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Stars symbolize the eternal and unchanging, particularly in contrast to rapid societal changes that individuals can’t control. The Prince’s favorite hobby is astronomy, and he is an accomplished amateur scientist. The stars’ obedience to mathematical calculations reassures the Prince that he is in control of his life even in the midst of political upheaval in Sicily. He often wishes that he could escape social and familial problems by becoming “a pure intellect” like the stars and escaping into the eternal heavens. However, the idea that the stars obey his mind is an illusion—as is the idea that the Prince can avoid the changes happening around him. But just before the Prince dies, he’s comforted by the vision of a lady—a personification of the planet Venus—who finally leads him beyond the troubles of earthly life. Stars and planetary bodies, then, ultimately represent the fact that it’s possible to find comfort even amid great change and upheaval.
Stars Quotes in The Leopard
The The Leopard quotes below all refer to the symbol of Stars. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1. Introduction to the Prince
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Supported, guided, it seemed, by calculations which were invisible at that hour yet ever present, the stars cleft the ether in those exact trajectories of theirs. The comets would be appearing as usual, punctual to the minute, in sight of whoever was observing them […] their appearance at the time foreseen was a triumph of the human mind’s capacity to project itself and to participate in the sublime routine of the skies.
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Chapter 2. Donnafugata
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The soul of the Prince reached out toward them, toward the intangible, the unattainable, which gave joy without laying claim to anything in return; as many other times, he tried to imagine himself in those icy tracts, a pure intellect armed with a notebook for calculations: difficult calculations, but ones which would always work out. “They’re the only really genuine, the only really decent beings,” thought he, in his worldly formulae. “Who worries about dowries for the Pleiades, a political career for Sirius, matrimonial joy for Vega?”
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Chapter 3. The Troubles of Don Fabrizio
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[T]he scrub clinging to the slopes was still in the very same state of scented tangle in which it had been found by Phoenicians, Dorians, and Ionians when they disembarked in Sicily […] Don Fabrizio and Tumeo […] saw the same objects, their clothes were soaked with just as sticky a sweat, the same indifferent breeze blew steadily from the sea, moving myrtles and broom, spreading a smell of thyme. […] Reduced to these basic elements, its face washed clear of worries, life took on a tolerable aspect.
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Stars Symbol Timeline in The Leopard
The timeline below shows where the symbol Stars appears in The Leopard. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1. Introduction to the Prince
...his more pragmatic family and friends. His hobby is astronomy, and he almost believes the stars obey his mathematical calculations.
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Chapter 2. Donnafugata
That night, the Prince gazes toward the stars from his bedroom balcony, longing to be “a pure intellect” engaged in calculations guaranteed to...
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Chapter 6. A Ball
...instance. The Colonel predicts that someday, the red shirts will return. They’re like Italy’s fixed stars—but even these, as the Prince knows, only appear to be permanent. The Prince feels chilled...
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...enjoy the fresh air. He also wants to look at the one or two remaining stars in the sky. Their distance and seeming unchangeable nature comforts him as always. He watches...
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Chapter 7. Death of a Prince
...lovely face surpasses his expectations; she is more beautiful than she had looked among the stars. The crashing waves subside.
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