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Psychological Illness In Hamlet 'And Elena Vanishing'

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Psychological Illness In Hamlet 'And Elena Vanishing'
An unwieldy adversary that has hindered mankind for all time is a variation of psychological conditions and illnesses, a couple being: depression and anorexia nervosa. In fact, psychological illnesses grow quickly in numbers-- nearly appearing as a norm in today’s society. These issues and true obstacles are pertinent in two works of literature such as: William Shakespeare’s’ playwright, “Hamlet” and “Elena Vanishing: a memoir” by Elena and Clare B. Dunkle. Hamlet’s behavior and thoughts exemplified several symptoms of depression; similarly, Elena made a futile attempt to uphold her unrelenting façade while battling for dominion over her own body.
A seventeen-year-old girl named Elena is introduced in the story in a panic, lying in a hospital bed while a nurse glowers over her failure to touch the plate of food, which was the only thing the nurse was responsible for mandating. Elena faced her own predicament as she eyed the cold plate of food, her mind filled with disgust as she …show more content…
Initially, Hamlet is plagued with unrestrained thoughts of sadness and disbelief, crying out to the heavens, “Ah, I wish my dirty flesh could melt away into a vapor, or that God has not made a law against suicide…how tired, stale, and pointless life is to me… my heart must break in silence” (Shakespeare 28-29). His ever-changing behavior encompasses major depression disorder, which interferes with one’s daily life and transforms their behavior; furthermore, “depression is a mood disorder characterized by… symptoms including hopelessness, helplessness, personal devaluation… an inability to concentrate or make decisions, exaggerated guilty feelings, and thoughts about suicide” (Kahn 1). As the story progresses Hamlet begins to procrastinate inducing action, creating indecision and
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