Many of us studied Hamlet in high school and remember him as an indecisive, bereaved young man. While he might not have been in the best emotional state, he had some great psychological insight. To illustrate, here’s a short exchange from the play (Act 2, scene 2)
Hamlet Denmark’s a prison.
Rosencrantz Then is the world one.
Hamlet A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o’ th’ worst.
Rosencrantz We think not so, my lord.
Hamlet Why then ’tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison.
For those of us who don’t speak Shakespeare, a translation might look something like this:
Hamlet Denmark’s a prison.
Rosencrantz By your logic, the whole world’s a prison.
Hamlet A big one with lots of cells, Denmark being one of the worst.
Rosencrantz I disagree.
Hamlet Then it’s not a prison for you, since it’s not things, but the way we think about them that troubles us. To me it’s a prison.
Hamlet’s words, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” is one of the core principles of stoicism and of cognitive therapy.
Are you feeling anxious or upset? If so, is it possible you’re stuck in a “cognitive prison” as Hamlet was? Maybe escape is as simple (but not necessarily easy) as a shift in perspective…
