Magic meets medicine: A medical humanist examination of "Hamlet", "Macbeth", and "King Lear"
by Presswood, Phillip H., M.A., UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE, 2011, 73 pages; 1496076

Abstract:

Many characters from Shakespeare's works exhibit, as healthcare providers would currently recognize, deep-rooted psychological and sometimes physiological ailments. While the state of healthcare in Elizabethan England was not of the highest caliber compared to what we enjoy today, by examining specific characters and situations in Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear, we can recognize that Shakespeare had special insight into the human condition on both a mental and physical level. Composed at a time when rampant social change was taking place, the mixing of dramatic effects, supernatural influences, and scientific questioning shows the author to be someone expertly observant of nature and what it means to be human. By analyzing his works through what I term bioliterary humanist theory , a new world is opened to audiences where they can find meaning and truth about culture and society by engaging in dramatic narratives of illness.

 
AdviserClotilde Diepenbrock
SchoolUNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE
SourceMAI/ 49-06, p. , Jul 2011
Source TypeThesis
SubjectsPhilosophy of science; British and Irish literature; Theater history; Rhetoric
Publication Number1496076
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