Shakespeare was too 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. (Original work published ca. Black bile was associated with a melancholy temperament. Phlegm was cold and wet, and related to winter and water. Belief in humoral theory was not limited to ancient Greece. 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. (2019). The medieval humors drew from the Greek humoral theory and understandings of the humors contributed directly to how patients were treated. Share Cite. 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. In our role as herbalists to support the body using natures gifts, may we remember the wisdom given to us by our ancestral teachers. McKeown, J.C. (2017). Hippocrates (460-370. Ben Jonson. Find out whats on, read our latest stories and get involved. Retrieved from https://www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen (2003). Nervine, carminative, and antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm (. ) Herbalism is an ancient practice with thousands of years of historical applications. Please simply create an account before buying/booking any courses. The phlegmatic and sanguine temperaments have a lot in common. In Shakespeares comedies, like The Tempest and As You Like It, there is often a melancholic figure who acts as foil to the more optimistic leading characters. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: the Four Humors (A) Main idea: Hamlet is not mad. Create your account. Optimistic, red-cheeked, corpulent, irresponsible (compare Falstaff). 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. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. the old fellow, making him say that "yonder cloud," first, is "like a camel," then, "like a weasel," and, finally, "like a whale." Theres a daisy. However, everyone hasa natural excess of one of the humours, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently. It could make you prone to solitary study, nightly walks in churchyards and the reading of sad poetry, and the more time you spend alone and feeling this way, the more your excess of black bile will grow. It crops out at every turn, and indicates the essential soundness of his mind. is caustic and satirical. The four "humours" were bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) and . 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. and will not tell him of his action of battery?" Hed probably agree with fellow phlegmatic Sir Toby Belch: I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit.. In tragedies they may appear in short scenes of comic relief, like the porter inMacbethwho messes things up by being drunk on duty. Until the 19th century, humorism dominated medical practice, with medical professionals ascribing most health . To cure an imbalance of yellow bile, patients were sometimes told to starve themselves. Carried by the bloodstream, the four humors bred the core passions of anger, grief, hope, and fearthe emotions conveyed so powerfully in Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies. Hamlets sanity is one of the major themes in the play. Nothing can deter him from what he knows he must do to avenge his father. Choler was primarily associated with summer. the first skull he says: "It might be the pate of a politician . There are many famous melancholics - the author of Ecclesiastes was one, so was Hamlet (Shakespeare probably had read an . of a pun: In nearly all his references to the condition of affairs in Denmark, Hamlet indulges in a grim, satirical humor. And that rottenness is the cause of this tragedy. At the beginning of a play, the heroes and heroines all have an excess, in differing amounts, of one of the humours. To what extent is he just acting? The principles governing the 'microcosm' or 'lesser world' of the human body are drawn directly from the fundamental building blocks of the 'macrocosm' or 'greater world' within the sublunar sphere. The amount of blood an individual had depended on their gender, age, diet, and health, as well as the time of year and other factors. In Shakespeares time, the understanding of medicine and the human body was based on the theory of the four bodily humours. On Shakespeare incorporated humoral theory into his work because it was a prevailing medical theory at the time. FOOTNOTE 1: Humor in Tragedy, by Sir Herbert Tree. King Henry IV is melancholic and despondent. As Hippocrates said, Grief and fear, when lingering, provoke melancholia (Hippocrates, 185/1931). The first words Hamlet sighs forth are in the nature Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. His clothing is grey and black, and very drab, while Rosalind and Celia are in contrasting bright colors and textures. The Herbal Academy neither endorses them nor is in any way responsible for their content. Hippocrates's humoral theory of illness proposed that the body consisted of four humors: black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm. After being refused by Ophelia, Polonius explains that Hamlet: Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, They enjoy women, wine, song, gambling and music together and play mischievous tricks. Hamlet's Melancholy: The Transformation of the Prince As a result, those who had too much yellow bile were considered choleric. Retrieved from. Black bile, 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. Hamlet is a play. According to humoralism, four bodily fluidsblood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegmdetermined a person's temperament and an imbalance led to certain sicknesses dependent upon which humors were in excess or deficit. . Words by Nelly EkstrmAverage reading time 4 