The Star-Crossed Lovers Archetype (Two Souls Brought together through circumstance to be torn apart by fate)

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The Star-Crossed Lovers Archetype(Two
SoulsBrought together through circumstance to be
torn apart by fate)
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Basic Definition

• Lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail are
  said to be star-crossed (frustrated by the
  stars), because those who believe in astrology
  claim that the stars control human destiny
  Star-crossed lovers refers to any lovers whose
  affection for each other is doomed to end in
  tragedy (Star-crossed lovers).

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Mythic Examples

• Pyramus and Thisbe (Roman Mythology) This tale
  features two lovers who are kept apart by
  parental wishes. Communicating through a crack
  in a wall, these lovers arrange a secret meeting
  but by the end of the tale both characters
  tragically kill themselves ("Pyramus and Thisbe").

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More Mythic Examples

• Tristan and Isolde (Celtic Mythology) The
  Cornish knight, Tristan, travels to Ireland to
  bring back the fair Irish princess, Isolde, for
  his uncle King Mark to marry. But on the way
  back from Ireland, Tristan and Isolde
  accidentally ingest a love potion that causes
  them to become madly enamored with one another
  ("Tristan and Isolde").

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Tristan and Isolde (continued)

• The great stories in our Western tradition help
  us meditate on the eternal dimensions of love.
  Many of these stories have such depth of mystery
  and grandeur of expression that they are
  considered almost canonically sacredincluding
  the Star-crossed Fate of Tristan and IsoldeIt is
  a story about loves sadness. The lovers name,
  Tristan, means sad tristeThe tale of Tristan
  and Isolde, therefore, is about love entering the
  tragic side of life from this glowing puer
  placeLike an ever-present shadow, sadness
  accompanies every thrill and success the two
  young people squeeze from fate (Moore 82 84).

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Further Mythic Examples

• Lancelot and Guinevere (Arthurian Legends) Kept
  apart by circumstance and moral concerns, the
  love between this leading knight and queen mars
  the Round Table and dooms Camelot ("Guinevere) .

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More Mythic Examples
Layla and Majnun (Arabic Legend) These two
lovers are kept apart due to parental
disapproval. Towards the end of the tale, Majnun
is driven insane by his separation from Layla
(Coker).
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Further Mythic Examples

• The Butterfly Lovers
• (Chinese legend)
• In this legend, often called the Chinese Romeo
  and Juliet, the lovers are kept apart due to an
  arranged marriage already in place for the young
  maid, Zhu. This drives her love, Liang, to ill
  health and death. Upon his death, Zhu travels to
  Liangs grave and jumps down into its depths
  ending her life. Both lovers are then
  transformed into butterflies (China to seek
  world heritage listing of butterfly lovers
  story ).

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Literary Application Star-Crossed Lovers

• In F. Scott Fitzgeralds arresting novel The
  Great Gatsby, an economic and social divide
  ostracizes Gatsby from his lovely Daisy. In a
  pivotal flashback scene the idea of a destined
  but tragic love is foreshadowed, There was a
  stir and bustle among the starsHis heart beat
  faster and fasterSo he waited, listening for a
  moment longer to the tuning fork that had been
  struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his
  lips touchthe incarnation was complete
  (Fitzgerald 117). Though in her youth Daisy
  loves Gatsby, she marries a wealthier man due to
  his elevated social status, Congratulate me,
  she mutteredShe began to cry and cried and
  criedNext day at 5 oclock she married Tom
  Buchanan without so much as a shiver (Fitzgerald
  81). But Gatsby is never able to detach himself
  like Daisy from their failed love affair, Cant
  repeat the past? he asked incredulously. Why
  of course you can (Fitzgerald 116). Gatsbys
  efforts to reestablish relations with his lost
  love Daisy directly lead to his ruination,
  completing this tragic literary love story.

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Modern Examples

• In the 1957 musical and 1961 film West Side
  Story, the tale of Romeo and Juliet is altered
  and updated. Set in 1950s New York City, the
  musical traces the tragic love between Tony (a
  member of the white gang, The Jets) and Maria
  (sister to the leader of the Puerto Rican gang,
  The Sharks). Separated by both cultural and
  racial differences, Tony and Maria are definitely
  star-crossed. At the end of the two act story,
  Tony is murdered by a rival gang member and Maria
  is emotionally shattered.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v-BQMgCy-n6U
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Modern Examples

• In the 1980s, the work of filmmaker John Hughes
  helped to codify the teen movie as a valid film
  genre. In such memorable films such as Sixteen
  Candles, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful,
  and The Breakfast Club, the director captured
  both the texture of teenage angst and the hope
  somehow tied to the impossible fruition of
  star-crossed loves.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vWcKqtzj8LAg
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Modern Examples

• In the 1997 film Titanic, Jack Dawson and Rose
  Dewitt Bukater must contend with the barrier of
  economic differences as they struggle to enjoy
  their ill-fated affection. Though they are
  content for a few brief moments, their blissful
  union ends in icy tragedy.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vOGhK4014JNEfeature
related
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Modern Examples

• In the 1997 Sci-Fi thriller Gattaca, Vincent
  Freeman and Irene Cassini are eventually kept
  apart due to genetic differences. At the
  beginning of the film, Vincent must take on a
  false identity to hide the deficiencies in his
  DNA. But at the end of this tragic love story,
  the minor flukes in Irenes genetic makeup hinder
  her from joining Vincent on his journey to the
  stars.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vZppWok6SX88
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Modern Examples

• In Stephenie Meyers 2005 bestselling series
  Twilight and the subsequent film adaptations,
  Bella and Edward are periodically kept apart due
  to their deep-seated differences. Although by
  the end of saga these characters are finally able
  to be together, for most of their tragic tale
  these lovers are separated by their mortality or
  lack thereof (I am not a Twilight fan, so dont
  stake me through the heart if I have some missing
  details).

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vS2T7d8j6I5I
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Major Resources

• Coker, J.T. Follow Your Heart The Story of
  Layla and Majnun. Theosociety.com.
  TheoSociety. Web. 22 Mar 2010.
  http//www.theosociety.org.
• China to seek world heritage listing of
  butterfly lovers story. Newsguangdong.com.
  Newsgd.com. 22 Mar 2010. http//www.newsgd.com
  .
• "Guinevere." The Camelot Project. University of
  Rochester. Web. 22 Mar 2010. http//www.lib.roch
  ester.edu/camelot.htm.

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Major Resources

• Moore, Thomas. Care of the Soul A Guide for
  Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday
  Life. Harper Collins, 1992. Print.
• "Pyramus and Thisbe." About.com. The New York
  Times Company, Web. 22 Mar 2010.
  http//ancienthistory.about.com.
• Star-crossed lovers." Dictionary.com.
  Dictionary.com. Web. 22 Mar 2010.
  http//dictionary.reference.com
• "Tristan and Isolde." Timeless Myths. 24 June
  2006. Web. 22 Mar 2010. http//www.timelessmyths.
  com.