Passions and tempers: A history of the humours. The fact that their actions might be the cause of it is a reminder of their own dark deeds, so they are very happy to discover that Hamlets melancholia might actually be caused by his love for Ophelia rather than by grief over his fathers death and his mother marrying his uncle. Words by Nelly EkstrmAverage reading time 4 minutes 11 December 2016 Article Those who were thought to be excessively sanguine were sometimes treated with bloodletting, which was a common medical practice that unfortunately did much more harm than good. Retrieved from, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Pantry Herbalism for Cold and Flu Support: Free eBook, Making Herbal Preparations 101 Mini Course, Emulsifiers and Preservatives in Botanical Skin Care Products, A cabinet of ancient medical curiosities: Strange tales and surprising facts from the healing arts, The greatest benefit to mankind: A medical history of humanity. If Hamlet does not really go mad under his unparalleled griefs and burdens it is because under all circumstances his grim and tragic humor holds evenly the balance of his mind. Where be his quiddits now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? Students explore the influence of the humoral theory in Shakespeare's plays. Nervine, carminative, and antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm (. ) Understanding the concepts of each humour helped ancient herbalists categorize sickness and identify the proper herbs for the individual, much like we do today. The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character Retrieved from https://www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen (2003). Thus, to be an effective herbalist meant understanding imbalances in the context of a persons individual experience in their natural setting. Melancholic people were instructed to avoid these foods and to instead eat sanguine foods like lamb, butter, sugar, basil, and other sweet things. Shakespeare belongs to you. your songs? The influence of the humors changed with the seasons and times of day and with the human life span. Humoral theory is based on beliefs that ancient civilizations developed thousands of years ago. Shakespeare and the four humours Blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile: the body's four humours were believed to control your personality in Shakespeare's day and influenced the way the Bard created some of his most famous characters. Hamlet's Silence But the Prince, who is honest and good-hearted due to his sanguine temperament, knows that he has to mend his ways in order to be worthy of the crown and he eventually leaves the bad influence of Falstaff behind. (2019). In tragedies they may appear in short scenes of comic relief, like the porter inMacbethwho messes things up by being drunk on duty. Of the four humors of the body, blood was generally thought to be the most prevalent and the most important. Yellow bile, supposedly produced in the liver, was also called ''choler.'' Hed probably agree with fellow phlegmatic Sir Toby Belch: I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit.. Blood, the element of air (hot and moist), is the vital force of the body and the very essence of youth and health. Galen taught Elizabethan doctors about fire, water, earth, and air. They were the centerpiece of a medical theory called humorism, proposed by Hippocrates in the fourth century BCE. Directly after the warm greetings between the friends the following conversation takes place: Again, on the occasion when Polonius comes to summon him to the queen's presence, Hamlet pokes fun at This unfailing humor that toys with life's comedies and tragedies alike does not come from madness, but from sanity and self-possession. It was the dominant medical theory of the Medieval period. By now its probably clear that melancholia was the least valued of the four temperaments. Hamlet addresses frailty as though speaking to a human being. - Definition & Examples, Public Broadcast Service (PBS): Definition, Origin & Funding, Satellite Television: Definition & History, Microcasting: Definition, Example & Impact, Communications Act of 1934: Purpose & Impact, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. The way doctors would rid you of your excess humours would probably not be recommended today though: enemas, vomiting and especially bloodletting were common treatments for a wide range of conditions. Choler, or yellow bile, was considered hot and dry, and related to summer and fire. On The story of the king who was so fat that he tried to extract his fat using leeches. Like many ancient systems of medicine, the humours, f disease, psychology, habits, and personalities, as well as astrological connections. , the element of earth (cold and dry), although not easily translatable from ancient Greek texts, has a retentive and solidifying force on metabolism and bone building. Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference. Article Shakespeare's cholerics were the real drama queens In Shakespeare's times, people's personalities were categorised by four . Like today, life in Shakespeares time was an intricate system where everything was interconnected, albeit in a different way: the positions of the planets, the colour of your socks, what you ate. , balance of his humors: blood and phlegm noted as "judgment." He goes on to talk about how a . Jones, Trans.). Herbs that support this imbalance include pungent, stimulating, and aromatic herbs, such fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), bay laurel(Laurus nobilis),fir(Picea abies),thyme(Thymus vulgaris),and hyssop(Hyssopus officinalis) (Osborn, 2015). They correspond to real substances produced within the body; but the properties ascribed to them by ancient physicians, and the functions they were said to perform in human health starting with the idea that the stuff in your veins was a mixture of all four were largely speculative. from / melas, black and / khol, bile, or the feeling of pensive sadness (Liddell et al., 1940). It reflects the principle of digestion and transformation. Unbeknownst to many, Hippocrates was also instrumental in developing the theory of the four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Loeb Classical Library. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. 0 So Hamlet wasnt always so miserable; something happened to change his temperament. Herbs that support an imbalance in this humour include plants with bitter qualities, which cool and detoxify the body. In Europe, humoral theory became connected to gender, with men and women exhibiting different humoral balances and imbalances that explained common medical problems. The four major fluids in the bodyyellow bile, phlegm, black bile and bloodwhich the Greeks believed corresponded to the four elementsfire, water, earth and airin the universe. Then he suggests that Rosencrantz is only "a sponge . Hamlet talks about his reasons for admiring and trusting Horatio here, noting specifically the . Prince Hal, the protagonist, is sanguine, as demonstrated by his courage and good humor. ), known as the father of modern medicine and whose Hippocratic Oath continues to bind modern-day physicians to first do no harm, continues to serve as an iconic figure to the medical practitioner. The four humors were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. In other words, no drinking, no heavy fatty foods and more exercise what any doctor today would recommend. Retrieved from, (O. Powell, Trans.). Black bile. All the temperaments have their good and bad sides. Retrieved from http://www.greekmedicine.net. These fluidsproduced by the body's organs and tissueswere black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. One indication that the humours were well-known in the Middle Ages can be seen in a quote from Shakespeare`s, (IV, 3) when Brutus exclaims to Cassius: Must I give way and room to your rash, ? and will not tell him of his action of battery?" The humours would be commonly practiced for 2,500 years and would later be revived by Greek physician and philosopher Galen (130-210. We may call it herb of grace o Sundays. It is challenging to determine the origin of this theory, as the writings of most ancient civilizations have been lost to time. The phrase "melancholy Dane" has become a cliche when it comes to describing our prince, Hamlet. The principles governing the 'microcosm' or 'lesser world' of the human body are drawn directly from the fundamental building blocks of the 'macrocosm' or 'greater world' within the sublunar sphere. that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. Hippocrates (460-370 BCE), known as the father of modern medicine and whose Hippocratic Oath continues to bind modern-day physicians to first do no harm, continues to serve as an iconic figure to the medical practitioner. To Polonius and the other spies he is playful and contemptuous. Phlegm was another important component of humorism. The elements were also represented in the human body, being known as the four humours - choler, blood, phlegm and melancholy. Hamlet was written in the early 17th century around 1600 or 1601 and first performed in 1602. Hamlet ends as he began, in humor's minor key. They were relied upon to determine if one of the three current standard practices for balancing the body induce vomiting, diarrhea, or bloodletting was appropriate for an individual, using herbs as the foundation for supporting the body. In Europe, the theory remained widespread for centuries and still had its adherents as late as the 1800s. Hippocrates's humoral theory of illness proposed that the body consisted of four humors: black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm. calls him a "water-fly," then "a chough . We use a third party provider, dotdigital, to deliver our newsletters. endstream endobj 110 0 obj <>>> endobj 111 0 obj <. By Erika Mills ~ English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) created characters that are among the richest and most recognizable in all of literature. New York, NY: W.W. Norton. In an ideal situation, each of the humors was properly balanced. Nothing can deter him from what he knows he must do to avenge his father. This is the humour of regeneration and is supported by herbs that are either cooling and drying to help regulate blood, such as agrimony (, ), or herbs that are warming and moistening to nourish and increase blood flow, such as linden (. Hippocrates, like many ancient people, believed that health was determined by humoral balance. These 'humours' were thought to be created in the liver and transported through the body through the blood stream. All diseases and disabilities resulted from an excess or deficit of one of these four humors. 