Astrology In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. In the play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare astrology plays an extensive role in the play, and it affects the character’s lives. Without astrology, the novel would not have been even remotely the same, astrology helps develop many of the major events and scenes in the play. Astrology in the play is not a little detail that the author put in the play. Astrology is a substantial factor as to how the story ends and it also affects the fate of the main character’s Romeo and Juliet. To put it into perspective Norman Holland a literary critic mentions “Romeo thinks of the stars as embodying and revealing the laws behind physical

These quotes embody illustrations of Romeo centering his life around the stars and believing that the stars are controlling him. When a major event takes place Romeo believes that it was the stars who orchestrated the event and that the characters can not go against the will of the stars, as illustrated in the first extract of the novel. To add Romeo also deems that the stars are playing with him and using him as a puppet doll. He feels that fortune is being too cruel to him because he just got married and now he will have to face the products of his actions. As Harold Goddard a literary critic explains “Our theory is all very nice for physics; their theory explains how people fall in love. The girl looks at the boy, wiggles her eyelashes, and thus shoots darts into the pupils of his eyes.” (8). Romeo also mentions “It is the stars, the stars above us govern our conditions” (Shakespeare,IV,3,2). This demonstrates even more how Romeo is not in control of the many things going on around him and how Romeo and Juliet were bound to fall in love. In addition, Astrology played a great role in the story in itself, and to the writing of the story as well. As