What has not been so widely recognised, is his knowledge of contemporary astronomy. There are many examples in his plays of astronomical references which show both knowledge and great foresight in this regard.
For example, from Romeo & Juliet: "How sweet the Moonlight sits upon this bank" - The words are certainly spoken at night, either First Quarter to Full Moon to have been bright enough to notice, however he does not say Which Bank - certainly not the Commonwealth or Rothschilds as the period is too early. However, the 16th Century Verona bank was opened in 1522 by Branch Manager, Pedro the Fiscal Man who had been forced to flee his native Spain by a fishing boat after eloping with the bride of the rich winemaker, Miguel, the Full Bodied.
"Out Damn Spot" - these words, spoken by Lady MacBeth have long been attributed by Freudians and similar fruitcakes, to compulsive, neurotic attempts by the guilt stricken woman attempting to wash away imaginary blood after the murder of King Duncan. An alternative theory was advanced at the symposium during the formal dinner following on the 1962 Oxford/Cambridge Booze Race, Jock McStrapp, professor of Medieval History, referred to Scottish chronicles which refer to McHagg, eldest of the three witches, and her Highland Terrier, named Spot. This hapless dog had mistaken Lady MacBeth’s sturdy legs for trees from Burnham wood, and one day in chapel during matins had lifted his leg in benediction and had blessed her ankle with a stream of warm, if unholy water. Ever after, she had persecuted the poor animal and Jock considered that these words could have been directed at it, and explained the curse put on the MacBeths by the witches.
However, the astronomy connection had long been overlooked. McStrapp admitted the words could equally apply to the great daylight sunspot of 1557. This was seen by many citizens of Glasgow on that celebrated day when the Sun broke through the clouds and was actually seen in Scotland, frightening small children who had not seen the Sun previously. Visible to the naked eye when filtered through bottles of malt Whiskey, this Sunspot caused widespread alarm and was blamed for many evils, including the failure of the Haggis crop and King Duncan’s double hernia during caber tossing. It even frightened many devout Scots off Whiskey for nearly a month.
It is now certain that Shakespeare intended Lady MacBeth to be referring to this evil omen.
"No Comets are seen when beggars die…" - from Julius Caesar, contrasts the death of Caesar being associated with Comet Halley’s apparition that year.
Could Shakespeare be suggesting that the death rate amongst beggars fell to zero when comets were seen? Could there be another meaning? Did Roman Comet hunters not search for Comets during some mourning period for beggars? - Not likely, as Comet Halley was observed, although possibly by people who did not mourn Caesar’s demise.
Professor Aldenté Pasta, of Bologña University in Italy, suggests that Shakespeare is referring to a Roman charitable custom. It seems that a permanent open season was declared under the rule of Sulla (known as "Sulla the Culler"), allowing beggars to be culled so as to reduce demand on State supplied grain, but that under his successor, Marius, the open season was suspended during the advent of any naked eye Comets (a clear majority of the Comets observed in Roman times) as an act of grace - thus, and more accurately, no beggars were culled when Comets were seen. Clearly Shakespeare displays a profound knowledge of Roman history.
"Our faults lay not in our stars, but in ourselves" - Shakespeare put astrology in its proper place, and in this regard, was well ahead of Johannes Kepler, who had shamelessly pilfered Tycho Brahe’s positional records for use with the astrological forecasts he sold to gullible customers.
Hamlet: "Last night of all, when yond same star that’s westward from the pole had made his course to illume hat part of heaven where now it burns" - Scholars have long considered that means Bernardo is referring to a star west of the pole star. The hour has struck twelve and it is cold, so winter is assumed.
However, recent research suggests Bernardo could be referring to the Polish origin of Marcellus Sikorsky, the relevant star could depend on just where Marcellus was standing in Act 1 Scene 1. However, recent studies published by the Historical Faculty of Stolichnaya, suggest that the reference could be to the flagpole built by Marcellus’ father who migrated from Warsaw to Elsinore twenty years previously and had crafted the flagpole for Elsinore Castle on commission by Hamlet’s father.
The question would be determined by just where the players were standing in relation to the flagpole.
Clearly it would have been a bright star to have drawn attention, as one hell of a lot of stars would have been visible west of any of the three poles. If the first reference to the pole star is correct, perhaps Sirius, Procyon or Betelgeuse, if one the others - any damn star.
Romeo and Juliet: Juliet - "It is some meteor that the Sun exhales" - This statement puts Juliet one up on the men of science who, until the 19th Century, held that meteoric rocks were spat out by volcanoes. Exhaled - Shakespeare clearly anticipates the Solar wind and recognises that meteors were extra-terrestrial in origin.