What Shakespeare could teach us about money

May 30, 2025

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Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrights of his era. His work has inspired generations of writers, artists, actors and thinkers. 

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Hidden between the lines of his tragedies, comedies and complex characters is sound advice on money and debt.

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In a scene in Henry IV, a character says borrowing more money to cover debt doesn’t solve his problem of overspending.

“No remedy against this consumption of the purse”

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A character in Timon of Athens expresses his idea that making money work for you is like having a soldier who will do as you command. 

“Money is a good soldier”

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In Hamlet, Polonius advises his son Laertes that one should neither borrow nor lend from a friend, as one might end up losing both the friendship and the money. 

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be”

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In As You Like It, Corin expresses that a person lacking money, work and happiness is missing a trio of allies. These three things are essential to lead a fulfilling life.

“…without three good friends”

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In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock asks Antonio to pay a literal pound of flesh for guaranteeing Bassanio’s loan. It serves as a cautionary tale on not falling for money-making scams.

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“A pound of flesh”

“Whiles I am a beggar, I will rail and say there is no sin but to be rich; and being rich, my virtue then shall be to say there is no vice but beggary,” Shakespeare wrote in King John.

Is money a vice or virtue?

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