For 400 years, people have been writing about and criticizing William Shakespeare’s plays.

Especially one:  Hamlet.

It is the most well known and most produced of Shakespeare’s plays.  Around the world and in every language, people know, “To be or not to be.”  Always pondering it’s meaning, people spend hours, never coming up with the answers.

Why?

The central question of the play is Hamlet’s “madness.”  He is described by most critics as “crazy” and “insane.”  Somehow for me, all the interpretations didn’t fit.  Something didn’t quite seem to be an accurate description of what Hamlet is experiencing and expressing.

I became fascinated…. no…obsessed!  What was all that irrational behavior about?  I don’t believe that Hamlet is actually insane; I believe he feels like he is going insane, and this explains his odd, often irrational behavior.

The source of Hamlet’s turmoil is the 1-2-3 punch of the Ghost’s revelations.  In Act I, Scene 4, the beginning of the play, Hamlet sees and speaks to the Ghost that his friends have seen and told him looks like his dead father, King Hamlet.  Speaking only to Hamlet, the Ghost tells him three stunning things:

1. The King has been murdered by Hamlet’s uncle (the King’s Brother)
2. The Ghost charges Hamlet to avenge his death
3. The Ghost has him swear not to tell anyone.

Hamlet is in shock.  He has been charged by a ghost to go and kill the murderer, Claudius – without proof – and he has to keep it secret.

After his meeting with the ghost, everyone in court notices Hamlet’s erratic behavior. Everyone is watching and talking about him, but they don’t know what is causing it. Hamlet knows they are watching, but still can’t control his behavior. The question of whether he is mad or not becomes the main issue in the play.

By Act II, Hamlet says he feels like he’s in a prison. The terrible secret he is keeping has become his prison. Hamlet must decide what to do, alone. He has sworn that he will avenge, but has no one to help him make the final decision.

He is paralyzed by indecision.

This is the key to Hamlet’s behavior. Keeping secrets can create a false reality. To keep a secret requires that we compartmentalize our lives. Sometimes, even lead a double life. Dr. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, found that traumatic secrets cause the brain to fight with itself. One part of the brain wants to tell the secret and the other wants to keep it hidden. The longer you hold a secret, the more tension becomes a source of chronic stress (“Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain”). This psychic tension often causes us to compartmentalize our lives and become out of touch with our true selves.

A paper in the July 2017 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Michael Slepian, Jniseok Chun, and Malia Mason; has a different interpretation. They suggest that a potential problem with keeping secrets is that you have a goal to keep the information secret. People obsess more often about goals that have not yet been achieved. With secrets, this mechanism might keep you thinking about the information you are trying to keep a secret, even when the people you are hiding information from are not around. As a result, keeping secrets maybe stressful – but not because of the activity of hiding it from a person. It may be stressful because you may fixate on the information, constantly reminding you that you have a secret. Knowing you have a secret may make you feel as though you are not acting authentically, and that can depress your mood.

Clearly keeping secrets is not good for a person‘s mental health and Hamlet seems to suffer the consequences. Not until the very end, when he enters his mother’s bedroom, does Hamlet finally blurt out what has been torturing him. Released from his secret, he rails against his mother, and he is finally able to move on to do what he must. He stabs the figure behind a curtain, who he thinks is Claudius. After telling the secret and killing Polonius, there is no going back. The scene leads him into the second half of the play, where he takes action, makes plans, and moves forward.

Hamlet struggles throughout the play with his three part secret: the murder, the charge of revenge, and keeping the truth to himself. Only the audience shares Hamlet’s secret – and his heavy burden. This connection is what makes Hamlet feel so human and real, and why we get so attached to him.

It’s also why this play has been so popular.  You, the audience, are with him, sharing his anxiety, unable to help him.

