National Shakespeare day is April 23! But I think we should celebrate the Bard all month long!
Let’s celebrate the upstart crow by pairing the zodiac signs with some femme characters from his most iconic plays.
Don’t forget to check your moon and rising signs as well as your sun sign. You can check your birth chart here!
Aries- Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)
Here is a bit of advice. Don’t ever get into an argument with an Aries. They may not start fights, but they are more than happy to finish them. And if you try to insult them, they will give as good as they get. That is why Beatrice would be the quintessential Aries. Like the cardinal fire sign, she also has a sweet side. She is fiercely protective of her cousin Hero.
Taurus- Titania (A Midsummer’s Night Dream)
I often describe Taureans as wholesome hedonists because they will stop at nothing to get what they want. But they will do it in a sweet way. And that is why I think they will be perfectly paired with Titania, Queen of the Faeries. Titania would be an obstinate Taurus because she stubbornly defends her decision to keep a changeling child.
She also demonstrates her hedonism by, ahem, getting with an actor who was turned into a donkey.
Gemini- Rosalind (As You Like It)
As mutable signs, Geminis are known to be adaptable. And who is more adaptable than an exiled noblewoman who must disguise herself as a man? Rosalind would be a Gemini because she is dualistic. But I also paired her with the verbally expressive sign because she is eloquent and clever in her speech.
Cancer- Ophelia (Hamlet)
It’s going to be so hard to write this section without getting that Lumineers song stuck in my head.
I paired Ophelia with Cancer for a couple of reasons. Cancerians are known to be creative and artistically expressive. And when Ophelia is driven to her breaking point by the terrible people around her, she expresses her outrage by singing bawdy songs and passing out flowers with poetic double meanings. Also, Ophelia is well-known for her mad scene, and Cancer’s ruling planet, the moon, is often associated with madness.
Leo- Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra)
This is a perfect pairing by virtue of the fact that the name “Cleopatra” has the word “Leo” right in the middle of it. But that is not the only reason for this pairing. I have often referred to Leo as the sovereign of the zodiac, so naturally, I had to pair the sovereign with the most iconic ruler in Shakespeare’s lexicon. Leos are also known to be extravagant, and historically Cleopatra was known for her love of luxury and flair for the dramatic.
Virgo- Miranda (The Tempest)
One of the feminine archetypes that Shakespeare and his contemporaries loved to write about was “the dutiful daughter.” And Miranda was one of the most classic examples of this trope. I paired her with Virgo because the mutable earth sign is endowed with a great sense of duty. But I also paired them together because Miranda is compassionate, and Virgos are known to be kind-hearted.
Libra- Portia (The Merchant of Venice)
Libras are diplomatic and dedicated to justice. You could argue that the cardinal air signs would make brilliant lawyers. So naturally, I had to pair them with Portia, a noblewoman who dresses up as a lawyer’s apprentice to save the life of a friend of the man whom she loves. Libra is also ruled by Venus, the planet of romance, and Portia is known to have high standards for her romantic partners.
Scorpio- Goneril (King Lear)
Scorpios have many positive traits. They are passionate, friendly, and mysterious. But they are also secretive and envious. And those last two words describe Goneril to a T. Goneril is envious of her sister Regan’s affection for Edmund and secretly conspires to kill her. Scorpios are also one of the most sensual signs in the zodiac, and Goneril is driven by her lust for Edmund.
Sagittarius- Viola (Twelfth Night)
It’s funny that I paired one cross-dressing lady with Gemini and one with Sagittarius, considering those two signs are solar opposites. Sagittarians are known to be intelligent, introspective, and charming. Throughout the play, Viola displays her cleverness and self-reflection through her soliloquies. She also manages to charm both the Duke and Olivia.
Capricorn- Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)
Love her or hate her, you have to admit Lady Macbeth knows how to get results. Like the cardinal earth sign, she is ambitious and demonstrates amazing leadership skills. Sure, one could argue that Macbeth was technically the one who became the leader of Scotland, but we all know who was the true brains behind the operation.
Aquarius- Cordelia (King Lear)
Aquarians are often judged a bit too harshly by their peers. They say that the fixed air sign is aloof or unemotional, but that could not be further from the truth. Though it’s true that they tend to be standoffish, Aquarians have a million thoughts and emotions tumbling around their head at all times. They are just quiet or shy when it comes to expressing them. This is why I think they will relate to quiet Cordelia when she does not resort to overblown language when expressing her love for her father. Like Aquarius, Cordelia is also seen as an outsider in her family.
Pisces- The Witches (MacBeth)
Pisces gets to be paired with three Shakespearean ladies! Astrologers believe that anyone who has Pisces in a prominent place in their birth chart is blessed with psychic abilities. So it only makes sense to pair them with the women who are able to see into the ill-fated Scottish king’s future. Poetic Pisces will also relate to the witches because they use flowery and cryptic language when delivering their prophecies
Ophiuchus- Rosaline (Romeo and Juliet)
Ophiuchus is not really a zodiac sign, and Rosaline is not really a Shakespearean lady because she is not even in the play. She is only briefly mentioned by whiny Romeo, but she never actually makes an appearance.
