. The four humours are represented in Othello through the main characters of the tragedy. Regarded by many as the father of Western (and some say Islamic) medicine. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. If a. I feel like its a lifeline. Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Devin has taught psychology and has a master's degree in clinical forensic psychology. the first skull he says: "It might be the pate of a politician . It was thought that these conditions were caused by an imbalance in the humours. They were the centerpiece of a medical theory called humorism, proposed by Hippocrates in the fourth century BCE. Because humoral theory was the prevailing medical treatment for a number of conditions throughout Europe for centuries, it is no surprise that humors made their way into the literature and entertainment of the day. ), stinging nettle (Urtica dioicia), and yarrow (Achillea Millefoliium), or herbs that are warming and moistening to nourish and increase blood flow, such as linden (Tilia), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and hawthorn (Crataegus spp.). We use a third party provider, dotdigital, to deliver our newsletters. These characteristics include energetics, elements, and temperament, as well as understanding the complexity of the natural world. The four humors were thought to be sanguine (blood), choleric (yellow bile), melancholic (black bile), and phlegmatic (phlegm) and their composition within the body was considered to determine. squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. Retrieved from, (O. Powell, Trans.). And they all have roughlythe same number of lines. Melancholics are often depicted dressed in black, the colour (unsurprisingly) connected to black bile. ), "Even in dying," as Sir Herbert Tree says, "he breaks into a sweet irony of humor, in meeting the 'fell serjeant death.' The black bile would weigh on you, and make you passive, sad, dull and indecisive. Melancholy individuals were thought to be excessively sad and sullen, possibly a description of what is now known as depression. Black Bile. The characters around Hamlet are worried by his melancholia. Lean and pale, moving slowly, sad and brooding, perhaps suspiciously looking around for enemies. (2019). Ageing was in itself seen as a process of gradual drying of the flesh and cooling of bodily humours. Unless hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in flame-coloured taffeta, I see no reason why thou shouldst be so superfluous to demand the time of day.. Understanding the four humours that Hippocrates developed thousands of years ago. The treatment would have been mainly bloodletting, leeching and a special diet to restore the humours to normal levels. Porter, R.(1997). Osborn, D. (2015). one that would circumvent God, might it not?" Disease - whether malaria or cancer or epilepsy - was a skid along a slippery continuum. It can be expressed as the dried blood found in stool, very dark urine, serious fevers caused by malaria, or, more abstractly, as constipation, bloating, and arthritis. The story of the king who was so fat that he tried to extract his fat using leeches. (2.2.555-612) Analysis: To be, or not to be (3.1.64-98) This repetition of earth constantly reminds us of the underlying theme of the play. Learn what the four humors of the body are along with the humoral theory. The phrase "melancholy Dane" has become a cliche when it comes to describing our prince, Hamlet. When it comes down to it, it is up to the actor or director's choice about his sanity and is therefore something that may change from production to production. Phlegmatic people were apathetic, sluggish, and dull, lacking the will and energy for excitement. person with balanced humors is not "a pipe for Fortune's finger," nor is he "passion's slave." This They correspond to real substances produced within the body; but the properties ascribed to them by ancient physicians, and the functions they were said to perform in human health starting with the idea that the stuff in your veins was a mixture of all four were largely speculative. Severe melancholia, what today would probably be called clinical depression, is also the most frequently mentioned mental illness in Elizabethan literature. Belief in humoral theory was not limited to ancient Greece. For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice. Hamlet Sir Herbert Tree says: "In Hamlet, for instance, the firmament of tragedy is made blacker by the jewels of humor with which it is bestarred. Choleric people were quick to anger and highly irritable. The four humors. The Significance of the Ghost in Armor ", Another aspect of Hamlet's humor glints forth in his dealings with his old school-fellows, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. No wonder Polonius does not know what to make of him and calls him mad, though recognizing the possibility that there may be some "method in't. However, should one fluid overpower the others, the body becomes out of balance and causes medical and psychological illness. Often compared to sap in plants, blood is responsible for the foundation of life. Soliloquy William Shakespeare: profile. Poor Hamlet, too much humor had'st thou for this harsh world!" 