Star-crossed

"Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers whose relationship is said to be doomed from the start. The phrase is astrological in origin, and is best known from the play Romeo and Juliet by the Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare.

Star-crossed in Shakespeare

The phrase was coined in the prologue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, / a pair of star-cross'd lovers, take their life.

It also refers to destiny and the inevitability of the two characters' paths crossing each other. It also usually means unlucky, since Romeo and Juliet's affair ended tragically.

Famous examples of "star-crossed lovers"

Other famous star-crossed lovers include:

• Pyramus and Thisbe (usually regarded as the source for Romeo and Juliet, featured in A Midsummer Night's Dream)
• Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights
• Lancelot and Guinevere
• Tristan and Isolde
• Hagbard and Signy
• Devdas and Paro (Parvati) in Devdas
• Heer Ranjha
• Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
• Layla and Majnun
• Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (also known as The Butterfly Lovers)
• Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta in The Iliad
• Oedipus and Jocasta in Oedipus the King

Modern examples

More modern examples are:

• Rogue and Gambit of the X - Men
• Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind
• Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars saga - the name of their musical theme, Across the Stars, is even based on this phrase.
• Buffy Summers and Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic
• Tony and Maria in the musical West Side Story (a retelling of Romeo and Juliet)
• Mei and Jin in House of Flying Daggers
• Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer in the tv series One Tree Hill
• Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund in Casablanca
• Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and Sheridan Crane in Passions
• J.R. Chandler and Babe Carey in All My Children
• Bianca Montgomery and Maggie Stone in All My Children
• Chris Keller and Tobias Beecher in Oz
• Clark Kent and Lana Lang as portrayed in Smallville
• Cole Turner and Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed
• James Bond and Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale
• James Bond and Tracy Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
• Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls in Veronica Mars
• Christian and Satine in Moulin Rouge!
• Mick St. John and Beth Turner in Moonlight
• Lee Adama and Kara Thrace in Battlestar Galactica
• Marissa Cooper and Ryan Atwood in The O.C.
• Gennosuke Kouga and Oboro Iga in the novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, movie Shinobi and anime and manga series Basilisk
• Inuyasha and Kikyo in the anime and manga series Inuyasha
• Spike and Julia from the anime series Cowboy Bebop
• Charlotte "Chuck" Charles and Ned in Pushing Daisies
• Sarah Jordan Beauford and Dr. Nick Callahan in Beyond Borders
• State Trooper Jeff Foster and Officer Ursula Hanson in Super Troopers
• Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain
• Edward Wilson and Margaret 'Clover' Russell Wilson in The Good Shepherd
• Holly Kennedy and Gerry Kennedy in P.S. I Love You
• Gina Malacici and Rosario Capomezzo in Love Is All There Is (another retelling of Romeo and Juliet)
• Sally and Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Graystripe of ThunderClan and Silverstream of RiverClan in Warriors
• Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember
• Bruce Wayne/Batman and Rachel Dawes of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"
• Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes in Dallas
• The Doctor (Doctor Who) and Rose Tyler in Doctor Who
• John Smith and Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Frances 'Baby' Houseman and Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing"
• Louissa Glasson and Martin Ellingham in ITV's Doc Martin.
• Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor from the Noughts and Crosses series
• Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII
• and in Final Fantasy IV
• Prince Rasler and Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca in Final Fantasy XII
• Izzie and Denny on Grey's Anatomy
• Angel and Cordelia on Angel
• Buffy and Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Katniss Everdeen and Peeta in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Book)
• Bella Swan and Edward Cullen in Twilight (series) by Stephanie Meyer (Book)
• Danica Shardae and Zane Cobriana in Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (Book)

See also

• Elopement
• Teenage tragedy song

References