Black bile, the humour that dominated this temperament, was connected to the cold and dry element earth, to old age, and all things dying and rotting. balance these conditions. The four humours were literally bodily fluids, but were associated with personality traits, which is why we still talk about someone being "good-humoured." Perfect physical and mental health would occur if the various humours were balanced, meaning that they were in the proper proportion in the body. Liddell, H.G., Scott, R., Jones, H.S., & McKenzie, R. (1940). Severe melancholia, what today would probably be called clinical depression, is also the most frequently mentioned mental illness in Elizabethan literature. These humours were thought to be connected to different organs inside the body; to the four elements of earth, water, fire and air; and even to the movements of the stars in the sky. However, everyone hasa natural excess of one of the humours, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently. Having too much of this dark, dull substance in your body would make you as dark and dull in body and mind as the humour itself. In comedies, the characters learn from the ordeals they are put through, subsequently develop and are then more or less in humoral balance at the happy ending of the play. In Shakespeares time, the understanding of medicine and the human body was based on the theory of the four bodily humours. 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. Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference. moment again that "it is very sultry and hot." Humoral theory meant that the effect of an imbalance of the humors would cause predictable changes in a person's behavior and health. Claudius and the Condition of Denmark These four humours are best described as semi-imaginary. This unfailing humor that toys with life's comedies and tragedies alike does not come from madness, but from sanity and self-possession. calls him a "water-fly," then "a chough . , the element of earth (cold and dry), although not easily translatable from ancient Greek texts, has a retentive and solidifying force on metabolism and bone building. 'The rest is silence.' 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. Centaury. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 balance of his humors: blood and phlegm noted as "judgment." He goes on to talk about how a . A healthy balance of this humour is thought to ensure appreciation of the arts and thoughtful introspection. This may be a reference to aromatherapy, which used violets to treat melancholy at the time. Jack Falstaff is fat, lazy, cowardly, dishonest and sentimental, but the audience loved him despite all his faults. "but essential to interpreting Elizabethan drama, especially the late-16th century genre known as the "comedy of humours" cf. I would give you some violets, But they withered all when my father died.. The Elizabethans believed in The Four Humours, A traditional theory of physiology in which health, mind and character was dependant upon the balance of four fluids in your body, and four elements. Prince Hal, the protagonist, is sanguine, as demonstrated by his courage and good humor. Until the 19th century, humorism dominated medical practice, with medical professionals ascribing most health . The exhibit uses materials from the historical collections of NLM to explore the prevailing belief of the . (2.2.555-612) 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. 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. Falstaffs phlegmatic temperament makes him gorge on sack (wine) and capons (castrated cockerel, fattened for eating) all night and sleep all day, which builds up more and more phlegm and makes him even more thick and self-indulgent. 83-99. 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). Understanding the concepts of each humour helped ancient herbalists categorize sickness and identify the proper herbs for the individual, much like we do today. To modern fans the references and symbolism are almost like code, but for Shakespeares audience peaseblossom would mean the same and be as easy to understand as Viagra is to us. 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). your songs? Slightly phlegmatic people are kind, content and fair, which Falstaff is not. Shakespeare was too good a judge of character and of human nature to mingle such humor with madness. Ideally, the balance of humors that people needed for ideal health, the theory suggested, reduced by three quarters for each humor. Similarly, Ophelia in Hamlet displays a melancholic temperament. Blood was hot and wet, and related to spring and air. InHenry IV, parts one and two, there are four main characters, one of each temperament. To cure an imbalance of yellow bile, patients were sometimes told to starve themselves. 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. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. New York, NY: W.W. Norton. Not surprisingly, the four humours readily relate to qualities still understood by herbalists today: the four natural elements air (blood), water (phlegm), fire (yellow bile), and earth (black bile) as well as the four energetics hot, cold, dry, and moist. McKeown, J.C. (2017). The medieval humors drew from the Greek humoral theory and understandings of the humors contributed directly to how patients were treated. Hamlet: Q & A, The Elder Hamlet: The Kingship of Hamlet's Father, The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character, Hamlet's Melancholy: The Transformation of the Prince. The four humors are blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. As I mentioned in the previous episode of this blog series, the humoral theory is a holistic approach to medicine and the body. Melancholics therefore make good scholars, which Hamlet also is (he has just returned from the university in Wittenberg). | Melancholy Temperament. Although hes young, he still ticks all the boxes. Nothing can deter him from what he knows he must do to avenge his father. On the next he reflects: "There's another; why may this not be the skull of a lawyer? 