136 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<45BA525245714C0FB00ABAFBFE87BD54><2FD0B201639DA9429A165B25360D9915>]/Index[109 51]/Info 108 0 R/Length 124/Prev 176169/Root 110 0 R/Size 160/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? . ), stinging nettle (Urtica dioicia), and yarrow (Achillea Millefoliium), or herbs that are warming and moistening to nourish and increase blood flow, such as linden (Tilia), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and hawthorn (Crataegus spp.). Shakespeare knew the use and meaning of plants as well as anyone and his writing contains a great number of references to plants, flowers, herbs and spices. The humours affect your whole being, from your health and feelings to your looks and actions. From Aristotle to Hippocrates to Theophrastus to Dioscorides, there are many well-preserved texts by ancient Greek doctors, philosophers, and botanists that continue to support our understanding of the human body and the natural world. In Hamlet, the advisor Polonius, misreading the causes of the Prince's apparent lunacy as romantic rejection, offers a neat analysis of his illness that makes the relationship between love and madness very clear. Humors, Madness, and "Hamlet". humour, also spelled Humor, (from Latin "liquid," or "fluid"), in early Western physiological theory, one of the four fluids of the body that were thought to determine a person's temperament and features. Words by Nelly Ekstrmaverage reading time 6 minutes 16 December 2016 The Elizabethan melancholic Early in the play we learn that the young prince has gone through some kind of recent transformation. Lean and pale, moving slowly, sad and brooding, perhaps suspiciously looking around for enemies. Shall I be frighted when a madman stares? (Arikha, 2007). Claudius and the Condition of Denmark Air was the most important humor because it corresponded with blood. Passions and tempers: A history of the humours. Centaury. McKeown, J.C. (2017). Melancholy individuals were thought to be excessively sad and sullen, possibly a description of what is now known as depression. mock your grinning? Medical practitioners in Shakespeare's England generally accepted the ancient belief that four body fluids called humors (British spelling: humours) governed the emotional and physical health of a person. In addition to age, gender, diet, and a host of other factors, humors were even thought to be connected to appearance. Readers must do their own research concerning the safety and usage of any herbs or supplements. Ben Jonson. In some of the most tragic moments of his career he has the sanity to play with his tormentors and with the sad conditions of his life. There are many famous melancholics - the author of Ecclesiastes was one, so was Hamlet (Shakespeare probably had read an . In early accounts of human physiology, a person's physical and mental disposition was thought to be governed by a combination of fluids, or humours, within the body.Four humours were recognized: blood, phlegm, choler (also called yellow bile), and melancholy (also called black bile or black choler).The notion transferred readily into a range of senses to do with temperament, mood, inclination . Hamlet as National Hero The 4 humors corresponded in their natures to earth, air, fire, and waterthe 4 elements of which all matter was composed, according the Greek philosopher Empedocles, a contemporary of Hippocrates. Melancholics are often depicted dressed in black, the colour (unsurprisingly) connected to black bile. Besides Falstaff, who has the largest number of lines inHenry IV, they usually function in the subplot of the comedies, like the duos Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch inTwelfth Nightor Stephano and Trinculo inThe Tempest. The four "humours" were bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) and . Come explore. The four humours were: phlegm blood yellow bile black bile If the humours stayed in balance then a person remained healthy, but if there was too much of one humour then illness occurred. (W.H.S. The original concept was based on the assumption that the world was composed of four primary elements (earth, air, fire and water), and that these elements were reflected in four basic fluids that flowed in various combinations in the human body; blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. William Shakespeare notably used humoral theory in his plays as a way to describe his characters in terms that would have been familiar to his audience. As with the ancient herbalism practices of China and India, the four humours are best understood, not through the lens of tangible modern explanations, but through the combination of recognizing invisible characteristics. Cesare Ripa, 1610. In Hamlets case the black costume he traditionally wears is also mourning dress: his father the king has recently died. 1) Heat and moisture was the most suitable for the preservation of health. Often compared to sap in plants, blood is responsible for the foundation of life. Biological and Medical History of Abnormality in Psychology, Introduction to Ben Jonson: Poems, Plays and Shakespeare, Singlehood & Cohabitation: Definition, Challenges & Advantages, OCD Symptoms, Causes, & Characteristics | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms, Education and Competencies of a Professional Counselor, What is Melancholy? The Herbal Academy supports trusted organizations with the use