The Understanding of Madness in William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1605) And Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones (1920)

Abstract

The aim of this present work is to examine the issue of madness in William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones., we have borrowed some theoretical concepts from Michel Foucault’s study of madness in his book Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Among these concepts are mania, melancholia, hysteria, and hypochondria. In addition to language, which has a great concern with madness .Foucault has presented a chronological view of madness. This dissertation has been divided into three major sections ‘General Introduction’, ‘Discussion’, and ‘General Conclusion’. Its ‘Discussion’ section three chapters; the first chapter is entitled Mania and Melancholia in William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. It has analyzed the two main characters. The second chapter is ‘hysteria and hypochondria in William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones to explain their mental illness. As to third chapter whose title is the language of the madman in William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones, in which we have analyzed the language of the characters. As a conclusion, it might be noticed that the two writers explore the theme of madness