King Lear is often described as Shakespeare’s most tragic play. This is based on the final scene, in which Lear, the father, mourns the loss of his beloved daughter, Cordelia. I agree it is one of his most tragic plays, but I believe the real tragedy occurs in Act I, Scene I as soon as the play opens.  It is the complete breakdown in communication that occurs between two people who love each other the most, Lear and Cordelia, and at the most critical moment in their lives: when Lear decides to give up his throne. The tragedy is the inability of Lear to communicate his need for complete assurance from his favorite daughter at a time of his highest vulnerability, and her inability to intuit what he seeks from her. The plan he devises, ensuring she would inherit the largest portion of his kingdom, comes suddenly crashing down when she utters her famous response to his question: “Nothing.”

Lear’s foolproof plan blows up in his face. He devises a contest in which he gives his most loved child the opportunity to gain an advantage and she totally misses his cue. At the very moment when he envisioned the answer she would give, she utters one word.  With his expectations at their highest peak, she expresses the complete antithesis of what he wished and planned for.  He is in shock, but when he gives her the opportunity to change her answer she repeats, “Nothing.” Would any answer that she would have given him be satisfactory?  In his state of high anxiety, almost any answer was destined to disappoint.  I doubt that he knew what the correct answer would have been.

Embarrassed and angry, he flies into a rage.

“Let it be so…”

“Here I disclaim all my paternal care…”

“And as a stranger to my heart and me”

“Hold thee, from this, forever… as my sometime daughter.”

Not only is he completely caught off guard by her response, but it is done in public.  He is now in a position to have to save face.  He prepares the contest in front of his court to show everyone how much he is loved and revered  ̶  particularly by his favorite Cordelia  ̶  and she publicly embarrasses him.   The deed is done and all that follows continues the tragedy.

Even as he gives up power, Lear attempts to use his contest to control the outcome.  He hides behind a façade of control  ̶  his plan  ̶  but, in fact, is terrified; not recognizing how fragile he is.

Lear, blinded by his overwhelming need for security, his fear of giving up power, loses control. At this point in his life, when his need for reassurance is the highest, the one source he thought he could count on lets him down. Not getting the response he expected causes him to completely break down.

Again, Shakespeare is able to illustrate the subtleties of human behavior so brilliantly: here, the miscommunication between two people who love each other and believe they know the feelings of the other. How many married couples discover too late how they miscalculated the feelings of their partner when they were hurting? Even in very close relationships, people often cover up their true need, leaving them extremely fragile, insecure, and shaky.

Reflecting his heightened need and anxiety, his response is extreme. But Cordelia still does not read his feelings. This is the tragedy.

Sadly, garbled communication is common, particularly between two people who take each other for granted. And, when sudden decisions are made at that heightened moment, the result can be tragic.

Othello is another of Shakespeare’s characters that constantly puzzles and challenges me.  How could a man so accustomed to making major decisions, affecting the lives of thousands, be manipulated by a scheming underling?  Why did he believe and accept Iago’s suggestions over the word of Desdemona, the woman he loved and married?

It involves a complicated set of circumstances, not uncommon to this very day.  People in power often build close, trusting relationships with a single person, often over a period of years; someone who has seen them struggle and survive; someone who knows their fears and vulnerabilities; someone who has helped them overcome personal and professional problems, and someone who knows their weaknesses and strengths.  Ultimately, given some twist in that relationship, the aide is in a position of enormous power to destroy his leader if he so wishes.

Why now?  Why does Iago try to destroy his leader?  Two events occur at the same time: one, Othello bypasses Iago, giving Cassio the position of lieutenant Iago long hoped would be his; and two, Othello marries a young, beautiful woman from Venetian nobility.  In both cases, Iago loses standing with Othello.  Out of jealousy and anger, Iago is now in a position to change the dynamics of the relationship.

Othello now becomes the victim of Iago’s evil plan.  His fears and vulnerabilities are brought to the surface by Iago’s succession of suggestions.  Yes, Othello was afraid Desdemona would leave him for a younger man; yes, he was afraid if he lost his position of power and glamour, and she was no longer the “commander’s wife,” she would leave him.  And, yes, those fears were based on real possibilities.

