Hamlet | Class 28: The Ptolemaic Universe (Act 4)

Lecture Topic: The Ptolemaic Universe

We have already seen how Shakespeare has informed his plays through mythology, religion, poetic conventions, and more. But there is yet another facet of Shakespeare’s learning that makes its way into his writing. As readers or audiences hundreds of years after the fact, we may miss some of the references to Shakespeare’s interest in science.

On such example of scientific reference occurs in 4.7.17. Speaking to Laertes about his love for Gertrude, Claudius says, “She is so conjunctive to my life and soul / That, as the...

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