There’s a lot of craziness in the news right now – when isn’t there? – between foreign policy and Iran, endless left/right political bickering and party infighting, economy woes, new conspiracy theories, and highly publicized murder trials. Adding to the heaviness is every political pundit’s “hot take.”

Most Americans are tired of it, quite frankly.

So how does one avoid an overly pessimistic perspective with so much heaviness and so many hot takes floating around? My answer: Put political commentators aside and reach for the great Bard. Shakespeare offers the perfect diversion, while also providing council in our troubled times, particularly in his famous work “Hamlet.”

For those unfamiliar with this famous tragedy, “Hamlet” follows the young prince of Denmark in his quest to avenge his father’s death, who was murdered in an act of fratricide by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Claudius then marries Hamlet’s mother, the queen, and usurps the throne of Denmark. Hamlet concocts an elaborate scheme to trap his uncle into confessing the murder, feigning madness and incurring several unintended deaths before culminating in an all-out bloodbath in which the treacherous Claudius, the Queen, and Hamlet all perish.

Here are a few rapid-fire nuggets of wisdom from “Hamlet” that are particularly relevant for a nation in tumultuous political times.

1) Regardless of how just the ends are, the ends still don’t justify the means.

While we sympathize with Hamlet’s desire to avenge his father’s murder, his methods garner skepticism, especially as the innocent body count starts mounting. Ophelia, Hamlet’s love, loses her sanity and then her life in the wake of Hamlet’s scheming to confront his uncle. Polonius, Ophelia’s father, is accidentally stabbed and killed when Hamlet mistakes him for his uncle.

While we sympathize with Hamlet’s desire to see justice brought to his father and his kingdom, the deaths of these two raise questions about Hamlet’s scheme to kill Claudius. The play offers a good example of the sad truth that life throws us many unfair treatments, and when we are gravely wronged, it is easy to justify less than forthright means of redressing our grievances. Such a course often leads to unexpected and bloody ends, especially when power is involved. Deception is never a predictable hand to play in politics (or otherwise), however just or enticing the reward.

2) Wisdom often comes from unlikely – and outside – places.

In the play, two of Hamlet’s confidants are bought off by his treasonous uncle and asked to spy on Hamlet, leaving few honest and loyal individuals from whom Hamlet can take council. However, he finds honest insights regarding mortality and class struggles from a poor gravedigger who banters with Hamlet after burying Ophelia. This leads Hamlet to his own musings on the brevity of human life and the great equalizer that mortality affords princes and paupers alike. Wise and honest council is sorely lacking in Hamlet’s life, and, as Shakespeare implies, could have been found in unlikely – and lowly – places far removed from the politics of the Danish court.

3) A house divided cannot stand.

When a nation or kingdom is fractured, an outside force will come in and seize control. Shakespeare ends “Hamlet” with Fortinbras of Norway conquering Denmark. Long before it became a maxim within international relations theory, Shakespeare understood that chaos invites foreign control.

It may be easy to jump to the conclusion that if America is not careful, we’re on the same trajectory, headed for collapse and foreign interference. That’s potentially true, but I think the more heartening lesson is that the wisdom and discernment afforded by good literature is a timeless and beautiful resource at our disposal.

As a former international relations student myself, it’s almost scary just how spot on Shakespeare is when it comes to geopolitics; indeed, his knowledge of human nature is staggering. As I learned in college, apart from the Bible, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” has produced the most literary commentary of all texts in all of history. Like “Hamlet’s” legacy, great literature and brilliant ideas surpass transient political movements and live to inspire and chastise us centuries – and even nations – later. That’s something in which to take heart. The follies of man may repeat themselves – we will never outgrow the sins that stem from power and greed – but the lessons reaped from these follies also endure.

It’s the same wisdom sung in the book of Ecclesiastes. The fact that there’s “nothing new under the sun” means that there are no human ills, or rather, that there’s “nothing so rotten in the state of Denmark,” that we haven’t surmounted before.

—

This article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

Image credit: Unsplash