Elizabethan Society was obsessed with madness, and no one character depicts society's view of the insane better than Tom O' Bedlam. This character originates from the famous British folk poem "Tom A Bedlam."(Campion) He is meant to depict the stereotypical Bedlamite, which is a former patient at the Bethlam Hospital for the insane in London, England. He also depicts beggars in general, as they were often thought to be lunatics as well. It contains mainly thieves' jargon and mad patter, which is what makes it such an accurate depiction of 17th century views towards begging insanity.
Beltham Hospital was originally a charity, but it ended up being poorly funded. This forced them to give patents a very modest stipend for buying clothes and other necessities. Naturally, their patients were already incredibly poor because of their illnesses, and this modest allowance wasn't able to buy them very much. As a result of this lack of funding, many Bedlamites were forced to resort to begging in order to live, although the hospital was supposed to help them afford the costs of living. The Hospital also didn't have anywhere near the amount of space they needed to house these people, which forced many of them to be kicked out onto the streets with only the modest stipend. Thus, the Bedlamites' combination of lunacy and poverty forced many of them to wander the country of England constantly begging and spouting nonsense, usually until they died. (D’Israeli) The following is an analysis of the character based upon the poem. I feel it is important to understand Poor Tom in order to understand the character of Edgar.
In the first verse of the poem, Mad Tom immediately exposes his madness and gives the reader an insight into the common ...
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...The fourth line is where it starts to get interesting. This line refers to the Greek myth of Endymion and Selene.(PERSON, YEAR) According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, Endymion was a shepherd, and the mortal lover of the moon goddess Selene. Zues was begged by Selene to make Endymion immortal so she could embrace him and kiss him goodnight forever, and her wish was granted.
So, why does Edgar take on this persona of an mad and insane beggar? It is partly out of necessity, and partly because without his influence and favorability, he is reduced to the same level as Mad Tom. Shakespeare was trying to make a point with the character of Edgar, and that point was that even the most powerful man is no different than the least powerful man. On many levels they are equals. This is a message seen in another Shakespearean tragedy as well. That tragedy is of course Hamlet.
His outside actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names are causing him to react internally. He is remembering the past and is attempting to suppress the emotions that are rising within him. The first two lines of the poem set the mood of fear and gloom which is constant throughout the remainder of the poem. The word choice of "black" to describe the speaker's face can convey several messages (502). The most obvious meaning ... ...
... is a fictional character. This is also true because to categorize a person as ‘mad’ or melancholic there has to be a defined societal norm but that norm is different for everyone making that classification nearly impossible. Hamlets madness also acts as a buffer for speaking the truth so bluntly that it seems impossible to agree upon. His language ensures no one is able to decide if he is sane or not. Ultimately Shakespeare uses Hamlets ‘madness’ to share the truth that humans categorize each other to affirm their own sanity against someone different.
...in fact, seem insanely chaotic. Our mindless support of self-centred political systems, of abuse of fellow human beings of different nationalities - it may well have appeared quite insane to him. The poem, therefore, delivers a strong message of warning: we must develop a stronger awareness, a care of what is happening, lest we, the collective we - humanity, the 'Idiot', are left in the ruins of our effort, alone, forever.
Pratt, William. Singing the Chaos: Madness and Wisdom in Modern Poetry. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1996. Print
I will go into detail on Thomas’s tone and the emotion within the poem. Lastly, I will analyze the four stanzas that help symbolize Thomas’s image of his father.
