so I do see the falcon imagery that Mansour is talking about here. Mostly I just don’t like him saying that this means that Juliet is “simulating maleness” as he says or even that “Juliet demonstrates her skill at mastering Romeo.”

Also, Mansour talked about Juliet being the falconer related to the earthbound and limited state of women at the time, and that this relates to her being rational and less flighty and speaking in “Juliet does not take wing in her words as Romeo does.” Perhaps, in this scene this is true, but during other parts of the play Juliet certainly has long and beautiful speeches and is just as melodramatic as Romeo is.

It was an interesting article.

What I Think of....

...When I Think of Romeo and Juliet.

I've never read Romeo and Juliet before, but I feel well acquainted with the story. Of all of Shakespeare's plays, this one seems to have worked its way most thoroughly into many different levels of culture.

The first thing I think of when I think Romeo and Juliet is "cliche".

The second thing I think of is a movie called The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns. Despite the frame story dominated with annoying humans, I enjoyed this imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling.

Then I think of West-Side Story and the Hindi version Josh (I've only seen the Hindi version).

While thinking about Indian references I think of a song in the first Telugu movie I ever watched, Bommarillu.

Also, Romeo and Juliet was also the play the characters in the second Hindi film I ever watched, (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) were studying in their English class.

As far as books I've read... Romeo and Juliet is also referenced in the second Twilight book, New Moon. She actually makes an interesting question "what if" question based on the play.

Another book I've read which is fairly clearly inspired by Romeo and Juliet is Son of the Mob. Where a mob boss's son falls in love with the daughter of a police chief (or perhaps it was a detective, I don't remember anymore).

But this is not even a significant fraction of different places Romeo and Juliet have gone. It's just a few of the first things I think of when I think of Romeo and Juliet.