Shakespeare References in The Further Prophecies Of Nostradamus: 1985 And Beyond

Even though there had been Shakespeare references in the previous seven or eight books I had read, I did not expect to find any in Erika Cheetham’s The Further Prophecies Of Nostradamus: 1985 And Beyond. I was wrong. There are several. The first is simply a mention of Shakespeare, in a chapter on Aldous Huxley and George Orwell’s work: “Cultural interests such as reading Shakespeare, long-lasting sexual love, the family, even the wish to spend time alone, are things to be discouraged and prevented lest they encourage independent thought, which is virtually equivalent to subversive action” (p. 128).

Then, in the chapter titled “Misuses Of Prophecy And Prophets,” there is an entire section on Macbeth. Cheetham writes, “Macbeth is a classic example of one of the most frequent misuses of prophecy, that of trying to force it instead of just letting it happen” (p. 134). Cheetham then goes into detail about how both Macbeth and Banquo react to the witches’ prophecies. “Soon enough Macbeth murders the king, to make one of the prophecies come true” (p. 135). Regarding Macbeth’s later encounter with the witches and the vision of the kings, Cheetham writes: “From then until his death Macbeth believes in prophecy, becoming almost its passive agent, and demonstrating another misuse of prophecy, that of wrongful interpretation, in the way most favorable to himself. When the second and third prophetic sayings come true, in a sense unfavorable to him, Macbeth’s courage fails, and he is killed by Macduff. It is overstating the obvious that at least 50 percent of a prophecy’s content lies in belief by its subject” (pages 135-136). Cheetham then writes: “It seems to me that the principle of symmetry demands that someone trying to ensure that a favorable prophecy should come to pass, will in fact help to ensure that it fails. That was Macbeth’s error” (p. 136). In the next chapter, Cheetham returns to Macbeth: “There are certain grounds on which almost any prophecy may be regarded as undesirable. It may paralyze action or distort judgment leading to wrong or foolish conduct, as happened to Macbeth” (p. 144).

There is also a reference to Hamlet: “My own personal experience does not lead me to reject a large measure of free choice and free will. Chaucer’s ‘all that’s preordained needs must be’ is too extreme. I prefer Hamlet’s ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy’” (p. 145).

The Further Prophecies Of Nostradamus: 1985 And Beyond was published in 1985. It is a Perigee Book, published by The Putnam Publishing Group. The edition I read is the hardcover Book Club Edition.

Shakespeare References in The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie contains several references to Shakespeare. Most of them come because Jim, the gentleman caller, refers to Tom as Shakespeare because of Tom’s interest in writing poetry. In Tom’s monologue at the beginning of the sixth scene, he explains that: “He knew of my secret practice of retiring to a cabinet of the washroom to work on poems when business was slack in the warehouse. He called me Shakespeare” (p. 68). A little later in the same speech, Tom says: “If he did remember Laura, it was not as my sister, for when I asked him to dinner, he grinned and said, ‘You know, Shakespeare, I never thought of you as having folks!’” (p. 69). And when Jim meets Laura, he says, “I didn’t know that Shakespeare had a sister!” (p. 76). A little later Jim says to Tom, “You know, Shakespeare – I’m going to sell you a bill of goods!” (p. 77). After the lights go out, Jim says to Amanda, “Shakespeare probably wrote a poem on that light bill, Mrs. Wingfield” (p. 87). When Jim remembers that he did know Laura in high school, he says: “I didn’t connect you with high school somehow or other. But that’s where it was; it was high school. I didn’t even know you were Shakespeare’s sister” (p. 91). And when Jim leaves, he says, “So long, Shakespeare!” (p. 112).

There is also a reference to Romeo And Juliet. Jim reveals he’s engaged and says that he hasn’t told the people at the warehouse yet. He adds: “You know how they are. They call you Romeo and stuff like that” (p. 111).

The Glass Menagerie was originally published in 1945. The edition I read is the New Classics edition, which was first published in 1949, then reset in 1970. The copy I read was from the fifteenth printing.

Shakespeare Reference in Runaways

The Bantom Book edition of Elizabeth Swados' Runaways contains one mention of Shakespeare. It's not in the play itself, but on the page listing the original cast (which, by the way, included Diane Lane): "RUNAWAYS was first performed at The New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater on March 9, 1978" (p. 51). This book also includes an introduction by Joseph Papp. This book was published in 1979.

Shakespeare References in The Awakening

Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening doesn’t contain any obviously deliberate Shakespeare references, but there are two phrases she uses which seem to originate from Shakespeare. The first is in her line “She needed the sun to mellow and temper her mood to the sticking point” (p. 120). The term “sticking point,” or “sticking place,” was used in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place,/And we’ll not fail.” The term means the point at which something reaches its greatest strength or limit. It’s related to the image of a crossbow pulled taut, and means being firm and resolute. The other line worth mentioning is Chopin’s “I couldn’t help loving you if you were ten times his wife” (p. 173), as it reminds me of Hamlet’s line, “We shall obey, were she ten times our mother.”

The Awakening was originally published in 1899. The edition I read is a hardcover book club edition published by Nelson Doubleday, Inc.

