Extreme Passion Illustrated in Peter Shaffer's Play, Equus

724 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme of insanity in literature

One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickenson wrote

Much madness is divinest Sense-

To a discerning Eye-

Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Passion is the key to every person's actions: passion for a career fuels people through school, passion for another human leads to the next generation, passion for life is what makes each of us get up every morning. However, an extraordinary amount of passion can lead people to rash decisions and actions, which is exactly what happens in Peter Shaffer's play, Equus. Passion of this amount, when expressed, is usually known as insanity, or madness.

When first introduced to Shaffer's bo...

Show More
Related

  • Mental Illness in Truman Capote's novel "In Cold Blood"

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    Madness, madness, madness. It is but a word, yet those who possess it are capable of doing the most amazing or terrible of things. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, madness is defined as “a state of severe mental illness.” Perry Edward Smith is the best individual to depict this characteristic. Throughout Truman Capote's novel “In Cold Blood” the main character, Perry Smith, as Dr. Jones says “. shows definite signs of severe mental illness” (Capote 296).

    Read More

  • Zero and Asylum in the Snow by Lawrence Durrell

    2092 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is madness? Is madness a brain disorder or a chemical imbalance? On the other hand, is it an expressed behavior that is far different from what society would believe is "normal"? Lawrence Durrell addresses these questions when he explores society's response to madness in his short story pair "Zero and Asylum in the Snow," which resembles the nearly incoherent ramblings of a madman. In these stories, Durrell portrays how sane, or lucid, people cannot grasp and understand the concept of madness. This inability to understand madness leads society to fear behavior that is different from "normal," and subsequently, this fear dictates how they deal with it. These responses include putting a name to what they fear and locking it up in an effort to control it. Underlying all, however, Durrell repeatedly raises the question: who should define what is mad?

    Read More

  • Examples Of Mental Illness In Hamlet

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Insanity

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    Riddled with ambiguity by its very nature, the text of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been a commonly debated subject in literary circles since its first performance. The character Hamlet undergoes intense physical and emotional hardship in his quest for revenge against his despicable uncle. This hardship, some argue, leads to an emotional breakdown and, ultimately, Hamlet's insanity. While this assessment may be suitable in some cases, it falls short in others. Since Hamlet is a play, the ultimate motivation of each of the characters borrows not only from the text, but also from the motivations of the actors playing the parts. In most respects, these motivations are more apt at discerning the emotional condition of a character than their dialogue ever could. Thus, the question is derived: In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet, does the character Hamlet suffer from insanity? Giving halt to the response, this paper will first endeavor to establish what insanity is and will then provide sufficient examples both from the text, film, and Branagh's own musings on his motivations as proof that Hamlet's character, at least in Branagh's version of the play, is not insane.

    Read More

  • Hamlet- Truly Mad, for Freigned Madness?

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet Essay- Truly Mad, Feigned Madness? Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, must seek revenge for the murder of his father. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to murder Claudius.

    Read More

  • Is that A Woman in Your Attic? in Jane Eyre by CharlotteBronte

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...f fiction, it portrays madness as something which could be concealed and taken care of outside of the established institutions (though very poorly). Those that were kept at home as has been shown in this essay were kept there for a variety of reasons, and with likely varied results of success. Those who were locked away were done so not only out of pity as Mr. Rochester seems to have done in Jane Eyre, but also because there was a wish to treat and conceal the mad inside the home because of fear for their safety if they were to be in an

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet - Observations of Madness

    2623 Words  | 6 Pages

    One of the most analyzed plays in existence is the tragedy Hamlet, with its recurring question: "Is Hamlet’s 'antic disposition' feigned or real?" In truth, this question can only be answered by observing the thoughts of the main characters in relation to the cause of Hamlet real or feigned madness. In the tragedy Hamlet, each of the main characters explains Hamlets madness in their own unique way. To discover the cause behind the madness of Hamlet, each character used their own ambitions, emotions and interpretations of past events. Characters tried to explain Hamlet's "antic disposition" by means of association to thwarted ambition, heartbreaking anguish, and denied love. In the workings of their thoughts, the characters inadvertently reveal something about their own desires, emotions and experiences to the reader.

