Madness of William Shakespeare's Tragedies

William Shakespeare's Tragedies

There is certainly much truth in the remark that William Shakespeare is our unparalleled playwright. Who has created a magical world of plays which is profoundly rich in its texture and at the same time, infinitely thought-provoking in its essence? William Shakespeare, the great psychoanalyst, had the genius to provide different elements satisfactory to different classes of people at the same time, retaining a kind of universal appeal that made his plays remarkable great.

 The purpose of my present writing is to analyze William Shakespeare's treatment of Madness or insanity in his four major tragedies. Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear. In the Elizabethan theatre, Madness was a very conventional theme. We find Hieronimo becoming mad in “ The Spanish Tragedy" and so is Duke Ferdinand in “The Duchess of Malfi" where we also find the mention of Madmen dancing. A mad person always crosses the boundary of reason. Therefore the Melo-dramatic effect please the audience as well as it provides the comic relief in a tragedy. With his usual brilliance, however, William Shakespeare handles insanity in such a way that each case retains a separate entity.

For instance, while Hamlet stands in between Norman's land of sanity and insanity, Ophelia completely loses her sanity. Lady Macbeth's madness is the expression of self-realization whereas, for the sake of self-defence, Edgar takes the disguise of poor Tom-half naked and mad; and finally, Othello, in the head of passion becomes insane enough to kill his beloved wife Desdemona.

Hamlet

If we start with Hamlet's madness, we will see the inconsistency in his behaviour. In one scene, he starts with a pretentious madness but in the same scene, ends up behaving like a read mad person. In a play, different characters including Hamlet himself, comment on Hamlet's madness. The first mention of the word“Madness" occurs in the play when Horatio, ironically warns. Hamlet about the Ghost's saying“ what if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord..... And draw it into madness? The other characters of the Madness yet there is mention in it (act 2, scene 2, pages 205). Hamlet shows his strong philosophical bent, expressing all those grave, existential dilemmas. Hamlet brings tragedy upon himself when he accidentally kills Polonius. Later on, his madness is obviously when he sees his beloved Ophelia's dead body.

King Lear's

If we look at King Lear's madness, we will see that the King becomes wiser and more sagacious in his madness. During the period of his insanity, he gains his inner sanity which illuminates him with the profound knowledge of some higher truth as better understanding as he says, “a man may see how this world goes with no eyes".

King Lear could not stand the cruel treatment of his two daughters Regan and Goneril. He misjudged his youngest daughter Cordelia who has been banished. King Lear's is a fault of the mind. Finally, Lear's mental purgatory and salvation comes through his madness.

King Lear's madness made him a kind of seer and more humanitarian. However, in the end, it is his different kind of madness that seizes Lear when he finds his beloved Cordelia hauled and utter an extended cloy of anguish. He can no way accept her innocent death and groans desperately. King Lear's dies in his utter grief, with all his attention focused on Cordelia, and no longer on himself.

Macbeth

In-play Macbeth, Shakespeare treats madness as a way to give the psychological punishments to the criminals. After killing Banquo, Macbeth found his thorn filled with Banquo's ghost. None of the guests but only Macbeth sees. To the guest, he seemed to have gone mad at his such unusual behaviour when Macbeth's sanity reforms. Lady Macbeth, the so-called fourth witch is, gradually becomes mad. She only rubes her hands saying“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand". Finally, Lady Macbeth died in her madness and the shock makes Macbeth philosophical who considers“if nothing, but a walking shadow, it is a tale told by an idiot".

Othello

Othello in the play, Othello, however, is neither insane nor he pretends.  To be so but it is the moment of his savage madness that made him kill his innocent wife Desdemona. Othello, the Black Moor, became the victim of Lago's motiveless malignity. Lago made Othello believe that his wife whom he absolutely trusts, became an infidel. Othello became extremely uncontrollable and fell in a state of wild insanity the mad conviction gives Othello the notion that Desdemona has committed a sin for which “she must die, else she will betray others.”

So, in his wild insanity, he kills Desdemona and later on became extremely disillusioned and feels pity for her. Othello's such momentary insanity led him to his tragic end. Thus, Shakespeare's superpower of artistry, as a great psychoanalyst, in his treatment of madness in his famous tragedies.