Having read all of Shakespeare over the last eight months, I find myself even more inspired to explore the philosophical insights embedded throughout the plays. As previously mentioned, in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare calls philosophy "the sweet milk of adversity", since it provides us with consolation in hard times. Yet it also fortifies and prepares us for successful action and much else besides.
I noticed in my readings that Shakespeare focuses especially on self-knowledge and self-mastery (e.g., the use of reason to cultivate patience and avoid intemperance). Indeed, these two topics are closely related. Consider the character of Marc Antony in Antony and Cleopatra: in Act III, Canidius says that "had our general been what he knew himself, it had gone well" (III.10), but soon after we learn that Antony's fundamental mistake was to "make his will lord of his reason" (3.13). Similarly, in Cymbeline Imogen observes that a person who has "great knowing" should thereby learn forbearance (2.3). In Hamlet, Horatio warns Hamlet that interacting with the ghost of his father "might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness" (1.4). In Macbeth, Ross laments that "cruel are the times, when we are traitors and do not know ourselves" (4.2). Perhaps the classic example is King Lear: at the very beginning of the play, Regan complains that her father "hath ever but slenderly known himself" (1.1), which is likely why he made such a bad decision about dividing up his realm.
These are far from the only plays in which self-knowledge and self-mastery loom large: others I noticed in this first reading include Coriolanus, Henry IV Part 1, Henry VIII, King John, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Pericles, Titus Andronicus, and Twelfth Night.
Moreover, self-knowledge and self-mastery are not the only philosophical topics in Shakespeare: consider the importance of appearance vs. reality, virtue vs. vice, prosperity vs. adversity, courage vs. cowardice, wisdom vs. foolishness, truth vs. deception, passion vs. moderation, justice, grief, honor, pride, power, ambition, and more. Shakespeare is a veritable gold mine of philosophical insights artfully illustrated through vivid characters, momentous decisions, and exalted actions. Such grandeur! I'll be posting periodically about Shakespeare and philosophy in the coming months as I explore these topics in greater depth.
(Cross-posted at philosopher.coach.)
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