Influenced by Iago’s suggestions, Othello goes over the edge.  The only way he can prevent her from leaving him, in his irrational state of mind, is to kill her.

Only too late, does Othello see what Iago’s evil plan has wrought.  Does he know he has been manipulated?  Does he know it was he who gave Iago the power over him?

Coming to Shakespeare at this point in my life, I find myself particularly drawn to several of his distinct characters.  Shylock in The Merchant of Venice is one. For centuries, his name has represented a “crooked” Jew trying to cheat an “honest” Christian.  But when I read the play recently, the character of Shylock suddenly took on a completely different meaning for me.

Wait a minute!  Wasn’t Shylock only seeking to be repaid what was honestly owed him?  Antonio asks for a loan with no collateral. What guarantee does Shylock have that he will be repaid?  Coming from his weak position in society, he uses the strongest guarantee available to him – a pound of flesh – and Antonio agrees to the deal.

Did Antonio even intend to repay it?  Maybe not, but what choices did Shylock have?  Even Shylock’s daughter defects, leaving him feeling not only vulnerable but abandoned.

In fact, he had generously given a loan to someone with little prospect of repayment, yet he is treated as a villain.  And, in the end, not only does he not get his honest due; he is vilified and forced to convert.  All this not because he was wrong, but because he was an alien in his society; he had no recourse.

Since Shakespeare and his father both dabbled in money lending he knew first-hand how difficult it could be to collect his due.  How much more for a Jew?

In his representation of Shylock, I believe Shakespeare presents this dilemma to his audience brilliantly, with empathy for his situation and for the man.

“I am a Jew.  Hath not a Jew eyes?  Hath not a Jew hands, organ dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal’d by the same means warm’d and cool’d by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?  If you prick us, do we not bleed?  If you tickle us, do we not laugh?  If you poison us, do we not die?  And if you wrong us, do we not revenge?  If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

As usual, Shakespeare was able to see and present the multi-faceted sides of human nature.

NOTE:  This is the third installment of Irene Pollin’s blog series on William Shakespeare.

In 1587, at age 25, Will Shakespeare went to London. He was forced to leave Stratford after his father John’s successful career as a business man and local elected official came to an end. Much was due to John’s unwillingness to convert; he remained a Catholic despite the enforcement of the Protestant faith by both Queen Elizabeth and King James. In 1592, John was fined for not attending church.

As the eldest son, it was up to Will to help his immediate and extended family.  All he had ever done was work for his father. Fortunately, his father’s business and community activities gave him a broad experience.  He was unable to be a glover in London due to the tight control of the local guild but he did know money lending and how to make political connections. His father had at various times been elected ale-taster, chamberlain, alderman and mayor. Also, fortunately, as the son of an upper middle class family, he had received a good grammar school education where he sometimes dabbled in poetry.

But once in London, where could he earn money quickly? Other than being a glover, where could he find work? He took many low-level jobs but found his way into the theater which was quite popular at time and strongly supported by both Queen Elizabeth and King James. He joined a group of playwrights that was producing as many as a play a week, not unlike some of the current weekly television episodes. He was getting paid for his writing as well as some acting. Understanding business, he joined other actors and writers as a partner in the company.

Having grown up in a politician’s home, Will understood how to make important high-level contacts. In 1593, he dedicated some poems to the Earl of Southampton who was so taken with Will, that he became his patron for the rest of his life. Southampton was close to King James and although he never met Shakespeare, he was influential in recommending him to court.

When Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616, he was known locally as a successful

business man, owning the largest house in the town and other real estate. He had also acquired a Shakespeare family crest. As the eldest son, he regained the respect and financial security that his father had lost. Was this more important to him than his reputation as a playwright and poet?

How strange, four hundred years later, we view him as one of the greatest poets in the English language. Which would he have preferred?

