The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 8.0803.  Wednesday, 30 July 1997.

From:           Peter Nockolds <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Tuesday, 29 Jul 1997 23:09:54 +0100 (BST)
Subject:        Juliet's Birthday

30th July 1997

Juliet's Birthday

In Romeo and Juliet the nurse says

    Even or odde, of all daies in the yeare come Lammas Eve at night,
shal
    she be fourteen.

In a current French calendar of saints 30th July is the feast of St.
Juliette, so was Juliet really born on an even-numbered day, the 30th,
shortly before midnight?

I've managed to trace the feast day of this saint - under the name
Julitta - back to a calendar of saints from the 1660's, but no
further.   I've tried all the calendars of saints I could find in the
British Library, but these are clearly not comprehensive. There were
various reforms of the calendar of saints, with certain changes of
dates, in the late 16th and early 17th century. Has anyone any
suggestions on how I can obtain further information on the saints days
which might have been known to Shakespeare?

Peter Nockolds
Richmond, Surrey, UK

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