Shakespeare References in Inconceivable

I only got to page twelve of Ben Elton’s novel Inconceivable before coming across the first Shakespeare reference. It was a humorous reference to Hamlet: “But when is the time right? To have it off or not to have it off, that is the question” (p. 12). The book is about a couple trying to have a child, and trying different methods. It is told from both the man and the woman’s perspective, and it seems both characters are Shakespeare fans. That first reference is from the woman’s perspective, as is the second, which is also a Hamlet reference. “I mean it probably is self-indulgent claptrap, of course, but he doesn’t have to be so negative all the time. I said to him, ‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, you cynical bastard!’ which I must say I thought rather a clever riposte” (p. 30). That, of course, is a reference to Hamlet’s line to Horatio. The next reference is from the man’s perspective, and is a reference to Much Ado About Nothing: “It compared Dodd to a Shakespearean clown. They did a bit of Dogberry and Verges from Much Ado to illustrate the point” (p. 78).

There are several references to Macbeth in this novel. The first is from the woman’s perspective: “He’s a set designer for the theatre (mainly fringe; he told me that recently he had to do Burnham Wood moving to Dunsinane for about five quid: ‘We used a lot of real twigs, and binliners, of course, can represent just about anything’)” (p. 90). The second Macbeth reference is from the male character, while he talks about his sperm: “The first bit is the best bit, of that there seems to be no doubt. All the rest is rubbish, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (p. 179). The next Macbeth reference is also from the man’s perspective, though the man is quoting another character: “I like romantic comedy with edge, with bite, with bollocks! To me Macbeth is a romantic comedy, so’s Oedipus” (p. 192). The next is from the woman’s perspective: “Anyway, the deed had to be done” (p. 219). That refers to Macbeth’s line “I have done the deed.”

There are also a few references to Othello. The woman tells us, “Oh well, before we knew it the Green-Eyed Monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on would be knocking at the door, suitcase in hand and planning a long stay” (p. 194). That refers directly to Iago’s speech to Othello: “O beware, my lord, of jealousy!/It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on.” The next is from the man’s perspective, regarding another character: “She said she did not do two Desdemonas and a Rosalind at the RSC in order to have her bum used to sell videos” (p. 245). (That line also contains a reference to As You Like It.) The last is from the man’s perspective: “Jealous as Othello though I may have been, I knew that I wished Lucy all the happiness she desired” (p. 269).

There are also some references to Shakespeare himself and to the Royal Shakespeare Company. The male character writes: “Nimnh is not as big a star as Carl but she’s very highly regarded, having played most of the younger Shakespeare totty at the RSC” (p. 231). The next is from the woman’s perspective, regarding the same characters: “The other was a woman I recognized as Nimnh Tubbs from the RSC” (p. 252). The last is also from the female character: “In fact I did say that to him quite recently and he told me that in fact it has been scientifically proven that the amount of adrenalin released into the body when an actor tackles a lead Shakespearean role is equivalent to that experienced by the victim of a car crash” (p. 264).

Inconceivable was published in 1999.

Shakespeare References in Booked To Die

I should no longer be surprised when a book I read has Shakespeare references, particularly one that is about books, as John Dunning's Booked To Die is. This mystery takes place in the world of book scouts, and contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is a reference to Julius Caesar: "But of course I wouldn't do it. Like Brutus, I am an honorable man" (p. 62). The line "Brutus is an honorable man" is one that Antony repeats to great effect in his famous speech in Act III. And the reference works quite well in this story, giving us a clever hint at what our narrator is capable of, as well as what he thinks of himself. There is a second reference to Julius Caesar: "All I could think in that moment was that line from Shakespeare, how cowards die a dozen times before their deaths" (p. 242). It's interesting, because the line is usually misquoted as "Cowards die a thousand times" or "Cowards die a thousand deaths," not "a dozen times." The actual line from Act II Scene ii of Julius Caesar is "Cowards die many times before their deaths;/The valiant never taste of death but once."

Another reference in this novel is to Shakespeare himself, and occurs when a girl comes into the new book store: "'You've found us,' I said. 'You're a little early, though. I haven't put out the Shakespeare folios or the Gutenbergs yet, and we won't open for another week or two'" (p. 144). The last mention of Shakespeare in this book contains a reference to Romeo And Juliet. Dunning writes: "The sweet sorrow, the hate that's really love, the pull of opposites in a single emotion. Maybe they'd be lost without each other. This is the stuff Shakespeare wrote about, isn't it?" The phrase "sweet sorrow" comes from that wonderful line, "Parting is such sweet sorrow/That I shall say good night till it be morrow," which in productions is usually assigned to Juliet, following Q1, but occasionally is given to Romeo, following Q2. The First Folio also assigns that line to Romeo, and I think it makes more sense coming from Romeo.

Booked To Die was published in 1992. The edition I read is the Avon Books printing from 1993.

Shakespeare References in Stephen Hawking: Quest For A Theory Of Everything

Kitty Ferguson’s book Stephen Hawking: Quest For A Theory Of Everything contains a couple of references to William Shakespeare. The first: “In the process Hawking, like the writers of the Bible and Shakespeare, has supplied eloquent quotations to support opposing philosophical points of view” (p. 122). And the second: “Do people who buy the book read it and understand it? Hawking said he wasn’t overly concerned about its being left on coffee tables and bookcases just for show. The Bible and Shakespeare, he pointed out, have shared that fate for centuries” (p. 132). It’s interesting to me that both times this book connects Shakespeare with The Bible. Stephen Hawking: Quest For A Theory Of Everything was published in 1991. The edition I read is from August of 1992.