Where Does the Title The Fault in Our Stars Come From?
The title comes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2, where Cassius tells Brutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
John Green's novel flips the idea: for Hazel and Gus, the fault really does lie in their stars.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2 |
| Speaker | Cassius, to Brutus |
| Original meaning | We are responsible for our own fate |
| Novel's twist | Illness is not their fault |
| Book published | January 10, 2012 |
| Dedicated to | Esther Earl |
What does the quote say in Julius Caesar?
In Act 1, Scene 2, Cassius is trying to persuade Brutus to join the plot against Caesar. His argument is that people are not at the mercy of fate: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings." In other words, if we are weak or ruled by others, we cannot blame the stars. We should look to ourselves.
↑ Back to the topWhy does John Green change the meaning?
Green's title treats the line as a challenge. Hazel and Augustus are teenagers with cancer, and nothing they did caused it. If anything, the fault is in their stars, their bad luck. The book then asks what to do with a life that fate has shortened, and its answer is that you can still choose whom you love and how you face what comes.
↑ Back to the topWhen and why was the book written?
John Green published the novel on January 10, 2012. He has said he tried to write a book of this kind for almost ten years, and worked on it in 2011 while a writer in residence in Amsterdam. It is dedicated to Esther Earl, a young friend who died of cancer. It debuted at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, spent 78 successive weeks on it, and Time named it the top fiction book of 2012.
↑ Back to the topWhy is the line often misquoted?
People often say the fault "lies not in our stars", or leave out the "dear Brutus". The actual line is from Shakespeare's play, which is in the public domain. The novel made the phrase famous with a new generation, which is why so many people search for the exact wording.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Fault in Our Stars
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.