Shakespeare's use of Paradoxes

For this blog post, I decided to research Shakespeare's use of Paradoxes in his play. The definition of paradox is a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory. Some popular paradoxes they I already knew about are the Twin Paradox and the Pinocchio Paradox. The Twin paradox is a physics theory dealing with relativity. It states that if you have two twins the same age and have one stay on planet earth and and have another board a spaceship and travel a certain distance at the speed of light or a speed close to it, the twins will age differently. To give a quantitative example, if the twin on the spaceship travels 10 light years round trip in the span of a year and returns to earth, the twin that stayed on the earth will have aged 10 years while the twin on the ship will have only aged one year! This paradox has far reaching affects as it questions the concept of time itself and how it can vary from person to person based on the theory of relativity. The Pinocchio Paradox is a different kind of paradox as it results in an infinite logical loop in which there is no way to break from it. The Paradox states that if Pinocchio says his nose will grow, there is no logical solution. Based on the story of Pinocchio, every time he lies his nose would grow. If Pinocchio says his nose will grow and it grows, it would mean that he was lying when in fact he said the truth. Likewise if his nose does not grow he would also be lying, causing his nose to grow, which brings us back to the first statement of the loop. I have always found these paradoxes fascinating and I researched how Shakespeare used them to enhance his own works.
   In my research, I came across a paper by Peter G. Platt, who is a Professor of English at Barnard College. In his paper titled "Shakespeare and the Culture of Paradox", Platt researches the origins of Shakespeare's use of paradox and oxymoron. Platt states that Shakespeare adopted these literary devices from the Renaissance, where paradox and oxymoron came into being. He writes that Shakespeare used the foundation of paradox and oxymoron that the Renaissance created and built upon it, adding an immense vocabulary and a conceptual framework for his dizzying array of perspectives on love, gender, knowledge, and truth. Shakespeare's ability to confuse the reader/viewer and make them think about the deeper meaning of the themes of the play is one of the reasons his plays are heralded as the great works they are. He allows everyone to interpret the plays differently with the use of vague or open-ended paradoxes and oxymorons, which give his works a wealth of depth as plays can be reenacted in an almost infinite number of ways. His addition of these thought-provoking literary devices give his plays a versatility that has allowed them to be reenacted for centuries without ever becoming dull, repetitive, or played out. It is one of the reasons that makes Shakespeare's plays so popular.

Zodiac Signs

   To be perfectly honest, I know very little about the Zodiac Signs and the horoscopes accompany them. In fact, the only time I have ever researched the Zodiac Signs or horoscopes was in a sarcastic manner. I know that I am an Aquarius but thats about it. In my research, I looked at the history of the Zodiac Signs and where they came from. The Zodiac is believed to have developed in ancient Egypt and was later adopted by the Babylonians. The signs are divided into four groups: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. The Fire signs are Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo; The Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces; The Air signs are Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini; and the Earth signs are Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo. Each sign has different character traits and each sign gets a different horoscope.
   In my research, I focused on my own sign: Aquarius. Aquarius' are born between January 20th and February 18th. Their strengths include wittiness, cleverness, originality, creative, and caring. Their weaknesses are that they are stubborn, unemotional, sarcastic, rebellious, and aloof. In my research I found a wealth of information regarding the various relationships Aquarius' have in different areas of their lives, but I really started thinking about how Fate ties in to the Zodiac signs. Everyone likes being able to put blame on something other then themselves and having a sign give you a predisposition to act a certain way is the perfect excuse for one's behavior. Fate is such a relevant topic today because society loves having bad things be out of their hands.