Why mention a Lunar eclipse in Hamlet 1.1?

Imagine that you have been teaching Hamlet this week, and a student notices not only last night’s lunar eclipse, but also the lunar eclipse mentioned in Hamlet 1.1:

…the moist star,
Upon whose influence Neptune’s empire stands,
Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. (1.1.130-132)

The "moist star" that rules the tides - "Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands" - is the moon. [1]

[Images, L-C-R: Left: An image of a lunar "blood moon" eclipse. Source: NASA. Cropped. Fair use.
Center: Folding almanac, 15th century. Diagrams of solar and lunar eclipses: British Library Harley MS 937, f. 8r. Cropped. Fair use.
Right: God creating the Sun and the Moon: British Library Additional MS 18856, f. 5v. Cropped. Fair use.]

Perhaps after some digging, your students also find that Shakespeare scholars like Naseeb Shaheem identified a possible connection (for comparison or contrast) to events including a solar eclipse (real, or fictional) at noon on the day Jesus was crucified, mentioned in three of the Christian gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke).

Another finds that there had been a solar eclipse visible from Cornwall, England, to Aberdeen, Scotland in 1598. And another finds a web page from the Folger Library called "Blood moon: Lunar eclipses in Shakespeare’s plays."

But the examples from Shakespeare are not from Hamlet, and the 1598 eclipse was solar.

Some curious and persistent student then asks a nagging question:
A solar eclipse is not the same as a lunar eclipse; why would Shakespeare’s Horatio hint at a solar/crucifixion eclipse, but then specify a lunar eclipse in Hamlet?

Perhaps you observe:
Whereas Jesus was considered “son of God” by gospel writers,
Elizabeth I was not a son but a daughter, and often associated with the moon. She was approaching the end of her life, a figurative eclipse. Perhaps that's why? [1, as above]

Then someone asks: Were there any lunar eclipses in Shakespeare’s lifetime, preceding the publication of Hamlet?

Someone tries a few well-phrased internet searches and comes up with “Lunar Eclipses by Century” at Wikipedia, which shows a lunar eclipse of 1584.

Next, someone wonders: What was happening in England in 1584?

After another search, someone finds “1580s in England,” also at Wikipedia.
- It turns out that in July of 1584, Francis Throckmorton was executed for his part in a plot to kill Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.
- In October of the same year, Francis Walsingham and William Cecil succeeded in requiring the “Bond of Association” by which people in England were expected to swear oaths to avenge Elizabeth’s death if she were to be assassinated.

What do plots to kill monarchs, and oaths of revenge, have to do with Hamlet?

Plenty. In fact, they are at the heart of the play.

As Hamlet might say, “ay, there's the rub!” [3]

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NOTES:
[1] Spenser and Walter Raleigh were among those known widely to have compared Elizabeth to the moon. Clip:
Ralegh's 'Cynthia' cycle of poems written in his italic handwriting for the Queen [...] was referred to in Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen of 1590, and Spenser probably saw the poem in manuscript form in 1589 while both were in Ireland [....]

In the poem Ralegh represents Elizabeth I as Cynthia, the moon goddess (a powerful, benevolent virgin, who was also known to be capricious when affronted). His use of such symbolism flatters the Queen, while recognising his own difficult position and Elizabeth's complicated relationship with her male courtiers.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/National-Portrait-Gallery-Discovers-Hidden-Sea-in-Portrait-That-Reveals-Walter-Raleghs-Secret-Desire-for-Elizabeth-I-20131009

[2] Biblical References in Shakespeare’s Plays, Naseeb Shaheen, 537-8.

[3] Hamlet 3.1.73 (Folger)

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A related resource:

"These historic astronomical events rocked England – the solar eclipse, and supernova"
https://www.englandcast.com/2017/08/solar-eclipse/
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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages or mention religion in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to explore how the Bible and religion influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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Thanks for reading!
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My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible, about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.

Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list):

https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html

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