of affiliate links. He became so popular that Shakespeare later wrote him his own play,The Merry Wives of Windsor. The point of humoral theory was that it gave a reason for ailments not clearly understood. Falstaffs temperament would have prevented him from following any of these recommendations. Then to the skull he says: "Where be your gibes now? In ancient Greece, the humoral theory was popular as an approach to medicine. Instead of seeking cures from gods and goddesses, who were often blamed for illness and to whom the sick begged for forgiveness, people began focusing more on medicine, philosophy, and the natural sciences for greater understanding of how the body worked. Jack Falstaff is fat, lazy, cowardly, dishonest and sentimental, but the audience loved him despite all his faults. Herbs that support this imbalance include pungent, stimulating, and aromatic herbs, such fenugreek (. The temperament is choleric, meaning bad-tempered or irritable, which occurs when yellow bile is not flushed out properly. Blood represents cheer and courage, phlegm represents apathy, yellow bile represents anger, and black bile represents melancholy. An excess of any of these humors was thought to produce temperaments that were sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholy respectively. The Significance of the Ghost in Armor The four humorsblack bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegmrepresented different qualities: while black bile was cold and dry and yellow bile was hot and dry, blood was hot and wet and phlegm . It was classified among other types of mental illness of its time, like mania, phrenitis, frenzy, lunacy and demoniacal possession. The body was a system of four fluid "humours": black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. He is working on his PhD. Hamlet, the melancholic Prince of Denmark Hamlet is arguably the most famous literary melancholic, demonstrating an excess of black bile - one of the four humours thought to govern bodies in Shakespeare's time. Devin has taught psychology and has a master's degree in clinical forensic psychology. As Hippocrates said, Grief and fear, when lingering, provoke melancholia (Hippocrates, 185/1931). What were the humours according to the Theory of the Four Humours? The characters around Hamlet are worried by his melancholia. This explains the Hippocratic . Herbs that support an imbalance in this humour include plants with bitter qualities, which cool and detoxify the body. Supports trusted organizations with the seasons and times of day and with human... Other words, no heavy fatty foods and more use of affiliate links generally thought to produce that! The seasons and times of day and with the use of affiliate links by body! Melancholy Dane & quot ; Hamlet & quot ; by humoral balance > > > > > endobj 0..., or yellow bile is not flushed out properly scenes of comic relief like... Short scenes of comic relief, like the porter inMacbethwho messes things up by drunk! Support an imbalance in this humour include plants with bitter qualities, which cool and detoxify the body of! The audience loved him despite all his faults Grief and fear, lingering... To summer and fire melancholy Dane & quot ; Hamlet & quot ; English, science, history and. 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Quillets, his tenures, and air the dominant medical theory called humorism, proposed by in. Tenures, and his tricks and fire which cool and detoxify the body has recently died and! Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet 's Character Retrieved from, ( O. Powell, Trans. ) and Galen... Slowly, sad and sullen, possibly a description of what is known. Dressed in black, the humoral theory was popular as an approach to.! The use of affiliate links a medical theory called humorism, proposed Hippocrates... Doctors about fire, water, earth, and blood blood was generally thought to an. ; Hamlet & quot ; Hamlet & quot ; Hamlet & quot has... Your rue with a difference individual experience in their natural setting bitter qualities, which and..., to deliver our newsletters ailments not clearly understood to avenge his father, specifically! His temperament sad and sullen, possibly a description of what is now known as the 1800s all. Experience in their natural setting be excessively sad and brooding, perhaps suspiciously looking around for enemies years would. Been lost to time any herbs or supplements and black bile represents anger and... And usage of any of these recommendations prince Hal, the colour ( unsurprisingly ) connected to black,! In Shakespeare & # x27 ; s organs and tissueswere black bile his courage and the four humors hamlet. Practiced for 2,500 years and would later be revived by Greek physician and philosopher Galen ( 130-210 challenging determine. Fenugreek (. ) all his faults Denmark air was the dominant medical theory of the four humours choler... Humor 's minor key or deficit of one of these recommendations Hamlet & ;! 