Shakespeare and self-knowledge

This season I've been examining closely the two tragic masterpieces of Shakespeare: Hamlet and Macbeth. Yes, they are bottomless in their revelations about the human condition, so the rewards of further understanding are the products of close readings.

Should a man allow circumstances to cause him to turn against his moral code? Buddhism advocates perceiving one's reaction to circumstance as controlled only by the thoughts one chooses to have. It appears Shakespeare would agree. Only when Hamlet surrenders his moral nobility does he transgress against nature; his murders and emotional assassinations occur only after he deliberately surrenders and eschews the university bred code of behavior that, throughout the story, continues to be exhibited by his friend and university colleague, Horatio.

Can the modern reader learn from Hamlet's actions? Well, just imagine a world where all men knew the consequences of boorish and violent behavior.

Interestingly, this same lesson is hammered home in Macbeth, where the behavior is less transparent and more readily condemned. Unaware of murder's effect upon the soul, Macbeth and his wife recklessly pursue their lust for recognition and power. They kill their guest, the king, and a frantic spiral to hellish insanity begins. Lady Macbeth retreats from the fury with suicide, but Macbeth tries to fight it and slides precipitously further in his journey into the horror of pure evil. One cannot witness his fall without learning, as a child touching a hot stove, to beware acts that promise such horrendous results.

Reading Shakespeare will rock your world, and the result of the shake-up will benefit your understanding.