Was Shakespeare Jewish?

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland

Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin

I think that William Shakespeare was stating what I consider to be true, and it is possible, but doubtful, that he was Jewish.

Shakespeare wrote, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

The advice was given by Polonius to his son Laertes in Act 1, Scene 3 of the play Hamlet, as part of a longer farewell speech, when Laertes was leaving to attend a university in France. Some scholars believe that Polonius was advising Laertes to be honest and genuine with himself, and not to pretend to be someone he isn’t. As a result, he will also be honest with others and treat them well.

It is possible to give his statement a more nuanced, complex Jewish interpretation, grounded in intelligence and the law regarding gerim, strangers.
Both the pagan philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) and the Jewish philosopher Maimonides (1138-1204) stressed that the most critical lesson people should learn is that the trait that distinguishes humans from animals and plants is the divine gift of intelligence, along with the obligation to use it to improve themselves and the world.Maimonides stated in the first chapter of his Guide for the Perplexed that, when Genesis 1:27 says God created humans in the divine image, it means God empowered people with intelligence.

The Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the five Books of Moses, repeatedly commands love and proper treatment for the ger, a Hebrew word meaning stranger, whose plural form is gerim, strangers, which was later used also to mean a convert to Judaism.[1]

The Talmud in Bava Metzia 59b states that the prohibition against wronging the ger appears 36 or 46 times in the Torah. A key passage is Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers (indeed, slaves) in the land of Egypt.”

The command emphasizes empathy.

When a potential convert begged the sage Hillel (died around 10 CE) to teach him the basis of Judaism, Hillel responded, “What is hateful to you do not do to others. This is the goal of the Torah. The rest is commentary.” This is what intelligence is for. People should use the gift of intelligence to improve themselves and the world, and to treat others properly, so that they can help each other do so.
Shakespeare (1564-1616), who lived after Maimonides and Hillel, may have been familiar with their views, and Polonius’ advice to his son could be understood as a reminder that God gifted humans with intelligence and the obligation to use it. If you do so, you will obey the divine command to treat others, even strangers, as you want them to treat you, and you will be treated well.
Whether Shakespeare had the Jewish sages in mind or not is debated by scholars. Virtually all reject the idea. None of them knows for sure what religion Shakespeare acknowledged. Some say Catholicism, others Protestantism, and even a few Paganisms. What is certain, I think, is that his statement could have a Jewish meaning or something very similar to it: “Use your intelligence, my son, and treat others as you want them to treat you. Then all will be fine.”

Some support for the view that Shakespeare was not an antisemite and possibly even a Jew comes from the speech by the Jew Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, delivered in Act III, Scene 1, of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The speech defends Jewish humanity in response to the mistreatment he suffered at the hands of some Christians.

Shylock questions whether a Jew is not subject to the same human experiences as a Christian. He asked, “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? 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, shall we not revenge?”

Shylock concludes by stating that if Jews resemble Christians in all other aspects, they will also resemble them in seeking revenge, having learned “villainy” from multiple Christian examples. Shylock is arguing with two friends of the man whom he wants to hurt in revenge. The two were ridiculing Shylock and his reasons for wanting revenge.

Most people think The Merchant of Venice is an antisemitic book, and some insist that it should not be taught in schools. But this is an oversimplification.

True, Shylock was a fool for thinking that he could take revenge because Christians do so. But the Christians are also criticized for taking revenge in the play. Also, while Shylock’s plan for revenge is horrible, so, too, are the behaviors of the Christians who mistreat him. In contrast, Shylock’s “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech is a brilliant defense of the need for harmony among different religions.

The play can and should be taught as an example of all people making terrible mistakes, but they should cease such deeds and learn to live together in harmony.

Jews were expelled from England by King Edward I in 1290, with the Edict of Expulsion forcing them to leave or convert. However, some remained hidden and are called today Marranos (crypto-Jews), who practiced Judaism in secret, especially in trading centers, integrating into Christian society while privately observing Jewish customs.

They were allowed to return to England only 350 years later, in 1656, by Oliver Cromwell, beginning with Sephardic merchants. During the 350 years, Jewish individuals from other countries could temporarily visit England for trade or particular tasks but couldn’t reside there. The same expulsion situation occurred in Spain in 1492.

The English Edict was issued on July 18, 1290, with a deadline for departure before November 1, 1290, ironically, on All Saints’ Day. About 2,000 Jews were forced out of England. Several reasons prompted the expulsion, including antisemitism and hypocrisy, claiming Jews were sinners because they were lending money to Christians and charging interest, despite Jews previously holding important financial roles in aiding the survival of England and helping many Christians with their loans.

Thus, it is possible that Shakespeare was a Marrano, although there is no proof of it.
[1] Scholars suggest that until the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, around 450 BCE, the Torah did not forbid the Israelites from marrying non-Israelites. This makes sense to me because we see Israelites doing so with no indication that it was improper, and no indication that the non-Israelites converted. The only exception was the Canaanites and similar people. The first time the issue of such marriages is mentioned as a problem is in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, where conversion is neither mentioned nor considered a solution. It was not until around 150 BCE that the concept of conversion first appeared. It was at this time that the word ger also came to mean ‘proselyte,’ highlighting the need for extra kindness toward those who were once outsiders.
 
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the US Army Chaplain Corps.  He is the author of 67 books,