Friends, Romans, countrymen
Shakespeare has often played a role in the lives of American presidents.
George Washington had a copy of Shakespeare’s works in his library; he attended a performance of Julius Caesar in the executive residence during his presidency. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson made a pilgrimage together to Stratford when they were in representing the nation overseas. John Quincy Adams adored Hamlet. James Garfield called Shakespeare “the Great William” and took his children to plays.
Although more popular in the 18th and 19th Centuries, Shakespeare has appeared not infrequently in stories about our more recent presidents. Teddy Roosevelt discovered Shakespeare in the wilderness after he left office. Bill Clinton referred to Macbeth’s great “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” soliloquy in his autobiography and said that it served as a cautionary reminder to him throughout his career. George W. Bush read “three Shakespeares” one summer as President. Barack Obama visited the Globe Theater in London to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
And, of course, there is the Bard’s biggest fan in the Article II pantheon: Abraham Lincoln.
You can read more about Shakespeare and our presidents here: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-american-presidents-and-shakespeare
Why has Shakespeare found his way into the lives and stories of American presidents? First and foremost, I think it’s because many of the plays ruminate on political power, both in Renaissance England and the Roman era. The latter was especially important in the early days of the United States.
Our Founders were keenly aware that they were creating a republic that reflected in some ways the Roman Republic. They understood from the Roman example the challenge of maintaining it. While the Founders were well versed in the literature of antiquity, they were also clearly influenced by Shakespeare’s works, especially his Roman plays. Julius Caesar dramatized the assassination of Caesar by his friend Brutus and a cabal of Roman Senators. The play describes the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire; it may have been on Ben Franklin’s mind when he reportedly told Elizabeth Willing Powel that the Constitution delivered the nation “a republic, if you can keep it.”
Shakespeare’s insights have lived with our presidents throughout our history, right up to the current Age of Trump. I can find nothing on the internet that indicates that President Trump has spent much time contemplating Shakespeare, but his detractors have often seen him through the lens of the plays.
In fact, early in his first term, New York’s “Shakespeare in the Park” staged Julius Caesar in modern dress and portrayed Caesar as Donald Trump. The producers were obviously linking President Trump’s alleged authoritarianism to Caesar. Some of the President’s supporters thought that the production was calling for the assassination of President Trump. Sponsors pulled their support, and some protesters stormed the stage in the middle of a performance.
It's extraordinary – and a testament to Shakespeare’s art – that a 400-year-old play can still inspire such passion. Julius Caesar grapples with the same issues that arise from the events surrounding the Shakespeare in the Park production: How can a republic sustain itself? And what are the costs of political violence? These issues are especially relevant today as we consider the state of our democracy while political violence is on the rise and the President has been threatened with very real assassination attempts.
Of course, Abraham Lincoln was the first president to face these same issues. He lost his life to John Wilks Booth, an actor who saw himself as a modern-day Brutus, slaying a tyrant.
The irony and sadness of Lincoln’s assassination still resonates. Lincoln loved Shakespeare and died at the hand of a Shakespearean actor. As we think about how Shakespeare influenced American history and American presidents, Lincoln’s life, career and death always come to the fore. In A Memorable Honor, I try to detail how Lincoln’s understanding of Shakespeare shaped him as a man and a leader and helped him guide the nation through its greatest trial.
A Memorable Honor: Shakespeare, Lincoln and the Art of Leadership will be published on September 15, 2026.
Until next time.
Frank
P. S. If you haven’t done so, please add your name to the “Who Art Thou” link below to receive updates as we get closer to the September 15 publication of A Memorable Honor: Shakespeare, Lincoln and the Art of Leadership.
