Courtly Madness

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how "The Winter's Tale" is arguably one of Shakespeare's best tragicomedies. It looks at how the story begins with all the fatalism and narrative structure of a traditional tragedy and then transforms itself into a pastoral romance, which ends with everyone, even some of the dead, living happily ever after. In comparison, it analyzes how "Hamlet" follows a similar pattern into tragedy, but never emerges from its shadow and ends poorly for all. It shows how, despite the eventual difference in endings, the tragic elements of the two stories have a startling number of themes in common and how both plays explore the way in which court dynamics create an environment of deceit and the ways in which the innate illogic of the system makes madness seem more sane than sanity.

From the Paper:

"There is an undeniable comparison between the mental states of the two characters. Both speak in insane profundities. Both obsessive over obvious evidence which they along can see, both flying into a philosophical rage when told it is "nothing." Perhaps most tellingly, references to disease and disorder of the mind and of reality itself abounds in both plays. In both instances those surrounding the "afflicted" are aware of the degree to which their perception of reality does not quite align itself with the more commonly accepted viewpoint. With Hamlet this is obvious, and the entire kingdom know that he is mad. Hamlet makes no effort to deny his insanity, though he claims to be faking it -- whether he is truly mad (as indicated by his obsessive nature and by seeing ghosts!) or merely seeming to be mad is somewhat irrelevant."

More papers on Courtly Madness:

• Analytical Essay # 110562 : "Ophelia's Madness"
• Term Paper # 100646 : "The European Court of Justice"
• Analytical Essay # 5018 : "Hamlet"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: