RETENTIONS IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN’S WRITINGS ABOUT MADNESS Jeanne Phoenix Laurel …[T]he genre of the psychiatric memoir or fictionalized account of madness by women authors bifurcates along lines of race. As I will show by using Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987)‚ Nettie Jones’s Fish Tales (1983)‚ and Carolivia Herron’s Thereafter Johnnie (1991)‚ the dynamics of the slave narrative influence African-American women’s writings about madness. (A similar kind of historical genre influence can be seen
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The play King Lear‚ written by Shakespeare‚ is a brutal play. It is filled with human cruelty and avoidable disasters. In the play‚ insanity and chaos are the reason for many of the events and set the environment. In the play madness and insanity are associated with both disorder and wisdom. The fool tries to offer King Lear insight and truth into some of his decisions that he made early on in the play. Later on in the play‚ when the King finally goes mad‚ the turmoil in his mind is a direct
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himself is aware of this fact that he is going insane somehow‚ and even with this knowledge and the knowledge that he continues to proceed in his insanity it’s not enough to stop his descent. The narrator takes time and details each aspect of his madness‚ in a sense observing his actions from a detached perspective‚ even though the story is written in the first person‚ like a psychiatrist. There is however a tinge of awareness and perhaps some sense of guilt in how the narrator conveys the story.
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Not only do the witches taunt Macbeth in the beginning of the play‚ they come back again and again. With each visit‚ the witches plant seeds of doubt and madness within Macbeth through their hissing and cackles which was a good interpretation by the director. This truly shows the evil power the group of three hold and how this madness and evil could be spread to anyone close enough to hear their manic laughter. At first the witches’ visits are irking‚ but in the full reach of their power‚ Macbeth
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Treatment of Women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Since the dawn of theater women have not had rights equal to men. Women are not only forbidden from acting‚ but also considered the property of men. This patriarchal society was considered the standard for the life of Shakespeare. The common views on women‚ primarily negative ones‚ are portrayed in Hamlet’s Ophelia and Gertrude. These women cover both ends of the spectrum: Ophelia is observed as innocent and submissive while Gertrude embraces her sexuality
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plays’ transitions in imagery used to define the characters‚ the character’s deteriorating relationships‚ and their eventual downfall due to madness with Agave and Lady Macbeth being the examples of the punishing of female rebellion. Progressive imagery in the plays indicate a correlation with women who break traditional roles and ultimate succumbing to madness‚ as both Agave and Lady Macbeth both become associated with progressively more objectionable imagery. In the case of Agave in The Bacchae
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For centuries women in life and literature have been portrayed as being submissive to men. Women have been oppressed by society as well as the men in their lives. The story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman depicts a woman suffering from mental illness which is associated with the repression present in the patriarchal society. The woman’s obsession with the yellow paper becomes a reflection of her desire to break free from the male dominant society. Isolation causes the women
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2. The analysis of the grotesque elements in The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables The second chapter of the diploma thesis deals with the analysis of the grotesque elements in the collection of short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson which is called The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables. The collection of short stories is chosen due to various depictions of the grotesque elements in its six short stories‚ namely The Merry Men‚ Will O´the Mill‚ Markheim‚ Thrawn Janet‚ Olalla‚ The Treasure
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In William Shakespeare’s plays‚ the characters and plot are often categorized as complex and arduous to understand. Ophelia‚ a minor character in The Tragedy of Hamlet represents one of two women captured in the chaos if revenge. Though Ophelia and Gertrude were placed in the scenery where those they love were avenging their father’s death‚ both handled it differently. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia as an innocent‚ obedient and naïve child demonstrates the consequence of living under an oppressed
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Ophelia must succumb to the orders given to her by those around her. As a result‚ Ophelia must take orders and any aftermath that may come from it. As a result‚ Ophelia is pushed to death by her obedience‚ abuse from Hamlet‚ and her spiral into madness. From the beginning of the play‚ it is clear that Ophelia plays the role of an obedient daughter and sister to her family. Before Laertes leaves‚ he warns Ophelia‚ “Fear it Ophelia‚ fear it my dear sister‚/ And keep you in the rear of your affection
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