Lest anyone think I am making it up that Shakespeare drips with occult, Rosicrucian and Kabbalistic symbology, I present to you this clip from the DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet.  

Warning:  There is a rather graphic kiss that would be a mortal sin in real life.  I'm not sure of any rules against watching actors pretend to French kiss, though.  Of course, this is also on YouTube, so watch out for the linked videos at the end of this clip and on the side.



And lest anyone say, "Bah, that's some guy's interpretation of Shakespeare," much of it is also in the original play, though this film does embellish a bit.  But both Shakespeare and this film were inspired by the devil so the devil is embellishing his own work.  I also think this is probably the best version put on film, artistically speaking, it has a certain grandeur to it and the actors feel iconic in the roles, beyond just being young and pretty.  I haven't seen it for a while, I'm sure there is objectionable stuff in it, but in this clip, the worst is what I mentioned above.

The first thing that strikes you, or should, about this recent version is the bombardment of Catholic imagery.  Does this mean it's a Catholic film?  No, it's occult.  But Catholics are too naive about this and don't understand that these works of art send secret messages to people.  The devil apes God; he uses Catholic imagery, Biblical imagery, just as the Anti-Christ will.  Remember the Antichrist will sit in the place of God showing himself as God; and the anti-Christ, as some have predicted, will be an artist, trained by other artists, a master of the arts.  He will be approached and trained through art, art being a kind of magic, especially when high technology is involved.  It is known that anti-Christ will be a magician, but for many that evokes David Copperfield; yet film is also magic, rock music is magic, people can be built up into idols and made to seem powerful and godly through the media, all of this is, in a sense, MAGIC...  It doesn't have to be pulling a rabbit out of a hat to be magic.

As I type this I am aware most of it will go over peoples' heads, just as it went over the Apostles' heads when Christ said He'd be killed.  But I'll keep typing anyway.

Something I noticed watching many films is repeated themes that seem cryptic until the devil gives you the "key" to understanding.  For instance, the first shot of this clip is DiCaprio dunking his head in the water and coming out gasping for breath.  This is blatant baptism imagery, but if you think it's holy, think again.  The devil can use baptism imagery to represent all kinds of rebirths; such as he himself being "reborn" as a Catholic, but of course a pretend Catholic, as he is doing in Vatican II, which is Satan in the guise of Christ -- this is the Kabbalistic goal, the blending of the world i.e. the devil with God and ultimately the production of anti-Christ -- or someone good being reborn as a child of Satan.

Then, of course, you have Claire Danes in the very prominent angel wings.  Just a decoration, you say?  Listen to the dialogue when they first begin speaking, with the constant references to saints and pilgrims.  "Why profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine..."  "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch."  Here is a CLASSIC example of the devil using Catholic imagery and twisting it all up.  When they kiss, this sinful out-of-wedlock kiss is described as a WASHING AWAY of sin:  "by thine [lips] mine sin is purged."  This is what I mean by the reverse-baptism imagery favored by Satan.  

Another symbol prominently displayed here is the mirror, always used by Satan to represent pride and vanity.  The aquarium where Romeo and Juliet first see each other is another mirror; when Juliet is looking at Romeo she's also looking at herself ( meaning the devil inside of her who is revealed by pride, the pride that later manifests as rebellion since she falls in love with forbidden fruit ).  I am not 100% sure of this, but I'm quite sure that DiCaprio himself represents the devil with Juliet as his prey, hence she is portrayed as innocent and radiant and highly religious.  

The costumes are another part of the symbolism.  Claire Danes / Juliet dances with a beau dressed in a prominent American outfit; a Cleopatra figure constantly appears, and later stands next to the American astronaut.  I don't know how much more Babylonian the imagery could get.  America is indeed the new Egypt and Babylon and Juliet here is shown as being trapped in that world, longing for an escape ( I can relate ).  

Behind her in the dance scene is a bishop; on the elevator door is a symbol that looks like the keys of the Church, the papal crest.  If you think all this is accidental think again.  Nothing in these films is accidental.  If you just pause this scene on almost any frame you can feel evil pouring from it, weird demonic suggestions and shapes in the decor and wallpaper and paintings.  

The true sense of humor of the devil is seen at :25 where a guy is shown peeing in the background.  This is a little "wink" showing that the romance being depicted is phony and evil.

