Mental Illnesses In Hamlet And The Cask Of Amontillado

Mental illness is defined as “any of a broad range of medical conditions that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause marked distress or disability and that are typically associated with a disruption in normal thinking, feeling, mood, behavior, interpersonal interactions or daily functioning. ” (Merriam-Webster). When reading William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, it is very clear that both authors created characters that have mental illnesses. William Shakespeare covers many types of mental illnesses in his plays, but in “Hamlet” he focuses on Hamlet's madness and how he uses it to propel the story forward.

In “Hamlet” it is said by another character (Polonius) but it is still up to the reader to infer if he actually does have an illness or if Hamlet is putting on a show. Polonius says “Madam, I swear I use no art at all. That he is mad, ’tis true. Tis true, ’tis pity, And pity ’tis ’tis true” (Shakespeare, 36). However, Poe does not even mention mental illness, psychotic or any other terms to tip off the reader to thinking Montresor has an illness. The reader has to infer and decide on their own if the foreshadowing is a symptom of mental illnesses. The conversation between Montresor and Fortunato "Come, let us go. " "Whither?" "To your vaults. " "My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement. Luchresi--" "I have no engagement; --come. " (Poe). The reader knows at this point that Montresor does not like Fortunato, so this conversation foreshadows as well as gives the reader a brief introduction into Montresor’s mental illness. The mental illnesses that Hamlet and Montresor suffer from give them power because both of them are able to hide their true intentions. However, both characters are obvious in their actions that showcase the illness, which gives them the power. In “Hamlet” and "The Cask of Amontillado," Hamlet and Montresor show signs of undiagnosed mental illness which lead them to tragic endings, showing that undiagnosed mental illnesses can

Bipolar disorder is commonly underdiagnosed, meaning that “a disorder is often not diagnosed when present and also frequently diagnosed when absent. ” (underdiagnosis). Some hidden symptoms of bipolar are that they are constantly happy. They can be just the opposite by being in a bipolar depressive state, which has the same signs as depression. Having erratic behavior is another hidden symptom because, they have they do not consider the consequences. People can also misdiagnose being irritable because “everyone has bad days”. (health). Bipolar tends to run in families, just like many other medical ailments. If a parent has bipolar, the child has a higher risk, but it is not guaranteed that they are diagnosed