One of the most popular novels of recent times is
Hamnet,
by Maggie O'Farrell, which narrates the life of Shakespeare and the loss of his 11-year-old son, which would end up inspiring the play
Hamlet.
The constant reissues of this book by the English playwright are proof that the genius of Stratford-upon-Avon, which dealt with the main conflicts of human beings, is still fully valid.
One reason why his works continue to be performed and adapted in all formats is that the themes they deal with are universal and timeless.
They seem to be talking about us.
From some of his inspirations, let's see how Shakespeare approaches the art of living, applied to current times:
"I could be encased in a nutshell and feel like king of an infinite space."
This passage from
Hamlet,
which inspired the title of an informative work by Stephen Hawking, has taken on special meaning in times of pandemic.
In the same way that many people felt trapped by movement restrictions, others found freedom within themselves, discovering priorities they were not aware of.
In his book
La libertad interior,
the journalist Gaspar Hernández affirms that freedom is achieved by discovering our essence.
When we know that territory, there is no prison possible, because the imagination, our inner universe, has no limits.
An open person will always find his place in the world.
"The friends you have and whose friendship you have already tested, hook them to your soul with steel hooks."
In the same work, Shakespeare reflects on a fundamental component of happiness: the ability to create quality bonds that become our protection network in times of difficulty.
Once again, the crisis generated by covid-19 has made us realize the importance of personal relationships beyond the family.
Those who cultivate a circle of solid friendships have greater resilience in the face of the challenges that life throws our way.
An investigation promoted by Harvard University over eight decades with a group of 700 volunteers, who entered the study of adolescents, showed that people with stronger emotional ties have a longer and better quality life.
"He who goes too fast arrives as late as he who goes too slowly."
This passage that in
Romeo and Juliet
refers to love is very significant in our era, where the instantaneous is aspired to.
Accustomed to buying with a “click”.
And especially the youngest have lost the muscle of patience, which is vital for truly important projects.
Not rushing, as Shakespeare suggests, is essential in all fields, including investment.
In an internal analysis of the financial services company Fidelity, the most profitable stock market portfolios turned out to be those of those who had not made movements in the last 10 years;
some had even died and their heirs had not acted on them.
At the opposite extreme are investors who move emotionally, buying shares when they are high and selling them, out of sheer panic, when they fall.
“We know what we are;
but not what we can be”.
We return to
Hamlet
with this maxim typical of current personal development books.
This is the central idea of the successful
Atomic Habits,
by James Clear, which maintains that the only real change is the one that starts from the transformation of our identity.
The moment someone decides who they want to be from then on, their daily actions and habits will naturally accompany that new self.
This reflection is complemented by a phrase from his work
De él La tempestad:
"What is past is prologue".
Recorded in the National Archives in Washington DC, it also applies to our personal history.
Everything we have experienced so far explains who we are and where we have come from.
However, just as the body of a book begins after the prologue, chapter 1 of our lives takes place every day, if we take the past as learning and leave aside victimhood.
The orientalist Alan Watts took it to the extreme when he affirmed, against all determinism, that nobody has the obligation to be who they were five minutes ago.
Maggie's 17 Lives
— Maggie O'Farrell surprised with her autobiographical book
I Am, I Am, I Am,
where the author explained 17 encounters with death that taught her to live, like her nightmarish trip on a plane to Hong Kong that was about to crash
She starts from the idea that nobody teaches children that one day they will die.
They understand and assimilate it as they grow.
— About the lesson that dramatic events imply, he affirms: “Things in life that are not planned are more important and, in the long run, more formative.
It is necessary to expect the unexpected, to accept it (...) the best is not always the easiest”.
Francesc Miralles is a writer and journalist expert in psychology.
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