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 …show more content…
“The school of Euclides he called bilious, and Plato’s lectures waste of time, the performances at the Dionysia great peep-shows for fools…(Diogenes 27).” Diogenes continues on saying that he respects individuals who work hard for the sake of learning and bettering themselves but he disregards wealth and believes that it puffs up a person 's ego. By working in society our reward is money therefore is it not always the aim that individuals are working toward? This cannot always be the case. Starting out working in a Chemical plant as an Engineer, the Joker wanted to become a comedian (“The Back Story…”). This can be viewed as a unmasking of this true self and striping himself down from this ego into a form of himself that is so vulnerable. This vulnerability is seen after he gets hurt that he wasn’t able to make it as a comedian. This hurt is his fuel that eventually brings him to become the Joker by breaking into the Chemical Plan and disrespecting the rules set in place. This character break is something that could have possibly happened to Diogenes as well. Diogenes was a bankers son who “Adulterated the coinage (Diogenes 23).” Diogenes was given the chance to become a working facet in society but he chose to be an outcast. The life that Diogenes and the Joker place before them in some sense is madness …show more content…
He is known for being tragic, a beggar, wanderer, and a homeless exile. All of these words is how society or those who are sane described him as. There is a sense of freedom that encases how he lives. He does what he wants wherever he wants and enjoys himself without the anxiety or shame that is incorporated with his private activities. You can see this when he, “...Behaves indecently in the market place (Diogenes 47).” This sort of acting out is his way of speaking the truth and being an honest person. When there is a need you have why do you wait? There is a sense of urgency to his life that he makes sure to act on. This life is fleeting and he lives every second of it making sure it does not pass by. He describes that living a life you have two things to always keep in mind, mental well being and physical (Diogenes 71). He makes sure to do things like eat raw meat (Diogenes 37), and to put himself through unbearable situations so that even the most boring things will bring him pleasure. This sort of thinking of total chaos this something that the Joker abides by. He lets his emotions rule and doesn’t worry about the past or his future. He focuses on what would pleasure him in each moment. The difference between the Joker and Diogenes is that the Joker attempts to make everyone else like him when he tries to bomb the city with laughing gas (Peaslee). Diogenes is content living and doing as he
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).
Antigone, a tragic drama written by Sophocles explores the different ranges of characters: static and dynamic or flat and round. Creon, King of Thebes in the dramatic play Antigone takes on the role that of a static character. Throughout the whole play Creon believed the idea that he was above the law of the Gods and his decrees cannot be disputed. Unknowingly, who would think that Creon’s sense of pride would cause him the life of his wife, son, and niece? However, at the very end of the play Creon returns to the palace, holding his son’s lifeless body, where he finds out that his wife has killed herself as well. Overwhelmed with grief about the death of his loved ones, Creon turns to the Chorus and says, “Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands have touched come to nothing. Fate has brought all my pride to thought of dust” (1833). Creon takes responsibility of the death of his son and wife by calling himself a “rash” man and this is where Creon undergoes the changes of a dynamic character by admitting that he was wrong.
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.
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?
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.
Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.
An insane person is one that demonstrates foolish acts because of their poor mental state. In the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth is characterized as a brave soldier. His bravery on the battlefield earned him the titles of Thane of Cawdor and Glamis. The play leads the reader to believe that Macbeth is sane, but when he receives prophesy from the witches that he will be king, an insane character emerges from within. Macbeth demonstrates these characteristics when he claims to see a floating dagger and an illusionary ghost and also becomes obsessed with the idea of killing others, and not being completely human. Macbeth displays the characteristics of an insane character because of his foolish acts and poor mental state when he visualizes the floating dagger, speaks to a ghost, becomes obsessed with killing others and with the idea of being invincible.
Throughout the Greek play, “Antigone”, we see one of the main character’s, Creon, who recently was named King of Thebes due to his Nephews battling to the death for the throne. Creon by the end of the play would eventually develop a theme known as a “Tragic Hero.” His character's emotion and motivations conflict with another main character, his Niece who the play is named after, Antigone. The characteristics of Creon have conflicting motives such as his hierarchy, greed, and vengefulness are highlighted by Antigone’s opposing ethics. Ultimately these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by making him regret his Decree and rash decisions once he has learned of his fate.
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.
A tragic character is someone who experiences misfortune in courtesy of poor judgment, fate or a conflicted personality. In the tragedy, Antigone, there is a heavy debate over whether Antigone or Creon is the tragic character. Creon can be classified as the tragic character of the play because he has been affected the most due to his decision of sentencing Antigone to death. For instance, a fight emerges between the king and his son, Haimon, as a result of his harsh punishment. Also, he lets his pride get in the way which triggers the suicide of Haimon and his wife, Eurydice. By the end of the tragedy, Creon is forced to live through the painful death of his family, thus being the tragic character because he suffered the most.
“The ones who are insane enough to think that they can rule the world are always the ones who do.”- Stefan Molyneux. Insanity is an inherently foreign but ancient concept, it can be defined as when the mental processes of a person functions out of the social norm. An example of a person with such a mental state is Crake from Margaret Atwood’s book, “Oryx and Crake”. Crake is a mature and brilliant but unhinged person, who is responsible for the destruction of mankind, who believes that the root of all problems in the world is man himself. This could define Crake as a psychopath, with an askewed moral compass, as he knows what his actions are wrong but he continues with them. In the tale, the main character, Jimmy/Snowman, recounts his past
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.
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.
f you are a die hard comic book fan or a guy that knows nothing about comics or batman, you know who The Joker is. The Joker tops pretty much everybodys list for the greatest villain of all time due to his unpredictability and madness. He had no motive for money, power, or freedom his only motive was to cause problems and get in the way of others. The Joker is a yin to the Batman’s yang; he just cannot fathom the idea of Batman’s morality and has become obsessed to make Batman see the error of his ways. Without further due let’s get on to the reasons why the Joker is the ultimate villain of all time.
The experience of madness can both subvert and reinforce gender roles. Madness is commonly seen as an invasion of the self, which,