Insanity devastates individual lives and families every day. Throughout the play Proof by David Auburn, insanity can be witnessed as it progresses genetically throughout a family. Robert, the father, exhibits many signs and symptoms of being insane, and his daughter, Catherine, seems to be following in his footsteps. In this play, insanity can be traced genetically, which is proven in the characterization of Robert and is implied in the characterization of Catherine.
Robert is a mid-fifties mathematician who has spent his entire life writing mathematical proofs to further his career. His insanity begins to arise at an early age and continues until the day he dies. Throughout his life he begins to show signs and symptoms of insanity including: confusion, inability to take care of self, graphomania, paranoia, and hallucinations. The readers can clearly see an example of Robert’s insanity as it is applied to his everyday life when Catherine is discussing Robert with Hal and states, “I lived with him. I spent my life with him. I fed him. Talked to him. Tried to listen when he talked. Talked to people who weren’t there… Watched him shuffling around like a ghost. A very smelly ghost. He was filthy. I had to make sure he bathed. My own father” (1217). Robert’s mental illness is also apparent in the conversation that he and Catherine has after he has died. During that conversation, Robert says that crazy people do not realize that they are crazy. This theory is supported when the reader discovers that Robert honestly believes he has solved a proof, but all he has written is gibberish. Robert’s new proof states, “Let X equal the quantities of X. Let X equal the cold. It is cold in December. The months of cold equal November through Februa...
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...be explained by the stress and grief in her life. Her possible diseases include Schizophrenia, Bi- polar, prolonged grief disorder, and extreme stress. Catherine could have a mental disorder; although, there is no proof in the text to officially confirm or deny that statement.
The use of insanity as a theme in the play is developed in the characters of Robert and Catherine. Robert’s character does not really leave doubt in the reader’s mind whether he is insane or not. His symptoms alone confirm his mental illness. Catherine’s insanity cannot be confirmed as Robert’s is. The theme of insanity in the play can be proven and implied through the characterization of these two characters.
Works Cited
Auburn, David. “Proof.” Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Compact 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 183-186. Print.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Through the use of insanity as a metaphor, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, introduced us to characters and stories that illustrate the path to insanity from the creation of a weakened psychological state that renders the victim susceptible to bouts of madness, the internalization of stimuli that has permeated the human psyche resulting in the chasm between rational and irrational thought, and the consequences of the effects of the psychological stress of external stimuli demonstrated through the actions of their characters.
Mental illnesses and craziness are not always a bad thing, it is what mental illnesses and craziness can cause the people to do. Hamlet by William Shakespeare provides the readers with many different types of mental illness and madness. This play was written in the early 1600’s and times have changed a lot since then, but the examples of mental illnesses and craziness is still an issue in todays world. A majority of characters in this play have kind of mental illness and/or are crazy, insane, or mad. In William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet, mental illness and craziness and madness play an important role of the development of the characters and the story.
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. A7
To begin, it is important there be an established definition of insanity. Though the original work is set in the turn of the 17th century, and Branagh's in the late 19th, it is important that insanity be described based on current definitions. Antiquated understandings of the matter will provide very little as far as frames of argument. Thus, for this task, the paper will employ law.com's vast legal dictionary for a current definition of insanity. The dictionary tasks itself to such extent. It defines insanity as “mental illness of such a sever...
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading & Reacting & Writing. 4th ed. Boston: Earl McPeek, 2000. 388-423.
Several illustrations that prove insanity does not always mean having a mental illness has been exposed. One example is cruelty. Joseph Stalin
Much of my skepticism over the insanity defense is how this act of crime has been shifted from a medical condition to coming under legal governance. The word "insane" is now a legal term. A nuerological illness described by doctors and psychiatrists to a jury may explain a person's reason and behavior. It however seldom excuses it. The most widely known rule in...
The insanity defence is defined by the M’Naughten Rules2 which state that it must be proved that the defendant, at the time of the act, was under a defect of reason, derived from disease of the mind3 and that he wasn’t aware that what he was doing was wrong. Recently the definition of ‘disease of the mind’ has been modernised in “an impairment of mental functioning caused by medical condition”4.
The insanity defense pertains that the issue of the concept of insanity which defines the extent to which a person accused of crimes may be alleviated of criminal responsibility by reason of mental disease. “The term insanity routinely attracts widespread public attention that is far out of proportion to the defense’s impact on criminal justice” (Butler,133). The decision of this defense is solely determined by the trial judge and the jury. They determine if a criminal suffers from a mental illness. The final determination of a mental disease is solely on the jury who uses evidence and information drawn from an expert witness. The result of such a determination places the individual accused, either in a mental facility, incarcerated or released from all charges. Due to the aforementioned factors, there are many problems raised by the insanity defense. Some problems would be the actual possibility of determining mental illness, justify the placement of the judged “mentally ill” offenders and the total usefulness of such a defense. In all it is believed that the insanity defense should be an invalid defense and that it is useless and should potentially be completely abolished.
Updike, John. "A&P." Thinking and Writing About Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 981-86. Print.
Madness is a key theme in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Throughout the play Shakespeare displays madness in many different forms. It is also shown in a variety of characters in the play. Some of the main characters that display madness include Hamlet and Ophelia. These characters displays their madness in different ways, and in different amounts. Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s madness as a more debatable form, making audiences question if he really does end up going mad or not. This differs from Ophelia’s madness, as she actually appears to have gone insane. There are also many different interactions with the other characters caused by the character’s madness. This make those other characters do things they may not have otherwise done.Madness
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the most evident and important themes is the theme of madness. The theme is apparent throughout the play, mainly through the actions and thoughts of Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes. Madness is defined as the quality or condition of mental illness or derangement (being insane). Madness is at the center of the conflicts and problems of the play and is conveyed through Shakespeare’s elaborate use of manipulation and parallels between Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes to contribute to Hamlet’s tragic character.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 8th. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.