    Read More

  • Poe

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe may just be both-- a 19th-century genius and a literary lunatic. His tales mentioned here, of mystery and murder, are wrought with insanity, instability and the ramblings and doings of mentally deranged psychopaths. Though his themes are many, and the character motives always up for interpretation, the theme of madness and insanity seem to grab hold of the reader and pull him or her directly into the story. Critic Patrick Mcgrath ends his essay, “Method to the Madness,” by stating, “The reader who’s been successfully enlisted as a kind of psychiatric detective will find herself engaged with minds blind to their own dysfunction, which makes them as rich in complexity as any in our literature.”

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet and His Hallucinations

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet is arguably the most famous play written by the highly renowned English playwright, William Shakespeare--a man known in much of the western world as the father of english literature. Part of the reason for this title is for Shakespeare’s ability to take a character, and through a basic plot, transform said character into becoming something that many scholars have debated over for years. Hamlet in this play is this character; a character whose mental instability or sheer lack of perception has lead to countless debate and argument over the actual explanation for the characters behavior. Schizophrenia can be defined as a lasting mental disorder that forms a fundamental impediment in thought and emotion (as well as behaviour). This disorder can then lead to a lack of judgment in perception, and unusual actions and feelings, all in addition to an overall withdrawal from reality and a devolution of personal relationships to delusional perceptions of oneself and his surroundings--in all, schizophrenia is a mental disorder involving the breaking down of the mind and one’s grip on reality (National Library of Medicine). With the above definition, it may at first seem rash to criticize Hamlet and declare that he has Schizophrenia; however, once it is considered the varying degrees in which Schizophrenia can manifest itself, it no longer becomes such a farfetched thought. It must be contended then, that Hamlet is neither insane nor lazy, but merely a man who suffers from Schizophrenic-hallucinations; hallucinations that spiral up the plot into one focused primarily on Hamlet’s search for truth.

    Read More

  • Ham Sandwich

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, there is much debate over whether Prince Hamlet is truly mad or feigning madness. Based on his actions and context clues, one can see that Hamlet is perfectly sane, if not a prodigy. His intellect, philosophical ideas, quick wit, and clever strategies makes it clear to readers that his "madness" is merely a masquerade.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Diogenes And The Joker

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    The synonyms for madness are insanity or lunacy. This word madness can be defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a state of being mentally ill, especially severely. It can also be defined as acting extremely foolish or being in a state of frenzied or chaotic activity. It is important to explain what madness is and what the word in a modern voice emcompasses. By using Diogenes attempt to live an honest life I plan on writing about how the Joker from DC comics holds similar traits in his life. Both deny authority because the way they see it there is no true authority there is only an illusion of authority. This courage to be face value is important to these men and they both show this with effortless role reversals. There is also a transparency

    Read More

  • Hamlet Essay

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    Madness is a state-of-mind were a person loses their sanity, they are mentally ill. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet meets his deceased father in a ghost form only to inform him of who caused his death and wants revenge. Now Hamlet must avenge his father's death, and the only way he can do it in a less obvious approach is by acting mad. But as the play continues, it becomes a lot harder to tell if Hamlet is still sane due to his actions. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare makes Hamlet's madness appear real but only to prove that he was only acting as if he were mad.

    Read More

  • Madness In Hamlet Analysis

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Theme of Madness Conveyed in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. All examples of madness begin and end with death.

    Read More

  • Passion in Peter Shaffer's Equus

    2286 Words  | 5 Pages

    know that it's the core of his life. What else has he got? Many men

    Read More

More about Extreme Passion Illustrated in Peter Shaffer's Play, Equus

Open Document