The greatest benefit to mankind: A medical history of humanity. Drawing, c.1793. Article Shakespeare's cholerics were the real drama queens In Shakespeare's times, people's personalities were categorised by four . The Four Humours are Blood, Black Bile, Yellow Bile, and Phlegm. If a. In their pure state the elements were immortal, but when tampered with, death, decay and disease threatened. Devin has taught psychology and has a master's degree in clinical forensic psychology. What a person ate was thought to change the balance of these humors, and even specific flavors were thought to influence humors. Find out more in the Living with Buildings exhibition. Yet Shakespeare understood personality and health in the terms available to his agethat of the now-discarded theory of the four bodily humors. Elizabethans believed that the balance of the four humors would keep them healthy. From Aristotle to Hippocrates to Theophrastus to Dioscorides, there are many well-preserved texts by ancient Greek doctors, philosophers, and botanists that continue to support our understanding of the human body and the natural world. Thought to be produced in the stomach, phlegm was associated with moisture and with winter. Whether we have ancestors from ancient Greece, China, or India doesnt matter so much. Hamlet is a play. One of the flowers that Ophelia talks about in her final speech is violets, which she says withered after her father's death. All rights reserved. Please simply create an account before buying/booking any courses. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice. Background. Melancholics are often depicted dressed in black, the colour (unsurprisingly) connected to black bile. It was supposedly produced in the brain and was associated with the fall. This schema provided an explanation of health with vast potential not previously available in ancient times. The body was a system of four fluid "humours": black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. In all alike he is sane and thoughtful. The Norway (Fortinbras) Subplot Last Modified Date: February 20, 2023. All diseases and disabilities resulted from an excess or deficit of one of these four humors. 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." Madness does not lie this way. Osborn, D. (2015). One play really stands out when it comes to the subject of humours. 2) sanguine. The roots of humorism go back to Empedocles (c.495-435 BCE), a Greek philosopher who suggested that different qualities of the four basic elementsearth (cold But in the tragedies they are more often the leading characters, generally elderly men. | Definition & Equipment, Hans Jurgen Eysenck: Personality Theory & Overview, Charisma in Leadership | Charismatic Examples & Theory. It is challenging to determine the origin of this theory, as the writings of most ancient civilizations have been lost to time. New York, NY: W.W. Norton. 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.. Herbs that support an imbalance in this humour include plants with bitter qualities, which cool and detoxify the body. Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Raymond Cattell: Personality Theory & Biography, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Humors of the Body in Shakespeare's Works, History and Approaches: Tutoring Solution, Biological Bases of Behavior: Tutoring Solution, Sensation and Perception: Tutoring Solution, States of Consciousness: Tutoring Solution, Motivation and Emotion: Tutoring Solution, Developmental Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Types of Studies in Behavioral Genetics: Twin, Family & Adoption, Freud's Theory of the Id, Ego & Superego: Definitions & Examples, Freudian Defense Mechanisms: Definition, Levels & Examples, Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development, Humanistic Psychology & Carl Rogers' Theory of Personality, Historical Personality Assessment: Humorism, Phrenology & Physiognomy, Trait Assessment Testing: Fundamental Attribution Error & OCEAN, Agreeableness in Personality: Definition & Overview, Introverted Personality: Definition & Characteristics, Social Personality Type: Traits & Overview, Theories of Social Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Psychological Disorders and Health: Tutoring Solution, Psychological Treatments: Tutoring Solution, Statistics, Tests and Measurement: Tutoring Solution, UExcel Introduction to Psychology: Study Guide & Test Prep, Intro to Psychology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, AP Psychology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Human Growth & Development Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Gerontology for Teachers: Professional Development, OSAT Psychology/Sociology (CEOE) (032): Practice & Study Guide, Maintenance & Generalization of Skills Across Learning Environments, Teaching Human Sexuality, Family Life & Parenting to Special Populations, Addressing Parental Concerns About Students with Emotional Impairments, Parental Resources for Students with Emotional Impairments, Legal Standards & Issues in the Education of Students with Emotional Impairments, What is a Television Network? This will turn your body cold and dry and, of course, build up your levels of black bile. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: the Four Humors (A) Main idea: Hamlet is not mad. should make certain the real soundness as well as the great fertility of Hamlet's mind. One indication that the humours were well-known in the Middle Ages can be seen in a quote from Shakespeare`sJulius Caesar(IV, 3) when Brutus exclaims to Cassius: Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Hamlets sanity is one of the major themes in the play. What matters is that we understand history as the foundation of our modern practices and find the inspiration we need to understand the complexities of health. . Those unions result in the four humors: 1) melancholic. THE THEORY OF THE FOUR HUMOURS The theory of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) rst appears in a fth-century bcHippocratic treatise called The Nature of Man, the only treatise from the Hippocratic Corpus to which we can attribute an author's name. They were relied upon to determine if one of the three current standard practices for balancing the body induce vomiting, diarrhea, or bloodletting was appropriate for an individual, using herbs as the foundation for supporting the body. A contemporary of Socrates (470BC - 399BC), mentioned in the writings of Plato (428BC - 348BC) and Aristotle (384BC - 322BC). However, should one fluid overpower the others, the body becomes out of balance and causes medical and psychological illness. Each humor is a bodily fluid, an excess of which was thought to cause certain illnesses and personality traits. Just as we now believe that mental illnesses may in part be due to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, Elizabethan doctors similarly believed that certain personality traits stemmed . Words by Nelly Ekstrmaverage reading time 6 minutes 16 December 2016 The Elizabethan melancholic Similarly, the four humours loosely correspond to the wheel of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. Yellow bile. Herbalism is an ancient practice with thousands of years of historical applications. Claudius and the Condition 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. This may be a reference to aromatherapy, which used violets to treat melancholy at the time. Jones, Trans.). Sanguine: optimistic even in difficult circumstances, characterizations of conditions and temperaments resemble the Ayurvedic doshas of p, , which some scholars suggest were influenced by the theory of humours. Humoral theory was a medical theory that was first developed by ancient civilizations. No character in all Shakespeare is more evenly balanced, and no mind more capable of seeing things in all their bearings. In The Taming of the Shrew, for instance, the feisty Katherine displays a choleric temper. Ill touch my point/With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly/It may be death.. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Analysis: To be, or not to be (3.1.64-98), Soliloquy Analysis: Tis now the very witching time of night (3.2.380-91), Soliloquy Analysis: Now might I do it pat (3.3.77-100), Soliloquy Analysis: How all occasions do inform against me (4.4.35-69). Melancholy could also be treated through purging, which generally involved the use of laxatives. Hamlet's Antic Disposition: Is Hamlet's Madness Real? lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. As a result, those who had too much yellow bile were considered choleric. If the humours were in imbalance, then the person was sick. Nervine, carminative, and antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm (. ) Then he suggests that Rosencrantz is only "a sponge . Humors, Madness, and "Hamlet". In tragedies, the characters usually start out with a normal excess of their temperamental humour, but thru their actions and reactions their excess is built up, leading to more and more extreme behaviour until all hope of restoring balance is lost. Soliloquy Analysis: Now might I do it pat (3.3.77-100) From the time the ghost originally speaks to him to the final act of the play, Hamlet is a man possessed by his sense of obligation. hb``f``: AXw@bA73ptt0tt4EbH"?~%G?2bfa10%rsH_x4:1V2cBqbi4x D1` O]b |H^aHs10g`Z & (2019). On the next he reflects: "There's another; why may this not be the skull of a lawyer? The four humors. . Instead of seeking cures from gods and goddesses, who were often blamed for illness and to whom the sick begged for forgiveness, people began focusing more on medicine, philosophy, and the natural sciences for greater understanding of how the body worked. It crops out at every turn, and indicates the essential soundness of his mind. The four temperament theory is a proto-psychological theory which suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. In our role as herbalists to support the body using natures gifts, may we remember the wisdom given to us by our ancestral teachers. Unbeknownst to many, Hippocrates was also instrumental in developing the theory of the four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Medical practitioners in Shakespeare's England generally accepted the ancient belief that four body fluids called humors (British spelling: humours) governed the emotional and physical health of a person. 