The Tao and the Bard: A Conversation

Shakespeare and Lao Tzu match wits and wisdom in this playful encounter—a new take on the old dialogue between East and West.

The Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way of Virtue, is a touchstone of Eastern philosophy and mysticism. It has been called the wisest book ever written. Its author, Lao Tzu, is known as the Great Archivist, but some say he has never lived or is the synthesis of many people. Shakespeare, the Bard, was the West’s greatest writer and even invented human nature, according to some. The Tao and the Bard is the delightful conversation between these two unlikely spokesmen, who join in a free exchange of views in its pages.

Here, in his own words, Lao Tzu offers the eight-one verses that comprise the Tao, and, responding to each verse, the Bard answers with quotations from his plays and poems. In sometimes surprising ways, Shakespeare’s words speak to Lao Tzu’s, as the two trade observations on such topics as good and evil, love and virtue, wise fools and foolish wisdom, and being the “nothing from which all things are.” As moderator, Phillip DePoy sometimes adds his own helpful comments, and the reader is invited to take part—whether to parse the meanings closely or sit back and enjoy the entertainment!