The kiss, and marriage, just as a bridal garment represents being married to Christ in Catholic imagery, can be turned around to represent giving yourself to Satan in these plays and films, which together constitute a kind of anti-Church.  The symbolic use of wedding imagery is extremely prominent in Shakespeare and there is no denying it is strangely ritualistic.  Literature professors are aware of it and call it the "mystical marriage" theme, but since they usually lack a religious sense, they miss what it is really all about.  But I explained it earlier, it's about the marriage of the Church with the world, that is, the devil, the ultimate goal of the secret societies, whether they're aware of it or not.
 
Now, I cannot say exactly what this scene means, but my hunch is that it is about the devil seducing a potential saint to his side, Romeo being the devil and Juliet being the failed saint.  Everything about this reeks of Satan and Eve in the garden all over again, and the theme of forbidden fruit, as I just said, is inescapable.  DiCaprio is an actor who is unbeatable at playing fallen angels, pretty-boy jerks that evoke Lucifer somehow.  Check out his scaly armor, irresistibly evoking a dragon.  When he leans down to kiss her hand at 4:19, his armor rises up and looks like metallic dragon wings.  

Whether or not you agree with my interpretation, the gnostic and occult aspects of this scene cannot be denied, nor can the relation to Eve's temptation.  

Thank you, Raoul76, for this interesting and thoughtful post.  You have given us some things to think about, that's for sure.  I have always had trouble with Shakespeare.  There seems to be a negative force in his work, more than just darkness or even danger, but I hadn't given much thought to actual satanic motifs. I guess it makes sense considering who would be sitting in his audience at the time.

I haven't seen the film you talked about, so I don't know what parts of the play were included, but in the text the speeches of the Friar and Mercutio clearly include disturbing elements of witchcraft.

This is my first post on this forum.  I am glad to find a place where subjects of this sort are discussed from a faithful point of view.  It's very much appreciated, so thank you again for sharing your thoughts about Shakespeare.

God bless everyone,
Flannery

As I type this I am aware most of it will go over peoples' heads, just as it went over the Apostles' heads when Christ said He'd be killed.

Wow. That struck me more than anything else in the post.

Of course there's evil in Shakespeare. He portrays real life issues which unfortunately usually have more evil than good and more demons visible than saints. Not only that but he was a torn man and the difficulties and demons he had are all in his work. They say it was one of the ways in which he worked through them to find answers. The real question is in what light does he put that evil? As the cause of problems and tragedy. Sounds about right to me.

As for the film itself and all the symbolism, I agree it can get freaky but it's Hollywood. They will put THEIR spin on it. If you want to criticize Shakespeare, it may be best to stick with HIS work and leave responsibility for the Hollywood versions to them. He could very well be turning in his grave over their interpretations.

(For once I agree with Tele.   :cool:)

People whose life work is the study of Shakespeare cannot agree whether the author was the actor, another person, or a committee of people. People whose life work is the study of Shakespeare cannot agree whether he was a Catholic, an anti-Catholic, or an occultist.

Regarding Shakespeare, opinions are like.... um.... noses; everybody has one.

Some of you may have been following Gerry Matatics 3-part series on "The Occult Shakespeare."  Part three is downloadable now: http://www.isoc.ws

If anyone likes Raoul's reviews of pop culture-type events and material, they should search here for his "Mary Poppins" one from a year back or so. Simply amazing stuff. You have a gift, Raoul.

Bp. Williamson wrote a short article on Marry Poppins several years ago. I recommend it.

Note: While I endorse neither hermeticism nor alchemy, I am inclined to be understanding of them, and I don't believe there's anything actually blasphemous or heretical about this passage, even if it were intended as I outlined and not simply as romance. Some, upon seeing the name 'Sophia', will think immediately of the Gnostic Heresy, which is fine; occasionally, however, Sophia can be legitimately equated with Mary, and so with this subject - as with many others - it's often true that a little education is a dangerous thing. With all the strange verbiage of my previous post, the basic gist might be that of a personal encounter with Mary. I used the name Sophia because it is conventional in this context.

I don't know and I can't make an educated guess. It could refer to Christ (some theologians consider the OT sophia a synonym for John's Logos) or to Mary as  Wisdom (distinct from Logos).

So what do we take away from that? Sophia is seen by some occultists as cosmic virgin. Do you believe this to be heretical? It appears to be supported by the Book of Wisdom.