Although it was required reading back in our school days, odds are most of us haven’t picked up a copy of Hamlet or headed out to see it performed in quite some time. We thought that was a situation we should remedy, and here’s what we learned from re-reading Hamlet:
We’re all taking “To thine own self be true” the wrong way. Although it’s a phrase often used in a positive light, Shakespeare intended it to be anything but. In fact, the bard placed those words in the mouth of Polonius, a self-serving windbag, and the phrase was intended to be ironic.
Hamlet had some serious commitment issues. Poor Ophelia. Hamlet’s young, naive, and ever faithful one-time flame didn’t deserve the horrendous treatment she received, and had Hamlet been able to make up his mind about his feelings for her she could have been spared from a whole world of hurt.
Sometimes you can’t count on your friends. You may think they’re always there for you, but once in a while your friends may have some ulterior motives in mind, and those motives may not work out so well for you. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to mind…
Women deserve a heck of a lot more respect. Poor Ophelia, again. Polonius more or less treated his daughter like property to be sold off in the marriage market. Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon theme in many of Shakespeare’s plays.
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