In his instructions to actors, Hamlet directs them to “…hold as ‘twere the mirror up to Nature to show Virtue her feature, Scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure” (Hamlet, Arden, 2016, Act III, Sc.2, 21-24). This course compares the assumptions about human motives implicit in the plays of William Shakespeare and the psychoanalytic and sociological theories of Erich Fromm. More specifically, it looks at their views on fundamental human motives, empathy, the “other,” sadism, and hope and despair. The premise is to create “dialogue” between these two astute observers of human behavior will yield interesting ideas for discussion.