4. A natural excess of black bile could make you cautious and analytical. On Retrieved from. A Greek-English lexicon. Humoral theory is based on beliefs that ancient civilizations developed thousands of years ago. Affiliate links are shared throughout the website and the Herbal Academy may receive compensation if you make a purchase with these links. Yellow bile. As he describes it himself: I have of late but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air look you, this brave oerhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.. , a major cultural shift was taking place in ancient Greece. I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." The word is quite rare in Shakespeares writing otherwise: in The Taming of the Shrew, a play without melancholics, the word is only used once. Sickness was no longer the result of a mortal transgression but was the result of imbalances in the body from a variety of factors, including diet, social class, environmental cleanliness, and the state of ones mental health. For example, in a 1964 episode of Bewitched, Samantha tells her husband, "Vanity, they name is human." In the animated TV show The Simpsons, Bart exclaims, "Comedy, thy name is Krusty." Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: the Four Humors (A) Main idea: Hamlet is not mad. Retrieved from http://www.greekmedicine.net. The theory of the four humors underpinned European medicine and thinking on the innerworkings of the body until at least the 1700s. Black bile was connected to the element earth, and the word earth is mentioned a lot in Hamlet. Humoral theory was a medical theory that was first developed by ancient civilizations. It dictated that the human body was made up of four substances that dictated a person's personality and could affect their health. Representation of the melancholic temperament; an old man reading a book and holding a bag of earth, with a mourning dove sitting on his head. Humor and madness do not travel the same road. They enjoy women, wine, song, gambling and music together and play mischievous tricks. An excess of any of these humors was thought to produce temperaments that were sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholy respectively. Water was thought to be cold and wet, so it was associated with phlegm. Article in The In some of the most tragic moments of his career he has the sanity to play with his tormentors and with the sad conditions of his life. By this time, the Renaissance had spread to other European countries, and ideas about our ability to fully understand the human experience became more skeptical. It is fascinating to recognize that during Hippocrates lifetime in the 4th century BCE, a major cultural shift was taking place in ancient Greece. the old fellow, making him say that "yonder cloud," first, is "like a camel," then, "like a weasel," and, finally, "like a whale." . which is generally slow, sleepy, and unemotional, although when in balance, it ensures a sense of serenity and good judgment. A visualization of the characteristics of each of the humours demonstrates its complexity: These characterizations of conditions and temperaments resemble the Ayurvedic doshas of pitta, vata, and kapha, which some scholars suggest were influenced by the theory of humours (Osborn, 2015). Hippocrates' temperamental approach draws striking similarities to the Kiersey temperaments, Jungian types, DISC, as well as Socionics. Directly after the warm greetings between the friends the following conversation takes place: Again, on the occasion when Polonius comes to summon him to the queen's presence, Hamlet pokes fun at These humors represented different aspects of a human, connected to the four elements (wind, air, earth and fire) and the four seasons (spring, summer, fall and winter). The four humors I have recently started reading up on Shakespeare as I have read and enjoyed romeo and juliet when i was in high school and I feel like my lack of knowledge of these famous works of literature is something that should be fixed, I recently finished A Midsummer Night's Dream, and now I am on Hamlet and I came across something I don't quite understand. Hamlet as National Hero A choleric man, according to humoral theory, was likely to be lean and hairy, for instance. In some cases, humors were even associated with different zodiac signs. In the graveyard over the skulls he is sardonic and pathetic, and over Yorick's he is melancholy. OSPP Four Temperaments Test. Hamlet, the melancholic Prince of Denmark Hamlet is arguably the most famous literary melancholic, demonstrating an excess of black bile - one of the four humours thought to govern bodies in Shakespeare's time. The young warrior's choler gave him courage but phlegm produced cowards. Retrieved from https://www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen (2003). succeed. Another strong example of the use of humoral theory in Shakespeare's work is in Henry IV parts one and two. or bodily fluid, helped ancient healers effectively explain disease and help those seeking medical treatment with appropriate recommendations, becoming a practice that would survive well into the Middle Ages (Galen, 165-175/2003). You can unsubscribe at any time using links in the emails you receive. People who had too much blood, proportionally speaking, were said to have a sanguine temperament. Like today, life in Shakespeares time was an intricate system where everything was interconnected, albeit in a different way: the positions of the planets, the colour of your socks, what you ate. Hamlet: Problem Play and Revenge Tragedy However, everyone hasa natural excess of one of the humours, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently. (2019). Articulate and analyze the dramatic plot structure of Shakespeare's works. Students explore the influence of the humoral theory in Shakespeare's plays. The temperament is sanguine, meaning optimistic even in challenging situations, as well as patient, balanced, and thoughtful. | Melancholy Temperament. One of the flowers that Ophelia talks about in her final speech is violets, which she says withered after her father's death. 2. 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