The question as the relationship between genius and madness is central to David Auburn's “Proof.” This question centres on how one understands the relationship between Catherine and her father, and in particular on how one understands what precise characteristics she inherited from him. The play focuses clearly on this connection , as well as on the way in which these two may be seen co-exist within one personality. Indeed, in the character of Robert Auburn presents mental instability and ill health as a transition and qualitative change in genius, as opposed to something that may be separated from it entirely. From this perspective, it is clear that the play does not firmly suggest that Catherine inherited either her father's genius, or his mental problems, but suggests that both may co-exist within one life time. This paper will demonstrate this by paying particular attention to the way in which the play represents the way in which a personality may change and deteriorate through time. From the opening scene of the play, it is clear that Auburn places a strong focus on transience and on the importance of seizing a particular moment. This is especially the case given the …show more content…
It is clear throughout the play that across a life span both brilliance and deterioration may co-exist within one person and that one may lead naturally to another. It cannot be made clear therefore, whether Catherine has inherited either her father's genius or his capacity for mental instability, however it should be noted that this question is problematic. This problem emerges as the question attempts to present brilliance and deterioration as mutually exclusive; something challenged by their presentation within the play
The theme of this play is centered around time; the value of the little time we have been given and how that time should be used to live for what is right and what truly matters.
The mise-en-scène in the beginning of the scene suggests Madden’s faithfulness to Auburn’s play, Proof. The
In this essay we will be comparing two female characters from different texts and different time periods. We will be looking in depth at Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth', and Sheila from J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'. We will be looking at their roles in their respective plays, and how their characters develop over time.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1603) is one of the most popular dramas in world literature, as it examines the intensely passionate, but poisonous ambitions of King Claudius. He murders his own brother, King Hamlet, because he desires his throne, power, and wife. As a result of King Claudius’ fratricide, he inherits the “primal eldest curse” of the biblical Cain and Abel, and the dispersion of poison lethally ends his relationship with several major characters. This includes, of course, Prince Hamlet, who falls into a suicidal depression over the death of his father whose ghost visits him. This essay will analyze Shakespeare’s trope of poison, embodied by King Claudius.
Over all, it is clear that even in Shakespeare’s time that knowledge and experience are closely connected. It is a part of human nature to learn from mistakes. From the stubbornness of not listening, one may experience the concerns to earn great knowledge. The wiser you are, the stupider you
The pursuit of power and constant struggle to maintain it leads to the deterioration of the mind. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates this concept through Macbeth’s struggle for power and his subsequent down fall. This is evident in his complete loss of honour and loyalty, his new found constitution of duplicity and his lack of value for life itself.
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth undergoes many psychological tribulations. There is no doubt that he is insane, but the specifics of his conditions help explain the peculiarities of the play. Macbeth’s character was perhaps the culmination of all the psychological disorders known at Shakespeare’s day. He experienced disorders such as split personality, schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress. These disorders could be caused by stress on the battlefield and a poor spousal relationship. After Macbeth is diagnosed with said conditions the existence of Banquo, the witches, the murderers, and Fleance are called into question.
Some people will say that this is fantastic nonsense, and that it was I that had changed, not the play. Most imagine that when a work of art leaves the hand of the master, it remains in changeless beauty forever, though succeeding generations may feel differently about it, seeing it from different angles. It is to point out the fallacy of this common opinion that I am writing this essay.
Shakespeare, Browning and Duffy all create four very similar characters female characters which are considered to be disturbed. This is due to the fact that they all went against the expectations of society in their respected eras. The speaker in ‘The Laboratory’ as well as Havisham and Medusa in Duffy’s monologues are all considered to be “disturbed” because of their common motives: jealousy and revenge. Despite these similarities, Lady Macbeth’s main motive is her hunger for power. This subverted expectations of females as they were supposed to be loyal to their male partners and shouldn’t want to take their power. In this essay I will talk about their desire for power and revenge, and why this has lead them to be portrayed in such a disturbed manner and how this goes against people’s expectations.
Macbeth, one of the greatest tragedies written by William Shakespeare, tells a story about uncontrollable ambition, which destroys Macbeth and his wife. Interpreting the play using the mythological approach, Lady Macbeth exhibits a profound image as the terrible mother, more so than the “weird sisters.” Her evil intention foreshadows the awful fate and destiny of her family. The force that drives Lady Macbeth is her insatiable thirst for power.
Human beings are not perfect, and, although people often make mistakes, it is the recognition of those mistakes and the demonstration of remorse that indicates an ability to change. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, spurred by the predictions of the witches of her husband’s future as king, makes decisions she will later come to regret. Although she appears to be strong in planning the king’s murder, her moments of doubt throughout the play indicate a sense of weakness which ultimately lead to her mental instability and death.
changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the
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.
Thus, among those of better birth, there are those who might beget an evil nature and noblemen can do wrong because they are free to choose. Though gentle birth predisposes man to virtue, it is not necessary to virtue. It cannot be uniformly maintained that where there is a high birth, there is virtue. In the play, Shakespeare has portrayed neither Nature nor Art as perfect but as having a complex relationship where one is reflected in the other. While Nature calls forth the authoritative power of Art to correct it, Art can descend to, and even sink below, the level of Nature.
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.