Lear banishes the Earl of Kent whilst the latter is in the process of protecting the relationship between Cordelia and Lear (7). Due to his love for King Lear, Kent disguises himself as a servant in order to protect and serve him (18). When Lear dies, Kent indicates to Albany that he has “a journey [...] shortly to go;/[his] master calls [him, and he] must not say no” (118). Despite the fact that Lear is dead, Kent still continues his facade as a loyal servant, and he would rather die than live without Lear. Another character who turns to madness is Edgar, who at the beginning of the play is naive and does not realize other’s deceit, however, upon realising other’s deceit, he becomes a different person — he becomes Tom o’Bedlam, a beggar (42). He chooses to descend into madness as Tom in order to warn his father and godfather, whom he loves and cares for, about the facetiousness of Edmund, Goneril and Regan. Edgar’s choice for a descent into madness is a strong parallel to Lear, who falls victim to it. Lear is the preeminent character who’s love leads to madness. Lear, whilst talking to the fool, confesses that he did Cordelia wrong and regrets acting as an extremely harsh father to her (29-30). Lear, upon feeling betrayal from his oldest daughters, tells himself to stop feeling heartache since that is what will impel his madness. Lear, later, mentions that Tom o’Bedlam “wert better in [his] grave than to answer with [his] uncovered body” whilst it is pouring rain, but then Lear asks himself if there were “any a man more than that” and begins to disrobe to clothe the homeless, poor Tom
Insanity rises in a person when something depressing happens to them because it destroys them mentally and physically. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s insanity becomes known when he starts going through troublesome times. Hamlet’s father, which is known as Old Hamlet, was the previous king before he was unexpectedly murdered. Hamlet’s Uncle became king and also married his mother Gertrude which is what hamlet did not like. Also, in the book Hamlet was in the woods with two acquaintance and they came across the ghost of Old Hamlet to when he described to Hamlet that his brother Claudius killed him for power and also for his wife. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses word choice and symbolism to display hamlet as an insane character
The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them’’.Additionally,, it says, How, then, am I mad? Hearken!’He is trying to prove us that he is not insane and he is really clever .Lastly,The narrator says ,“You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work!’’.Did you see how he is kept talking about him not being insane?.Keep questioning himself being mad is a sign of Insanity.(Poe 39).
By the time Hamlet was written, “madness” was already a popular element within revenge tragedies in the Elizabethan period. But, the role of madness in Hamlet was deeply ambiguous, which set it apart from the other revenge tragedies in its time. Whereas other revenge tragedy protagonists were the complete opposite and just simply insane. Hamlet fiddles with the idea of being insane, which is where it all began. Hamlet states, “How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, / As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/ To put an antic disposition on” (1.5.58-60) but his sane mental state began to decay over time leaving him actually insane. As the play goes on the role of madness becomes much larger and more crucial, and begins to sweep the spotlight from the other themes within it.
Next, Thomas creates the picture using of scenarios using men of different characters to show his father he, too, can find a reason not to give up. Thomas’ two interchangeable rhyming sentences, necessary for this villanelle poem, ending with night and light show the reader “Wise men… know dark is right” (4). Yet, as death approaches “their words had forked no lightning” (5). Therefore, just as they know death is a part of life and they accept this, when it is their turn they choose to put up a fight.
... Hamlet not sound truly insane. Also the way that he went from character to character abusing his insanity, being very careful going to each person, and acting this way with this, all to make everyone think he was insane. Hamlet’s madness isn’t his true identity, but his insanity is. Hamlet has caused madness all around him but he himself has become insane, not mad. Madness is "quality or condition of being insane “insanity is "relatively permanent disorder of the mind", both might seem the same, but it isn't.
“Poor turlygod! Poor Tom! That’s something yet! Edgar I nothing am” (2.3.20-22). Similar to Lear, Edgar realizes that he can no longer hold the power or influence that he once had. But rather than going mad and losing even more than he already has, Edgar decides to channel his loss into something greater. He risks his life and his identity to look out for his father, which effectively gives meaning to the nothingness. Edgar’s embrace of his reduction to destitution shows how such a state of nothingness, ironically tends to make people more whole and
In the end, Edgar’s sacrifices made a difference for the other characters in the play as well. His sacrifices saved lives, not only one, but three. He values justice, life, and freedom even though his freedom was taken away from him when he had to go into hiding. He sought justice when attempting to clear his name of the false accusations placed on him by Edmund, and he proved he was a caring person when he saved his father from committing suicide and tried keeping him safe throughout the entire
“On Being Cautioned against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because it was Frequented by a Lunatic,” Charlotte Smith’s sonnet, comments on the poet’s feelings toward this lunatic and the thought process he instigates in her mind. By using different syntax to describe her two characters, Smith draws the attention of the reader to the message in the sonnet instead of the scene on the surface. The structure of the English sonnet also lends to the poem’s power, giving Smith a perfect avenue to deliver her message.
...ues. The body of symbolism indicates Thomas’s changing view between the writer and his environment and outward look of the relationship with his own children. The use of surrealism provides a vivid image of his life’s despair. Though the poem can be analyze and evaluated from all of the different methods of criticism. The text within the verses indicates that the evaluation of the author is indicative to the psychological critical approach.