William Shakespeare and Marcus Aurelius (the
great stoic philosopher and emperor) have
more in common than you might think.
They share a recorded birth-date, with Shakespeare
baptized on 26 April 1564, and Marcus Aurelius
born on 26 April 121.
But aside from their birth month (and a gap
of over a thousand years), what links these
two venerated writers?
Shakespeare’s plays are a famed source of
creative and dramatic inspiration, but are
also mined for their astoundingly insightful
commentary on human nature.
In a similar fashion, Marcus Aurelius is best
remembered for his Meditations, a set of pithy
aphorisms on Stoic philosophy and guidance
on life.
We’ve delved into Shakespeare’s plays
and the contemplations of Marcus Aurelius,
to bring you six enduring life lessons.
Tired of the worries of modern living, social
pressures, or concerned you’re not following
your true purpose?
Then watch on, help is at hand…
Lesson 1 – Live in the present
“Remind yourself that it is not the future
or what has passed that afflicts you, but
always the present” (Book 8, 36).
In this important meditation, Marcus Aurelius
reminds us that we can’t change what’s
already happened, and are equally incapable
of predicting the future.
It’s a method of avoiding unnecessary distress
caused by “picturing your life as a whole,”
assembling the “varied troubles which have
come to you in the past and will come again
in the future.”
Paulina, the faithful friend of Queen Hermione
in The Winter’s Tale would certainly agree
with this.
In true Stoic fashion, she apologizes for
condemning King Leontes, whose insane jealousy
caused the death of their beloved Queen: “What’s
gone and what’s past help should be past
grief” (The Winter’s Tale, 3.2).
Lesson 2 – It’s all in your attitude
“All disturbances arise solely from the
opinions within us” (Book 4, 3).
It is a key tenet of Stoic philosophy that
external situations aren’t important, but
it’s how you react to them.
If someone has insulted you, instead of giving
in to destructive emotions, rely on rationality
and inner calm.
Likewise, Othello agrees that if a wronged
person can take his losses with grace, then
he will be all the richer for it: “The robbed
that smiles steals something from the thief”
(Othello, 1.3).
Lesson 3 – Live each day as if it were your
last
Perhaps unsurprisingly, for both Shakespeare
and Marcus Aurelius, death was a common feature
of everyday life.
They both return to the theme of the transience
of human existence, and the relatively short
time we’re given as “players” on the
earthly stage.
As life can end at any moment, we should make
the most of it, and live each day:
“As if you had died and your life had extended
only to this present moment, use the surplus
that is left to you to live from this time
onward according to nature” (Book 7, 56).
“I wasted time, and now doth time waste
me” (Richard II, 5.5).
Lesson 4 – Be good to others
Given the limited time available, what should
we be doing?
Marcus Aurelius is very clear on this, stating
multiple times that our purpose as social,
rational creatures is to help our fellow humans:
“Refer your action to no other end than
the common good” (Book 12, 20).
Concurrently, the characters advocating goodness,
mercy, and love are rife throughout the Shakespearean
canon.
This is perhaps most aptly summarized by the
Countess in All’s Well That Ends Well: “Love
all, trust a few, do wrong to none” (All’s
Well That Ends Well, 1.1).
Lesson 5 – Be true to yourself
Marcus Aurelius states that the only real
tragedy is not being true to yourself.
What others think of you is of no importance,
but how you act and how you think are the
only things of intrinsic value.
He ponders on the significance of adversity:
“If something does not make a person worse
in himself, neither does it make his life
worse, nor does it harm him without or within”
(Book 4, 8).
Shakespeare’s characters are no strangers
to this maxim.
Indeed, Othello reminds Cassio that external
praise (which is easily won or lost) is of
little significance—it’s his own judgement
that matters: “Reputation is an idle and
most false imposition, oft got without merit
and lost without deserving.
You have lost no reputation at all unless
you repute yourself such a loser” (Othello,
2.3).
Lesson 6 – Less is more
Shakespeare and Marcus Aurelius are of one
mind when it comes to the age old saying that
“less is more.”
We should focus on doing one thing well and
thoughtfully, rather than rushing many things
at once: “Do little, if you want contentment
of mind” (Book 4, 24).
And as Friar Laurence fatedly chides Romeo:
“Wisely and slow, they stumble that run
fast” (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2).
Can you think of any more Shakespearean Stoicism
that we’ve missed?