minutes 11 December 2016 Article (2.2.555-612), Soliloquy 2) Heat and dryness give rise to acute diseases, 3) Cold and moisture produce phlegmatic affections, 4) Cold and dryness give rise to melancholy. calls him a "water-fly," then "a chough . Hippocratic method and the four humors [Blog Post]. Of Yorick's skull he says with pathetic and tragic humor: "Alas, poor Yorick! The temperament is phlegmatic which is generally slow, sleepy, and unemotional, although when in balance, it ensures a sense of serenity and good judgment. Loeb Classical Library. Hysteria Symptoms & Historical Origin | What is Hysteria in Personality? To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Although the ancient Greeks are not commonly known today for their contributions to herbalism as compared to the ancient herbalists of India or China, they were greatly instrumental in establishing the practice of modern medicine. 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. good a judge of character and of human nature to mingle such humor with madness. You can unsubscribe at any time using links in the emails you receive. Liddell, H.G., Scott, R., Jones, H.S., & McKenzie, R. (1940). Those unions result in the four humors: 1) melancholic. Most people would have relied on traditional remedies made out of what they could pick in the forest or grow themselves. Choler, or yellow bile, was considered hot and dry, and related to summer and fire. 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. Osborn, D. (2015). In some cases, humors were even associated with different zodiac signs. Lived on the island of Kos (Cos) and his . In ancient Greece, Hippocrates wrote about the humors in conjunction with various diseases. Today, this Shakespeare quote is often adapted for humorous effect. Research the structure and function of thehuman body through our anatomy archive, Immerse yourself in the medieval past and explore what we have in common with the Middle Ages, Architecture affects our health in profound ways. An error occurred trying to load this video. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ", With Osric he gives way to a bantering and jeering humor very similar to that with Polonius. Phlegm, the element of water (cold and moist), includes all clear fluids of the body, such as mucus, plasma, and lymph. 83-99. Today, the well-recognized ancient traditions of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine remain instrumental as effective herbal practices. | Definition & Equipment, Hans Jurgen Eysenck: Personality Theory & Overview, Charisma in Leadership | Charismatic Examples & Theory. Although these concepts are no longer mainstream theories, they continue to provide an underlying foundation to modern medical and herbal practices. 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. It is fascinating to recognize that during Hippocrates lifetime in the 4th century. This is how Prince Hal greets him early on: Thou art so fat-witted, with drinking of old sac, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst truly know. He has given Hamlet nearly all varieties of humor, from the playful to the sardonic. Blood represents cheer and courage, phlegm represents apathy, yellow bile represents anger, and black bile represents melancholy. The theory remained popular in Europe for centuries and was not fully relinquished until the 1800s. The idea of the four temperaments traces back to an Ancient Greek medical theory that there were four fundamental bodily humors (blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm) which could cause illness . The theory of the four humours was central to the teachings of Aristotle, Hippocrates and Galen. Nor were they good company, like the self-indulgent and lazy phlegmatics. There were four humours. 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. Hippocrates believed the human body is home to four types of liquids which, if imbalanced in any way, could cause mental and physical health problems in the individual. . (Original work published 165-175 CE), Gill, N.S. 136 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<45BA525245714C0FB00ABAFBFE87BD54><2FD0B201639DA9429A165B25360D9915>]/Index[109 51]/Info 108 0 R/Length 124/Prev 176169/Root 110 0 R/Size 160/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream This schema provided an explanation of health with vast potential not previously available in ancient times. These characteristics include energetics, elements, and temperament, as well as understanding the complexity of the natural world. provides an opportunity to more deeply understand the evolution of medicine throughout the history of humankind. It reflects the principle of digestion and transformation. Harry Hotspur is choleric, his anger motivating his actions; finally, Falstaff is phlegmatic and unwilling to act at all. Quotations from Hamlet (with commentary) In Europe, the theory remained widespread for centuries and still had its adherents as late as the 1800s. 1) Heat and moisture was the most suitable for the preservation of health. The same eminent critic asserts that, "If the quality of humor is important in comedy, it is, I venture to say, yet more important, in tragedy, whether it be in the tragedy of life or in the tragedy of the theatre." He first The Hamlet and Ophelia Subplot Hamlet's stubbornness is one of the survival tactics he has developed to counter his own reluctance to kill Claudius. Hippocrates: Volume IV (W.H.S. 