While looking through old greeting cards, I came across a thank you note from nearly two decades ago. It jogged my memory of a long-forgotten interaction and another occasion when Hamlet made a random appearance in my daily existence.
Working in a high school leads to many interesting questions, often from students. Occasionally, though, these questions come from unlikely sources. Such was the case in early January, 1997. A gentlemen ventured into the school building looking for someone who could help him with a favor. He needed a Latin translation of a line from Hamlet, but his own Latin skills were rusty. Specifically, it was one of Polonius' parting wishes to Laertes: "To thine own self be true." I didn't know the answer, but I knew whom to ask. I got the answer from one of our classics teachers and forwarded it to the gentleman. I still remember the loose Latin translation: "Sta temetipso," which translates to "Stand on your own." Later a thank you note arrived at school from the visitor. He was grateful for the response. As he put it, "[this] was important to me at my stage in existence."
Nearly twenty years later, the brief interaction is yet one more example of the impact of Shakespeare's work. For the visitor as for so many others, Hamlet holds a significant place. It was important enough to this gentleman that he sought out a translation. And it is important enough to this blogger that it's been over one year since my first post...and still going strong.
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