Shakespearean Science

Covering the 15th and 16th Centuries, the Renaissance signified Europe's cultural revival. It was also a portal through which Western Civilization began impacting the world. From then on, the world would never be the same again.


William Shakespeare was a Renaissance man who respected no walls or barriers on his way to explore the cosmos. In his mind, therefore, the dichotomy between art and science never existed, in sharp contrast to what our colleges tell us today. Merging art and science, Shakespeare addressed important philosophical issues confronting humanity. 


Making people laugh or cry is moving people. Moving people toward what? Toward modernity while turning away from mundanity. Enlightening and entertaining, Shakespeare's plays are a good mix of poetry and science. The following is an illuminating nugget:


Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2

(Hamlet's Love Letter to Ophelia)

To the celestial, and my soul’s idol, the
most beautified Ophelia….

Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.

Here, in Hamlet's moment of agony, Shakespeare met Copernicus, and love met astronomy. Copernicus proved that the earth revolves around the sun. He thus rubbed his geocentric church the wrong way. He was inviting trouble to himself. Fortunately or unfortunately though, he died too soon to face persecution.

On the stage, Hamlet's vow of love was Copernican heliocentrism, inviting doubt and fear too. If Ophelia doubted him, he implied, he would be willing to pay the ultimate price. That being the case, romantic love and astronomical truth made sense of each other, poetically and scientifically.

"All the world's a stage." This stage was and still is revolving around the Shakespearean sun.


Author: renqiulan


Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

所有跟帖： 

• “Shakespeare's plays are a good mix of poetry and science. ” -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:07:38

• This perspective is very special and novel. Impressive! -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:11:42

• 問好秋蘭。熱烈歡迎回歸美壇。：）） -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:13:50

• 趁此機會，熱烈祝賀盈盈榮任美壇版主，並且同時祝福beautifulwind! -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:56:16

• 謝謝秋蘭。美風度假去了。大家都不希望看見美壇因此蕭條。我一時大發熱心。呼朋喚友，想讓美壇重新活躍起來。很開心看到你回來！ -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 15:51:14

• 盈盈迎難而上，精神可嘉，魄力可羨。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 17:16:31

• Best wishes! -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 17:30:38

• 在英語學習上，還請秋蘭多多幫助。：）） -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:29:47

• 盈盈太謙了。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:03:10

• 愧不敢當。就是希望能在文學城一直有一個可以一邊玩，一邊學，一邊提高英語的地方。：） -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:28:02

• Same here. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:12:12

• Thank you! I am just trying to be fair and balanced. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:52:53

• 謝謝盈盈！莎士比亞究竟是何許人也，還是具有爭議性的。然而，其人劇作是融合文藝科學的上品，則獲廣大認同。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 17:23:17

• Hamlet's vow of love was Copernican heliocentrism. -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:32:52

• romantic love and astronomical truth made sense of -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:33:43

• each other, poetically and scientifically. -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:34:07

• 謝謝獨特的闡述，富有啟發性。很值得好好思想一下。：） -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:35:58

• 這正是我對莎劇的評價，功在作者。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:05:47

• 評得好！ -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 12:01:12

• The Bard was a Renaissance man, wasn't he? -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 09:49:52

• 詩而優則劇，劇而優則詩，難怪有人以莎士比亞與關漢卿相提並論。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 17:29:03

• 以莎士比亞與關漢卿相提並論，秋蘭對漢學的研究，實在是令人佩服。最近詩壇在流行寫元曲。 -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:44:44

• 請不要誇我，因為我的耳背容易發熱。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:07:23

• 哈哈！ -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 12:00:44

• 我的小目標：詩而優則詞，詞而優則曲。希望以後詩，詞，曲，我都能學習寫。 -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:47:10

• 願見盈盈詩詞曲新作。 -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:08:55

• The Bard is an epithet of William Shakespeare. -盈盈一笑間- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 19:42:39

• Indeed, it is. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:14:23

• Great post! We are surely worse off from Renaissance -7grizzly- ♀ (106 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 17:34:46

• Thank you for your input. Perhaps, we're better off. Why? -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 18:41:16

• Because we're standing on the Renaissance giants' shoulders. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 18:45:45

• Benefits of hindsight can delude, but they -7grizzly- ♀ (42 bytes) () 09/13/2023 postreply 21:02:04

• You have a point. Thanks. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/14/2023 postreply 06:13:41

• Great share, great point! 謝謝秋蘭分享，問好秋蘭。 -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/16/2023 postreply 20:56:00

• Shakespearean Science, Shakespearean sun. Great concepts! -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/16/2023 postreply 21:01:28

• Thanks! There's a heliocentric Shakespearean Renaissance. -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/17/2023 postreply 08:16:32

• 秋蘭博古通今，中西合璧，學識淵博，讚！ -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/18/2023 postreply 07:55:48

• 哪裏？感謝小西鼓勵！ -renqiulan- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/17/2023 postreply 08:10:04