In my last blog, I promised more to come on “Shaking up Shakespeare.”  Sorry about the delay but the more I thought about my basic question—“How could William Shakespeare know so much about the minds, thoughts, and activities of royalty and the people who surrounded them?” —the more I needed to know about him as a person?”

As I soon discovered, however, there was very little about his early years in Stratford on Avon but there was a lot about his father, John Shakespeare, who was a successful businessman, respected local politician, and at various times, an alderman and a mayor.

His businesses included making gloves, wool trading and money lending. He was also married to the daughter of a wealthy landowner and occasionally dealt in real estate.

Then, quite by accident, a photograph caught my eye. It was a picture of a beautiful, white, soft leather woman’s glove, opera length and heavily encrusted in multi-colored stones. Were these the type of gloves that John produced in his shop? Then I saw more pictures of men’s gloves intricately decorated with gold leaf. During that period in England, these gloves were enormously fashionable, particularly during Elizabeth and James’s reign—not only for royalty but also for members of the court and upper classes.

The glove workshop was attached to John’s house and all eight of his children were expected to work there. William worked there up to the time he left for London, around age twenty-five.

As the eldest son of a successful and well-connected local man, he attended a good Latin school and wrote some sonnets while there. Additionally, he was the grandson of a wealthy, well-known landowner on his mother’s side.

But, for me, the primary clue to Will’s background was his experience in his father’s workshop: not only learning how to make luxurious gloves but also getting to know the people who bought and wore them. Since these custom gloves required numerous fittings before completion, I can imagine the time spent with royal staff and possibly even the customers themselves. I can almost hear the many conversations and gossip that took place over the years between these groups.

Since he worked in his father’s shop until he left for London, he must have become acquainted with a number of people who were part of Queen Elizabeth’s court.

Did this intimate contact affect the way that Will saw his place in society? He was the eldest son of a very important man in his town. Was he possibly a “spoiled playboy” when he got an “older woman,” Anne Hathaway, pregnant? They quickly married and moved into his parent’s home. Was that a (potential) embarrassment for this highly regarded local family?

The scandal was manageable until his family got caught between the major religious transition that was taking place at the time, from Catholic to Protestant. Will’s family remained Catholic, ultimately causing his father to lose everything: his business as well as his political stature.

With so many people dependent on the income of John’s numerous businesses and government positions, and Will’s young family, by now expanding to three children, pressure was on the eldest son to find another source of income. He goes to London, but at age 25, what was he prepared to do?

Who would have thought?

My new thing is Shakespeare!  You say….”what?”

I said William Shakespeare!

I am having the time of my life studying Shakespeare.  I began last summer as a “kick” for one hour a week with a wonderful high school teacher in Amherst, MA.

I had some general knowledge of some of Shakespeare’s plays but never studied them in detail.  When he asked which one I wanted to begin with, I chose Othello.  That was the one I was more familiar with and I was also fascinated by Othello as a character.  I still am.  I know people like him.  Powerful men who are vulnerable.  I have always been fascinated by men like that.  Powerful but vulnerable. How come, I wonder, can someone so successful, so powerful, be taken in?  It happens all the time; especially here in Washington.

How did Shakespeare know so much about Kings, Queens, Princes, courtiers?  It is said that so much of Shakespeare’s personal life is not known but I think we know enough to piece together a lot about what influenced his writings.

To begin with his father was a glover.  But if you see pictures of the gloves that he made they tell you a full story.  Who were they made for?  They are elaborate, delicate, beaded, gold braid decorated, obviously made for royalty. I can imagine him helping his father make them, even delivering them to the special client.  I believe this may have given Shakespeare access to a level of society that he might not have seen otherwise.

Who would have thought that one would find some much about today’s world in Shakespeare?! More to come on this topic.

Following is an excerpt from “Irene an Abe: An Unexpected Life,” available at Amazon.

If anyone had ever asked me if I would like spending the rest
of my life in professional sports, I would have thought he or she
was crazy. Professional sports? I was interested in music, art, and
literature.

