Shakesperian Tarot on its way to my Hot Little Hands!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Violet Gargoyle	29 Jul 2002
Won the bid at ebay. I have had my eye on this one for a while, being the History and Literature nut that I am. I am so giddy. Raise the Roof! Raise the Roof!

Kirali	30 Jul 2002
congrats! I hope you enjoy it! :) Can you post your thoughts on it when you get it? I'd be interested in what you have to say on it. Thanks in advance :)

wavebreaker	30 Jul 2002
I just got mine the other day, I also got it from eBay. :) I really like it, although I haven't had the time to look at all the cards in detail. I'm not sure whether I will be able to read with it, I will definitely try that some time, but I'd like to study it a bit more before I do.

Starfish	30 Jul 2002
I just traded for this and look forward to seeing it in person. I love The Bard's works - I'm hoping to love the deck too :) Blessings - :TWOR Starfish

Maan	30 Jul 2002
Its a really nice deck even just to look at I hope you will enjoy it. Love and light Maan

Violet Gargoyle	30 Jul 2002
*Sounding like Stimpy* I hope it gets here soon, I hope it gets here soon!!! ....Hey does anyone have the list of who the major arcana is for this?

Kiama	30 Jul 2002
I sthis the one by Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki and Paul Hard? (I think the artis is Hardy anyway... Ben so long since I read with this deck!) If so, then I got this when I was 15/16 for £7.99 at y local bookstore. I fond it easy to read, but you really need to readthe bok firws to nderstand wat card corresponds to which part of which play, etc, and who is in there and what-have-you.... The artwork is a bit disapointing in some placesthough, and often thereare cards which I disliked totally, such as the Queen of Swords, who IMO should have been Lady Macbeth, but wasn't... A good grasp of The Bard is pretty useful with this deck, if you wat to fully appreciate it an read really well with it, but I found that you ca also learn alot about Shakey via te deck anyway! The book that comes with it gives you background to each play, telling you the gebneral gist of it, to let you know the significance such-and-such a scne has in reference to the whle thing... Sometimes though, I found that important scenes were trivialised, and vice-versa. I was sooooo miffed that Act Scene 1 fromRomeo and Juliet wasn't a more major card... Another downfallof the deck is often scenes are chosen, and the quotes to go with them, just cuz they have a menion of that suit in them. For instance, the Ace of Sceptres (Wands) merely has the quote "This scept'rd Isle", which, whilst mentioning one Sceptre, does not bear any relevance to the card's meaning. Despite these downfalls, this deck is a treasure! Esp. for Shakey lovers! I remember giving my fundie-Christian English teacher a reading with this deck, which pleased her immensely! Kiama

catlin	31 Jul 2002
My, I really envy you for this one! It is still hight on my wishlist! Congrats!

Pollux	22 Aug 2002
I got mine last Tuesday! YIPPE!!! :D The way I got it is a bit messy: tarotlady (:*:*:*) was bidding for me on Ebay, and won, and I sent her the money (I hope they will arrive today, uff... Italian f@@@ing mail service... :(). The Deck is so darn cute! I can't understand how people trade it away, not only for it's value as OOP but just for its cuteness! I have not started the book and I am not that accomplished with Shakespeare's plays - I mostly go for the poetry. But I will borrow the plays from my High School English teacher, and will offfer her a reading... :D - and perhaps what I know is enough to read them, and relate the plays/plots/characters to the cards themselves. Anyway, the cards. Thee cardboard seems decent, but I don't think I will ever read with them, since I fear damage anyway, and this is my first OOP. The back is... ok, nothing outstanding - probably not even important, since I won't use them for reading. The Majors are great. No special comment to do. I can relate to them well, and I don't think they would be a problem in a hypothetical reading. Some are AWESOME. My favourites are: :TMAGE The Magician: beautiful image, and appropriate choice of play and moment; :TLOVE The Lovers: I especially like the Thoth-like references, and the little details like the Three of Life and the Adam and Eve Stained Glass Windows; :THANG The Hanged Man: Hamlet is perfect, and the quote is cool, even though it needs a shift of the interpretational point of view; :TTEMP Temperance: Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite play, I find the card brilliant with the image and the quotation. There are none that I especially dislike. Maybe The Empress, The Chariot, Strength, and The Moon: of these I don't like the overall choice - the pictures, the association with the play, and the quotation. The Minors are a bit problematic. The first positive thing to notice is that there is no artistic gap between Majors and suits: the art is consistent, and some of the Minors have even more detailed pictures than the Majors. What I find confusing are the suits. The Sceptres and the Swords are ok, but the Orbs and the Crowns are a bit messy. Then, I agree with Kiama that some quotes are not enlightening at all, and there is the obvious feelng she denounces. :WL The Sceptres are generally ok, even though some cards are not really traditional, at least from what I see (not read the book yet): 3,9, Lady and Lord. :OL (???) The Orbs are... mh... odd. The image of the 4 is far too similar to the 3 or 5 in RW (the characters hint to the former especially). 3 is maybe what 4 was supposed to be - they are holding with decision and a firm grasp the orbss. Should I decide to switch the meanings acconrding to the images? The 6... AWESOME picture.. but is that Cups or Pentacles? Actually, it bears relation to neither of the traditional ones... I hope the booklet will help me.7 and 8 are pretty obscure too, If I try to relate to the traditional. 10 is cutely perfect. The courts are bizzarre, and difficult to understand. :SL The Swords suit is perfect. Good pictures, good associations... Even though I would have enjoyed more variety too, especially in the courts (all characters from the same play, and, like Kiama, I think Lady Macbeth would be a perfect Queen). :CL (???) The Crowns (at times I think they are Pentacles, at times Cups), are probably the worse suit. 1,2,3 are Cups; 4 and 5 are Pentacles; 6 & 7 Cups agai... DUH! :confused: The overall sensation is that this is a very-well-readable deck. I am confident in the fact that reading the book will help me clarify the above doubts. And, hey. this is my first OOP!!! :D I obviously am too excited not to be partial. This deck is so cute! I love it! The pics d heir duty and the quotations help in the triggering of the intuition. A little treasure. My first reading with this for my teacher. I can't wait to read the book and Shakey's plays now!!!