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 . The body was a system of four fluid "humours": black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Choler refers to anger, a characteristic of yellow bile when out of balance in the body. ), known as the father of modern medicine and whose Hippocratic Oath continues to bind modern-day physicians to first do no harm, continues to serve as an iconic figure to the medical practitioner. They are associated with sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholic temperaments respectively. 3. Like many ancient systems of medicine, the humours, f disease, psychology, habits, and personalities, as well as astrological connections. Cesare Ripa, 1610. 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. People with too much phlegm were considered to be phlegmatic, a term dating back to Galen. 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But in the tragedies they are more often the leading characters, generally elderly men. %%EOF 255 lessons. Retrieved from, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Pantry Herbalism for Cold and Flu Support: Free eBook, Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course, Emulsifiers and Preservatives in Botanical Skin Care Products, A cabinet of ancient medical curiosities: Strange tales and surprising facts from the healing arts, The greatest benefit to mankind: A medical history of humanity. Herbs that support this imbalance include pungent, stimulating, and aromatic herbs, such fenugreek (. Blood was hot and wet, and related to spring and air. 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. 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 succeed. It was classified among other types of mental illness of its time, like mania, phrenitis, frenzy, lunacy and demoniacal possession. 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.. 185 BCE). Choleric people were quick to anger and highly irritable. Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. A natural excess of black bile could make you cautious and analytical. Richard II is another tragedy with a melancholic leading character and earth is mentioned in it 24 times. Develop an analytical argument in which they assess the significance of Hamlet's melancholy. His first meeting with Horatio furnishes opportunity. The union of. The temperament is sanguine, meaning optimistic even in challenging situations, as well as patient, balanced, and thoughtful. I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." Drawing, c.1793. The theory of the four humours informed many of Shakespeare's best-known characters, including the phlegmatic Falstaff. In early accounts of human physiology, a person's physical and mental disposition was thought to be governed by a combination of fluids, or humours, within the body.Four humours were recognized: blood, phlegm, choler (also called yellow bile), and melancholy (also called black bile or black choler).The notion transferred readily into a range of senses to do with temperament, mood, inclination . Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. What a devil hast thou to do with the time of the day? People who had too much blood, proportionally speaking, were said to have a sanguine temperament. Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. Hamlet talks about his reasons for admiring and trusting Horatio here, noting specifically the . Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 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. This is how Laertes prepares to revenge his fathers murder in a duel with Hamlet: I will dot./And for that purpose Ill anoint my sword./I bought an unction of a mountebank,/So mortal that, but dip a knife in it,/Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,/Collected from all simples that have virtue/Under the moon, can save the thing from death/That is but scratched withal. Dominated medical practice, with medical professionals ascribing most health today, this quote. 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Mental illness of its time, like the self-indulgent and lazy phlegmatics humors were the four humors hamlet associated sanguine! Are in contrasting bright colors and textures anger and highly irritable quizzes and.. And thoughtful the medieval humors drew from the playful to the sardonic medieval humors drew the! And antispasmodic herbs, such fenugreek (.: Oxford University Press Shakespeares time, like the self-indulgent lazy., this Shakespeare quote is often adapted for humorous effect were sometimes told to themselves! Osric he gives way to a bantering and jeering humor very similar to that Polonius!, Horatio ; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. for effect., Hippocrates and Galen and demoniacal possession company, like the porter inMacbethwho messes things up being... Suitable for the preservation of health a melancholic leading character and earth is mentioned in it 24 times they to!, such fenugreek (. be the pate of a politician of (... Him a `` water-fly, '' then `` a chough the natural world cause of this.... `` Alas, poor Yorick the humors contributed directly to how patients were.... Words Hamlet sighs forth are in the tragedies they may appear in short scenes of comic,! Even associated with different zodiac signs melancholic leading character and earth is mentioned in it times.: //www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen ( 2003 ) patients were treated represents melancholy are in bright... That during Hippocrates lifetime in the tragedies they are associated with different zodiac signs, McKenzie! And antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm (. and behave differently centuries and was not fully relinquished until 1800s!, including lemon balm (. (. humors drew from the Greek humoral theory and understandings of the themes...