Small Romeo & Juliet by Scapini

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cerulean	11 Oct 2002
I just received the smaller format Romeo and Juliet (Tarocchi di Giulietia e Romeo), complete with that fat booklet that comes with the larger size deck. Our local Psychic Eye had a sample large deck, but I had to go to Alidastore.com to find and purchase the smaller one by Dal Negro. It's the same size as the Stained Glass Tarot by Scapini. A quick look at the review below showed me no loss of detail or rich color in the smaller cards: http://www.spiritone.com/~filipas/Masquerade/Reviews/giulnew.html My budget also allowed me to get the Stained Glass Tarot at last, also with the sizeable booklet. Both are the heightwise, about a quarter of an inch longer than a casette tape, but just as wide. Smallish to me, a good size. Both booklets are in English and Italian. I did a quick one-card "Are you happy to be here" read and out flipped the three babes of the Three of Cups in the Romeo and Juliet tarot. The funny thing is that I thought it was just a collectible and that the Stained Glass Tarot might be a great meditative deck. Turns out that the Stained Glass will be a nice study deck right now and I find Scapini's humor and delight in classics to be what I want for a good reading. Hope this helps--and happy chatting if you have either. I like the Medieval, but don't seem to read with it since I got the Visconti Gold book and deck set. Mari H.

Myrrha	12 Oct 2002
Wow, I've never seen this deck before. What a fabulous Queen of Swords! Are Titania and Oberon in the deck? What about Caliban? Myrrha

Cerulean	12 Oct 2002
Six, Eight Ten and Page of Wands deal with a Midsummer's Night Dream.. Pips have the miniscule---but still legible- decorations on Visconti/Marseille style number cards that include human and animal figures and an amusing write-up. Scapini populated this tarot with mythical Shakesphere and royalty from British Isles and Verona/Italian figures from the 14th century. Sample from Six of Wands reads: "The piquant stories of the Six of Wands come from a Midsummer Night's Dream and are played around the form of a beauteous Indian page by a lascivous pregnating night breeze. In the middle stands the handsome lad who moves the silken thread of secret contests. He stands, emotionless, like a yaksi of Khajuraho's, between two airy sprites, a winner and a loser, but the wars they wage are as flimsy as poppy petals and a bluebell's cup. Above, Oberon triumphantly flies his cattleya, but has he read the whole Recherche in one midsummer night? While below, Titania tastes a dream forgotton upon her lips and a slight humiliation. I don't understand a third of the description, but the writeup adds a lot to the illustration of a few whimsical characters around the six batons. In a vague way, I can equate it to the six of Wands---more likely I will add fun metaphors to my mental definition of the Six of Wands being a rest stop between stages of work and growth...still, I'm in the learning stage with this deck. Hope the information helps.

Scorpion	13 Oct 2002
Oh no - as if I needed another deck on my wishlist! Thanks for bringing this one up, Mari - it's gorgeous!

Pollux	13 Oct 2002
The Stained Glass is so cute!!! I will get it one day, I promise. As for the Medieval Scapini and Romeo and Shakespeare Tarot, I never cared much before I read Maan's thread about Medieval and this one... It seems like one day I'll have to cause myself a Mr Scapini indigestion! ;) *LOL* OH... so Lucky I can get Dal Negro decks directly at the bookshop... Now Mari, you made me add a deck!!! I want revenge!!! *LOL* Let's see... what deck could I make you add to your wishlist? *mumbles...*

Cerulean	14 Oct 2002
I thought it was a message by Pollux or another gorgeous Italian tarotaholic who got me to get the Stained Glass or any one of the Italian decks....just kidding....oh no...when the Italian saints...la tadadaduh...la tadadaduh...when the Italian decks come marching in...I have to get that Italian deck number...lahtahduhduhduhduh dah....... Luigi Scapini's humor muse just possessed my horrible musical taste for a moment.... Mari H.

Cerulean	28 Mar 2003
I found a packaged Shakespherean set for kids, rubber stamps with playbill and mock printing press...one of the stamps has Romeo and Juliet (R & J) in mock English writing. A minature cardboard globe theatre setup is included. I'm going to play with this and my tarot...maybe find a picture book or cheap copy with Midsummer Night Dreams or R & J quotes/pictures and do my own altered book...or archana, with my other designs. Opheil had suggested rubber stamps for tarot designs...this my version.

Aerin	28 Mar 2003
I have the Romeo and Juliet. I like it for its connections and the artwork is pretty, I don't find it easy to read with though. For example, I find the Death card hard to associate with much beyond physical death: the dancing skeletons and the dead bodies of R and J are fairly grusome. It is well worth getting just for the prettiness of it though. Also if you have ever been to Stratford then you can point to the card with Shakespeare's house on it and say 'I've been there!' Aerin

Cerulean	28 Mar 2003
...of owning it, I can agree that the initial two months weren't easy. It got easier after reading more Renaissance history, using the Visconti gold book and deck set and than playing around with the cards by pairing them up and then looking up both Visconti and Shakesphere references. What I decided is that Scapini read Francis Yates thoroughly and through the tarot, I'll absorb more information.. I can only pick up bits and pieces by browsing through both her books and Ron Decker/Michael Dummatt's books on tarot history or occult information. It took me a year or three to finally understand Brian William's Renaissance Tarot book... I decided that translations of Italian literature from the 1200s up through the 1800s and bits of French history will help to lead me through the British Shakesphere to Victorian ages. And to have fun with Western civ, I was delighted at the rubber stamp and Globe Theatre treasure chest...may try to interest some mail art people to do something... The treasure chest set toy is called Shakesphere and the Elizabetban age and it was discounted at Barnes and Noble to about $8.00 (Oriignally 19.95). ISBN Number is 0-7624-0747-6.

Ellie	02 Apr 2003
Wow! Thanks Mari, I did not know that the R&J (Shakespearean) deck was available in a smaller format - I have the larger size and although they are wonderful to look at and fall into dreams with, it always seems so difficult to shuffle and deal larger cards into a decent size spread. I need a bigger table!!! The treasure chest sets you speak about are also made for other topics - I know there's Egypt and Ancient China. Be well, Ellie

The Small Romeo & Juliet by Scapini thread was originally posted on 11 Oct 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.