“O, swear not by the moon, th’inconstant moon

That monthly changes in her circled orb,

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable”

Throughout his work, Shakespeare makes consistent use of the cosmos to help convey everything from the feelings and thoughts of his characters to simply the passage of time.  Shakespeare not only had a firm grasp on astronomy, but appeared to have a keen interest in it as well! As part of our tour through the solar system and beyond, we will compare various references to the night sky in the works of Shakespeare to their real-world counterparts in attempts to decipher their meaning. We will also explore how the scientific beliefs of Shakespeare’s time influenced his writing, and how they have evolved over time.