Madness found in Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Fa
Throughout literature madness, or insanity, is presented to the reader as a method to surprisingly control the plot of a story. In the poem "Madness is Divinest Sense," Emily Dickinson explains, "madness is divinest Sense/ To a discerning eye." Dickinson hints that apparent madness might not be madness at all. She shows that maybe the strangeness that some people see as madness may actually be cleave ruse used by a character attempting to obtain something. This gain could be something temporary such as closing of successful business deal, or it could be something permanent such as finding true love. The gain caused by madness is clearly seen in the lives of Doctor Faustus from Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Kate from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Throughout The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Marlowe demonstrates Faustus's madness in his quest for knowledge, his actions with the devil, and in his life after his commitment with the devil. Doctor Faustus thinks that happiness can be accomplished though knowledge. After Faustus thinks he has reached the pinnacle of "healthy" knowledge, he is proud of himself, but he is not content. He, in turn
In addition to Kate, Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth falls prey to insanity in order to obtain her goals. Lady Macbeth's madness is evident in her overwhelming ambition and thirst for power for herself and her husband. She manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overbidding all his objections to the dire deed they have planned. When he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit in order to prove himself. Her ambition continues even after the murder of King Duncan, as she is forced to calm her husband's nerves immediately after the crime has been committed.(II.vi. 34-69) The pleasure of being queen is quickly interrupted, however. Just as Lady Macbeth has a great ambition to be queen, she also has immeasurable guilt after the deed. As the guilt began to fester, her insanity heightens. Her madness grew so much from the guilt of her past actions that she was reduced to sleepwalking through the castle, desperately trying to wash away an invisible bloodstain. Another example of gain due to insanity can be seen in the life of Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. Katherine, or Kate, was widely known throughout Padua for being a shrew and for constantly degr
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Approximate Word count = 851
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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