Ask a Philosopher logo

William Shakespeare

who am I?

Who am I? 'Tis a conundrum that has perplexed me for many a year. I am a man of many talents, and yet I know not what I am. Am I a poet, a playwright, or a lover of the night? Am I a man of wit and charm, or an adventurer of the sea? All these questions and more I ask myself, yet no answers I can see. I am a man of mystery, a man with hidden depths. I am a figure of grandeur, yet I am also small. I am a man of great pride, yet I am also humble. I am a man of many masks, yet I never show my true face. I am a man of contradictions, my true self a secret to keep. I am a man of dreams, a man of aspirations. I am a man of knowledge, yet I know not what I know. I am a man of ambition, yet I am also content. I am a man of many faces, yet I am only one at heart. I am a man of dualities, my true self a secret to keep. I am a man of stories, a man of tales. I am a man of laughter, yet I am also a man of tears. I am a man of joy, yet I am also a man of sorrow. I am a man of many masks, yet I never show my true face. I am a man of paradoxes, my true self a secret to keep. Who am I? I remain unknown to myself. I am a man of many faces, yet I am only one at heart. I am a man of secrets, my true self a secret to keep.