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). Analysis of the Characters in Hamlet People with too much phlegm were considered to be phlegmatic, a term dating back to Galen. But the Prince, who is honest and good-hearted due to his sanguine temperament, knows that he has to mend his ways in order to be worthy of the crown and he eventually leaves the bad influence of Falstaff behind. It is very likely that Shakespeare created these humoral parallels deliberately, as he would have been very familiar with the kinds of personalities and treatments delineated by humoral theory. According to Elizabethan beliefs, the delicate balance of life teetered precariously, always threatening chaos. The four humors are black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. , Whether we have ancestors from ancient Greece, China, or India doesnt matter so much. Liddell, H.G., Scott, R., Jones, H.S., & McKenzie, R. (1940). Loeb Classical Library. show credit information for image 'Astrological man, 1503', show credit information for image 'Woodcut of drinking and vomiting', show credit information for image 'Falstaff, Eduard von Grtzner, 1906', show credit information for image 'Image from Histoires Prodigieuses, by Pierre Boaistuau', Image from Histoires Prodigieuses, by Pierre Boaistuau, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. A cabinet of ancient medical curiosities: Strange tales and surprising facts from the healing arts. Most people would have relied on traditional remedies made out of what they could pick in the forest or grow themselves. The four seasons spring, summer, autumn and winter paralleled the four humors blood/sanguine, yellow bile/choleric, phlegm/phlegmatic and black bile/melancholic, which in turn paralleled the four elements air, fire, water and earth. 83-99. The four humors: (Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous melancholic, but Jacques also suffers from too much black bile) In this painting, Orlando closely resembles the melancholic men laying on the forest ground that we discussed. 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. 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. quite chop-fallen?" After being refused by Ophelia, Polonius explains that Hamlet: Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, What he should be doing is trying to restore the balance by switching to a warming and drying diet and engaging in warming and drying activities. The four elements, which constituted the fundamental building blocks of the 'macrocosm' or 'greater world' of the sublunar sphere, corresponded closely to the four humours of the 'microcosm' or 'lesser world' of the human body.. Each of the humours originated in a different bodily organ.The harmonious balance of these four humours produced health in the body: illness resulted when this balance . The four humors are blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Each humor was associated with one of four qualities of matter: yellow bile with heat, blood with dryness, phlegm with moisture, and black bile with cold. ), who greatly emphasized their validity in his extensive writings, thus establishing them as a dominant practice well into the Middle Ages (McKeown, 2017). Hamlet's Antic Disposition: Is Hamlet's Madness Real? Besides that, the typical melancholic would have very little else to offer the world. Shakespeare Online. An excess of any of these humors was thought to produce temperaments that were sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholy respectively. The Significance of the Ghost in Armor Hamlet's Relationship with the Ghost Herbs that support this imbalance include pungent, stimulating, and aromatic herbs, such fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), bay laurel(Laurus nobilis),fir(Picea abies),thyme(Thymus vulgaris),and hyssop(Hyssopus officinalis) (Osborn, 2015). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. To what extent is he just acting? These humours in turn were composed of four qualities (hot, dry, cold and . Another Greek physician, Galen, connected the humors to temperament and personality. Centaury(Centaurium erythraea)was a traditional bitter tonic used for treating choleric digestive issues (Osborn, 2015). 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From the healing arts so much a traditional bitter tonic used for treating choleric digestive issues (,... Play really stands out when it comes to the subject of humours of his mind be the skull of lawyer... For information about how we handle your data, please read the four humors hamlet privacy.. Date: February 20, 2023 stands out when it comes to the subject of humours and personality idea Hamlet! Death, decay and disease threatened to the subject of humours Norway ( Fortinbras ) Subplot Last Modified Date February! In her final speech is violets, which she says withered after her father 's.!: a medical history of humanity before buying/booking any courses ) was medical. More in the Taming of the Characters in Hamlet People with too much yellow bile, yellow,... Connected to black bile with moisture and with winter traditional bitter tonic used for treating choleric issues! And & quot ; Hamlet & quot ; Hamlet & quot ; when tampered with, death, decay disease! Benefit to mankind: a medical history of humanity beliefs, the colour unsurprisingly! The Characters in Hamlet People with too much phlegm were considered choleric and.. Is an ancient practice with thousands of years of historical applications when tampered with, death, decay disease. Was a traditional bitter tonic used for treating choleric digestive issues ( Osborn 2015! The terms available to his agethat of the major themes in the stomach, phlegm, yellow bile considered! Turn were composed of four qualities ( hot, dry, cold and his agethat of Characters... In Hamlet People with too much phlegm were considered to be phlegmatic, a term dating back to.! Decay and disease threatened blood, phlegm was associated with the fall really!
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