13 chapters | The four seasons, the four elements and the four humors were all related. %PDF-1.7 % Retrieved from, (O. Powell, Trans.). Retrieved from http://www.greekmedicine.net. So Hamlet wasnt always so miserable; something happened to change his temperament. The bodys supply of blood diminishes as you approach the final coldness and dryness of death, so it was seen as a part of life to grow a bit melancholic towards the end of your life (see Henry IV, Shylock and King Lear). For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice. The Roman philosopher and physician Claudius Galen formulated a concept of personality types based on the ancient Greek theory of humorism, which attempted to explain the workings of the human body. | Definition & Equipment, Hans Jurgen Eysenck: Personality Theory & Overview, Charisma in Leadership | Charismatic Examples & Theory. Shakespeare Online. Soliloquy Analysis: Now might I do it pat (3.3.77-100) In their pure state the elements were immortal, but when tampered with, death, decay and disease threatened. Blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile: the bodys four humours were believed to control your personality in Shakespeares day and influenced the way the Bard created some of his most famous characters. . In the ancient physiological theory still current in the European Middle Ages and later, the four cardinal humours were blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black . Love might have the same effect: passion heats the body and causes the moisture inside to vaporise and all this hot, moist air escapes your body through lovesick sighs. Blank Verse and Diction in Shakespeare's Hamlet 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. The temperament is choleric, meaning bad-tempered or irritable, which occurs when yellow bile is not flushed out properly. Early in the play we learn that the young prince has gone through some kind of recent transformation. (III. ), who greatly emphasized their validity in his extensive writings, thus establishing them as a dominant practice well into the Middle Ages (McKeown, 2017). Learn what the four humors of the body are along with the humoral theory. But in the tragedies they are more often the leading characters, generally elderly men. Describe the four humors as established by ancient Greek and Roman physicians Apply their knowledge of the four humors to their analysis of Hamlet. Boston R.G. He first Especially serious cases were thought to be possessed by demons or the devil; that called for a very different kind of treatment. Crawford, Alexander W. Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear. The Elder Hamlet: The Kingship of Hamlet's Father The elements were also represented in the human body, being known as the four humours - choler, blood, phlegm and melancholy. . 1. The four "humours" were bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) and . Plants could, like everything else around us, be divided into the four categories according to their qualities and effects on the human body: heating, chilling, drying or moisturising. The phlegmatic and sanguine temperaments have a lot in common. Revenge in Hamlet This schema provided an explanation of health with vast potential not previously available in ancient times. To Polonius and the other spies he is playful and contemptuous. Though his troubles were sufficient and his task difficult enough to unbalance almost any mind, yet Hamlet retains from first to last a calm and firm grasp of the situation in both its complexity and its incongruity. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Shakespeare was too The greatest benefit to mankind: A medical history of humanity. Last Modified Date: February 20, 2023. Hamlet's Antic Disposition: Is Hamlet's Madness Real? Curator Gail Kern Paster explains "The four humors were an early typology for human personality. Regardless of how different ancient civilizations developed their systems of medicine, it is both impressive and reassuring that many of these concepts overlapsignifying the universal truths of wellness and the use of herbs across both time and distance. For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice. Another Greek physician, Galen, connected the humors to temperament and personality. All rights reserved. Phlegmatic people were apathetic, sluggish, and dull, lacking the will and energy for excitement. Spices, herbs and flowers could also be used to make poisons rather than potions. If the humours were in imbalance, then the person was sick. Words by Nelly Ekstrmaverage reading time 6 minutes 16 December 2016 The Elizabethan melancholic Disease - whether malaria or cancer or epilepsy - was a skid along a slippery continuum. provides an opportunity to more deeply understand the evolution of medicine throughout the history of humankind. Melancholy could also be treated through purging, which generally involved the use of laxatives. Often compared to sap in plants, blood is responsible for the foundation of life. Shakespeareswriting is one of the most important sources for the knowledge we have about medicine in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. Hamlets sanity is one of the major themes in the play. The four humours are represented in Othello through the main characters of the tragedy. 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. We use a third party provider, dotdigital, to deliver our newsletters. Yellow bile. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Humoral theory is based on beliefs that ancient civilizations developed thousands of years ago. Reference to aromatherapy, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently to their of! Medieval humors drew from the university in Wittenberg ) look unique and behave differently the next he reflects ``... Foundation of life medieval humors drew from the historical collections of NLM to the!, but the audience loved him despite all the four humors hamlet faults ( 1940 ) theory meant the! 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