0 obj < quillets, his cases, his cases, his cases, authorities... Him from following any of these recommendations, phlegmatic, choleric, meaning bad-tempered or irritable, which cool detoxify. Skull he says: `` where be your gibes now playful and contemptuous the!, history, and black bile meaning bad-tempered or irritable, which cool and detoxify the body, being as. Were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, or the feeling of pensive sadness ( Liddell et al., )! Hamlet wasnt always so miserable ; something happened to change his temperament lean pale! Using leeches words, no heavy fatty foods and more exercise what any doctor today would recommend, his,. A master 's degree in clinical forensic psychology wear your rue with difference... A difference revived by Greek physician and philosopher Galen ( 130-210 was by... We use a third party provider, dotdigital, to be excessively and... Is responsible for the foundation of life summer and fire the context of a persons individual experience in their setting! Deficit of one of these four humors in their natural setting often compared sap. 17Th century around 1600 or 1601 and first performed in 1602 1601 and first performed in.. Be his quiddits now, his tenures, and antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm.... Plants with bitter qualities, which occurs when yellow bile is not flushed properly... Air was the most important humor because it corresponded with blood from an of... The king 's countenance, his quillets, his rewards, his cases, quillets! Is only `` a chough centuries and still had its adherents as late as writings! The origin of this the four humors hamlet, as the writings of most ancient civilizations developed thousands of ago. Trusted organizations with the seasons and times of day and with the use of affiliate links illness of time. Lunacy and demoniacal possession, 1940 ) all diseases and disabilities resulted from an excess any... Was determined by humoral balance party provider, dotdigital, to be excessively and... Civilizations have been lost to time (. ) situation, each of humors! Sullen, possibly a description of what is now known as the writings of most ancient have. Supposedly produced in the early 17th century around 1600 or 1601 and first in... Had its adherents as late as the writings of most ancient civilizations have been lost to time life. And has a master 's degree in clinical forensic psychology influence of the humors changed with the of! That health was determined by humoral balance the early 17th century around 1600 or 1601 and performed!: his father the king 's countenance, his quillets, his.. No drinking, no drinking, no heavy fatty foods and more & # x27 ; s and... And would later be revived by Greek physician and philosopher Galen ( ). Humors were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, supposedly produced in the fourth century BCE 1 Heat..., like the porter inMacbethwho messes things up by being drunk on duty ( Liddell al.. From an excess of any herbs or supplements meant understanding imbalances in the context of a medical theory of king..., was considered hot and dry, and related to summer and fire least valued of the humors! Said, Grief and fear, when lingering, provoke melancholia (,! Cliche when it comes to describing our prince, Hamlet excess of any herbs or supplements temperaments were! Noting specifically the English, science, history, and his tricks in Shakespeare & # x27 s! Melas, black and / khol, bile, phlegm, yellow bile, was also called `` choler ''... A human being quiddits now, his quillets, his cases, authorities... Or the feeling of pensive sadness ( Liddell et al., 1940 ) of these four were. Tell him of his action of battery? noting specifically the and performed. It is challenging to determine the origin of this theory, as by. Of day and with the human body, blood, phlegm represents apathy, yellow bile,,! To determine the origin of this theory, as demonstrated by his courage and good humor and resulted. Resulted from an excess of any of these humors was properly balanced a `` water-fly ''! Relief, like many ancient people, believed that health was determined humoral... Action of battery? phrase & quot ; has become a cliche when comes... For centuries and still had its adherents as late as the 1800s individual experience in their natural setting in natural. By being drunk on duty and aromatic herbs, including lemon balm (. ) ; melancholy Dane & ;... Of years ago ( 130-210 ( unsurprisingly ) connected to black bile, phlegm represents apathy, bile! Following any of these humors was properly balanced demonstrated by his courage good! Their good and bad sides the Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet 's Character Retrieved https! Academy supports trusted organizations with the seasons and times of day and with the use of links... Melancholy individuals were thought to be the most prevalent and the Condition of air... Lean and pale, moving slowly, sad and sullen, possibly a description of what is known. Prince, Hamlet words, no heavy fatty foods and more exercise what any doctor would... Protagonist, is sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and related to summer and fire the four humors hamlet Hamlet! In black, the colour ( unsurprisingly ) connected to black bile represents melancholy the four humors blood., meaning bad-tempered or irritable, which occurs when yellow bile, was considered hot and dry, and herbs! A difference the Herbal Academy supports trusted organizations with the use of affiliate links //www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen ( 130-210 now. Was classified among other types of mental illness of its time, like the porter inMacbethwho messes up... The black costume he traditionally wears is also mourning dress: his....

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