Violet Gargoyle	22 Aug 2002
Its my first OOP too. I actually played "Name that Play" with my husband the first night to see if we remember al of them. (Too many Lit classes? Naaaaah) I like the majors but the minor court cards were stretching it a bit. ....and someone really likes Richard III

Pollux	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Violet Gargoyle ....and someone really likes Richard III I think I get what you mean... ;) Yup, I was bothered by that too. I thought Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest and Hamlet would have been given more emphasis... I would have also understood OTHER plays, like King Lear or Macbeth I only now notice that my favourite cards are associated to my favourite plays... mh...

Violet Gargoyle	23 Aug 2002
Not to be mistaken, Richard III is one of my favorite plays. and the Tower had to be the two princes. But another one of my favorites, Henry V, hardly got much notice, and I dont even think Falstaff from the Henrys IV and V got much mention. And he is such an integral character. Plus no Titus Andronicus at all! I like the deck alot, but the VG that sat through 3 Shakespeare classes is begging for validation.

All Is One	23 Aug 2002
Congratulations to V.G. and to P. on their new decks... Just when I thought it was safe to get back on the forums again...after my last binge at amazon- felt so smug w/a bunch of decks I'd wanted for a long time newly delivered.... And here it is- (had many a S. Seminar- and I love the idea of Shakespearian Tarot.) Now I am off to view, fight the urge... argue with myself... Large cards? And before I order the wrong version like I did with first Thoth- is there more than one edition? Amzon very misleading on this stuff. Scans? Sounds like a perfect deck for a study group.

Baby Owl	27 Aug 2003
I am reactivating this thread because...I want the Shakespearian Tarot! I have lost two bids on eBay and I have a feeling I'm not willing or able to pay as much for it as other people are. I believe it is out of print. So does that mean I am doomed never to find a bargain on it?

wavebreaker	27 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Baby Owl I believe it is out of print. So does that mean I am doomed never to find a bargain on it? Yes, it is out of print, so I'm afraid finding a bargain on it might be difficult. But just keep your eyes open, you never know... ;)

Scarletpeaches	27 Aug 2003
Poor me...No credit cards so I can't bid on ebay...I have to go to a local bookstore for my decks! A bookstore I tells ya, a bookstore! Pity me, people...Congrats on your new deck though...*Smiling through her jealousy*...

Chronata	27 Aug 2003
Huh...I actually had no idea that the Shakespeare Tarot was out of print. Looking through my bookcase, I discovered that a lot of decks that I have are OOP! That's what I get for not buying a new tarot deck for six years, I guess! Can't speak for anyone else, but the reason I wanted to trade this deck was because I didn't find it very workable. It's certainly a nice collectors deck...and I got mine as a gift because I used to act in a lot of Shakespearian productions. As a tarot, however, it was really difficult for me to read with... ...Although now that I think about it, it could very well be because of that missing card...

arcanalefait	31 Aug 2003
I got my Shakespearian deck on ebay in a lot with 6 other decks. I think I paid $30 for the whole lot. And the seller knew it was OOP--it was even listed as such. So deals are out there if you keep looking! Good luck! Arcana

Baby Owl	01 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by arcanalefait I got my Shakespearian deck on ebay in a lot with 6 other decks. I think I paid $30 for the whole lot. And the seller knew it was OOP--it was even listed as such. So deals are out there if you keep looking! Good luck!Arcana Thank you. That is encouraging! Baby Owl

The Shakesperian Tarot on its way to my Hot Little Hands! thread was originally posted on 29 Jul 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.