The Struggle For Power Of Discourse In Hamlet And King Lear

Hamlet(1603),and King Lear(1605),two of William Shakespeare's tragedies,are honored as the essence of Renaissance literature,in which a large number of insane characters appear and get a vivid portrayal of psychological activities.Melancholy characters and narcissistic characters can be seen in the two tragedies.According to Michel Foucault's definition of madness in Madness and Civilization,the thesis gives a detailed analysis of the deep melancholia of Hamlet and destructive narcissism of Lear.An extensive interpretation is chosen to focus on these two representative mad characters.By means of Foucault's classification and identification of madness,the types and causes of their madness are discussed in this paper.On the surface,it might appear as if they are unrelated,but in fact,they share some same features about mental aberrations.In fact,madness is a means and the ultimate aim is the struggle for power of discourse.Though considered to be insane,they endeavor to make sense of their inner self,strive for power of discourse,and discover the truth in life.It can be proved that in Shakespearean tragedies,madness is not inferior to reason.On the contrary,it sparkles with wisdom and truth,and it is always used to contend for discourse power with reason.Another absorbing feature of madness is that these characters' madness serves as a weapon against the reason and restoration of order in these tragedies.Rationality and madness continue to engage in dialogue in the Renaissance drama.Madness acts in the circle of truth and reason,and struggles for power of discourse between the perceptual and the rational,evidence of which can be dug out in Shakespeare's great tragedies.The emergence of madness in Shakespeare's tragedy is not an accident,but an avenue to articulate mad characters,and symbolizes the anxiety of the characters in their current living situation,as well as a powerful prop for Shakespeare to convey his concern about the social crisis and philosophical thinking about the human activities in his era.In order to make madness appear on the stage,Shakespeare guides audiences think about such questions like what's madness,why madness does exist,and what madness brings to people.It is madness in Shakespearean tragedies that leads people to tackle social issues,think about weakness in human nature,and be aware of the significance of love and justice.Ironically,reason should be responsible for the matters.All this proves that in the period of Renaissance,sometimes madness is closer to the truth,and more effective to spot problems,resolve them and struggle for power of discourse.Just as what Foucault illustrates,madness marks people's introspection towards the human existence itself.