Representations of madness in Shakespearean tragedy: Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear

Abstract

Madness is an aspect of human experience that frightens and fascinates, and which has great potential for tragedy. William Shakespeare failed not to seize that opportunity. In this paper, we discuss the representation of madness in three of his tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. After the contemporary perceptions of madness and the relevant literary context are presented, the plays are debated individually in their madness-related content. In Hamlet, Ophelia and the protagonist are discussed; in Macbeth, the royal couple and the witches; in Lear, Edgar and the protagonist. Madness is a very rich topic in the poet’s work, and it is related to medicine, religion, politics and culture. It will be shown that madness was closely associated with crises of sovereignty, and with both the supernatural and the forces of nature. Suicide and suicidal ideations are common among maddened and melancholy characters, as it is the case in real life. Madness in the dramaturgy of the period is sometimes inscribed in speech, sometimes in the body, and its connection to demonic possession was being then demystified, stage representations having their part in that.