And, yet, here I was spending two and three nights a
week with sports and athletes. I, who had always thought of
professional athletes as “brawn rather than brains,” was getting to
know them. I was learning to respect them in ways I never would
have anticipated. One thing I learned was that you couldn’t reach
that level of professionalism without extraordinary intelligence,
and the mental and physical discipline that was required to master
the game. Physical prowess was not enough. There were many
young boys with incredible physical ability, but it took so much
more to make it into the NBA and to stay for an entire career. Some
physically talented players are selected to play in the NBA, but
their careers may only last three or four years. The players who
spent their entire careers—ten or more years—in the NBA were the
elite competitors. What an honor it was for me to get to know some
of these remarkable young men. I learned a lot from the way they
dealt with adversity, whether it was being traded or getting hurt
and playing night after night, often in pain. I saw many of them
play when they were injured and train ad nauseam in order to get
back on the court.
I saw them return after losing a loved one and play their hearts
out. I saw their young wives bring their little children to games
so they could spend some time as a family. The players during
the season were on the road at least two to three days a week. The
wives and children knew the drill, but it was a difficult routine
for a young family. And that does not include the disappointment
of losing. One of the most difficult aspects of the profession was
getting traded overnight to another city when you have just
purchased your dream house. Professional sports is a very tough
business, personally and professionally.
I grew close to many of them and still see some of them and
their families.

The following is an excerpt from Irene Pollin’s book, “Irene and Abe: An Unexpected Life,” available from Amazon at this link.

One summer morning in 1974, I was at home, working on my
graduate thesis, when I received a call from a friend. He asked if
Abe and I might be interested in taking over a house on the beach
in Rehoboth, Delaware that he had rented for the summer. He was
recovering from a ski accident and was unable to get there.
At the time, Abe’s older brother Jack had been quite ill with
cancer and I knew he loved the beach. I suggested to Abe that
perhaps we could share the season; Jack could sit on the wonderful
deck facing the ocean and recuperate. Abe loved the beach. It was
an easy sell.
It was a bright and cheerful semi-detached house. The best part
was being able to walk three steps from the deck onto the sand and
another 30 feet to the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, Jack never got
there. But Abe and I did and loved it. I was able to complete my
thesis. As we were leaving the beach for home, I noticed the house
two doors down was for sale. I suddenly had an idea. “Honey,
let’s buy this house,” I told Abe. “We can use it as a getaway on
weekends as well as the summer. It’s only two-and-a-half hours
from Capital Centre. We can drive straight there on a Friday night
after a game.” He picked up on the idea and we drove home talking
about how wonderful it could be for us and Robert and his family
who were now living California. As was typical, Abe did not want
to miss an opportunity. The minute we walked in to our house, he
was on the phone, calling the owner. We bought the beach house in
ten minutes, sight unseen, over the phone.
A few weeks later, we spent our first night there. The previous
owners had left all their furniture, which was fine with us for
the time being. We were just so happy to actually have a house
at the beach. Lying there in my peacock-blue bed I was happy as
a lark, fully appreciating that I was in my wonderful new beach
house. In the darkness, with the sound of the ocean outside of my
window, I imagined all the great times we were going to have.
Then, as I stretched out, my hand reached behind into the slat in
the headboard and I felt something bite my finger. In the dark, I
yelled, “Oh, my God, it’s a mouse!” “Honey, it’s a mouse!” I heard
him scamper away.
“What do you want me to do about it?” Abe said, half asleep.
Standing on top of my bed, I yelled, “Go get him!”
Stumbling in the dark, Abe ran downstairs, found an old
broom, and began chasing the poor, frightened animal around our
bedroom. Until he assured me he had chased the mouse out of the
house, I would not come off the top of the bed.
I soon learned that the house wouldn’t take care of itself.

Read Drew Lichtenberg’s Drewmaturgy column in the Shakespeare Theatre’s online magazine “Asides” for an interesting endorsement of Irene’s book.  Read the story here.