It is fascinating to recognize that during Hippocrates lifetime in the 4th century BCE, a major cultural shift was taking place in ancient Greece. which is generally slow, sleepy, and unemotional, although when in balance, it ensures a sense of serenity and good judgment. Galen: On the properties of foodstuffs(O. Powell, Trans.). They are associated with sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholic temperaments respectively. 1. Theres rue for you, and heres some for me. You can unsubscribe at any time using links in the emails you receive. Theres a daisy. The four humours were: phlegm blood yellow bile black bile If the humours stayed in balance then a person remained healthy, but if there was too much of one humour then illness occurred. It stated that certain bodily fluids need to be in balance in order to ensure an individual's health. (V. As a class review the two handouts and tell students that they are to examine closely Hamlet's temperament during the exposition and rising action part of the play's dramatic structure. Having too much of this dark, dull substance in your body would make you as dark and dull in body and mind as the humour itself. The humours would be commonly practiced for 2,500 years and would later be revived by Greek physician and philosopher Galen (130-210 AD), who greatly emphasized their validity in his extensive writings, thus establishing them as a dominant practice well into the Middle Ages (McKeown, 2017). Shakespeare Online. Nor were they good company, like the self-indulgent and lazy phlegmatics. There were four humours. As Sir Herbert Tree has recently said: "But for humor he should go mad. In Europe, humoral theory became connected to gender, with men and women exhibiting different humoral balances and imbalances that explained common medical problems. Learn what the four humors of the body are along with the humoral theory. The four humors are blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Although hes young, he still ticks all the boxes. Poor Hamlet, too much humor had'st thou for this harsh world!" 4. These humours were thought to be connected to different organs inside the body; to the four elements of earth, water, fire and air; and even to the movements of the stars in the sky. Ageing was in itself seen as a process of gradual drying of the flesh and cooling of bodily humours. . The theory of the four humours was central to the teachings of Aristotle, Hippocrates and Galen. Boston R.G. In an ideal situation, each of the humors was properly balanced. Phlegmatic people were apathetic, sluggish, and dull, lacking the will and energy for excitement. Unless hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in flame-coloured taffeta, I see no reason why thou shouldst be so superfluous to demand the time of day.. Hamlet Study Quiz (with detailed answers) In comedies, the characters learn from the ordeals they are put through, subsequently develop and are then more or less in humoral balance at the happy ending of the play. In the ancient physiological theory still current in the European Middle Ages and later, the four cardinal humours were blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black . Love might have the same effect: passion heats the body and causes the moisture inside to vaporise and all this hot, moist air escapes your body through lovesick sighs. Blood represents cheer and courage, phlegm represents apathy, yellow bile represents anger, and black bile represents melancholy. If the humours were in balance, then the body was in health. , is caustic and satirical. . Loeb Classical Library. Humoral theory was popular for a long time, but what are the four humors? Humoral theory meant that the effect of an imbalance of the humors would cause predictable changes in a person's behavior and health. Lean and pale, moving slowly, sad and brooding, perhaps suspiciously looking around for enemies. Poor Hamlet, too much humor had'st thou for this harsh world!" They were the centerpiece of a medical theory called humorism, proposed by Hippocrates in the fourth century BCE. The belief that blood, yellow bile, black bile, Herbs that support this imbalance include pungent, stimulating, and aromatic herbs, such fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), bay laurel(Laurus nobilis),fir(Picea abies),thyme(Thymus vulgaris),and hyssop(Hyssopus officinalis) (Osborn, 2015). Short-tempered, red-haired, thin, ambitious (compare Hotspur). In tragedies, the characters usually start out with a normal excess of their temperamental humour, but thru their actions and reactions their excess is built up, leading to more and more extreme behaviour until all hope of restoring balance is lost. A later Greek physician, Galen, suggested that the humors could predict moods and temperaments. However, everyone hasa natural excess of one of the humours, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently. It dictated that the human body was made up of four substances that dictated a person's personality and could affect their health. Phlegm was another important component of humorism. All the temperaments have their good and bad sides. The Herbal Academy supports trusted organizations with the use of affiliate links. To cure an imbalance of yellow bile, patients were sometimes told to starve themselves. Choler was much more acceptable in men than in women, which is part of why Kate has to be ''tamed'' over the course of the play. After being refused by Ophelia, Polonius explains that Hamlet: Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, your gambols? Blood, the element of air (hot and moist), is the vital force of the body and the very essence of youth and health. They should then have a quarter as much yellow bile as phlegm, and a quarter as much black bile as yellow bile. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. This is how Prince Hal greets him early on: Thou art so fat-witted, with drinking of old sac, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst truly know. What a devil hast thou to do with the time of the day? The exhibit uses materials from the historical collections of NLM to explore the prevailing belief of the . Regarded by many as the father of Western (and some say Islamic) medicine. Having an excess of one humour could be a bit of a vicious cycle: it both causes and is caused by your behaviour. Hamlet: Problem Play and Revenge Tragedy To Polonius and the other spies he is playful and contemptuous. Similarly, the four humours loosely correspond to the wheel of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 2) sanguine. Choleric. In Act IV, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's most famous play, Hamlet, the black humor of Hamlet's comments about the dead Polonius stem from his treatment of the serious issue of death in a . One of the most outstanding characteristics of Hamlet is his subtle and persistent humor. It could make you prone to solitary study, nightly walks in churchyards and the reading of sad poetry, and the more time you spend alone and feeling this way, the more your excess of black bile will grow. Nervine, carminative, and antispasmodic herbs, including lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and lavender(Lavandula officinalis) balance these conditions. Physiognomy Overview & Examples | What is Physiognomy? For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice. Osborn, D. (2015). Jones, Trans.). Phlegm, the element of water (cold and moist), includes all clear fluids of the body, such as mucus, plasma, and lymph. And there is pansies, thats for thoughts Theres fennel for you, and columbines. The immortal gods were gradually replaced with scientific medical theories, including the four humours, all of which heavily relied on the power of plants (Porter, 1997). Hippocratic method and the four humors [Blog Post]. Soliloquy Analysis: How all occasions do inform against me (4.4.35-69) Last Modified Date: February 20, 2023. I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." Ancient Greece | Galen & The Four Humours 60 Second Histories 3.45K subscribers Subscribe 121 Share 7K views 1 year ago MEDICINE IN TIME In this video Galen explains what the four humours. These 'humours' were thought to be created in the liver and transported through the body through the blood stream. Create your account. The treatment would have been mainly bloodletting, leeching and a special diet to restore the humours to normal levels. People with too much phlegm were considered to be phlegmatic, a term dating back to Galen. Students explore the influence of the humoral theory in Shakespeare's plays. | Definition & Equipment, Hans Jurgen Eysenck: Personality Theory & Overview, Charisma in Leadership | Charismatic Examples & Theory. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/four-humors-112072. A 2 x 2 table of Hippocrates' four (4) temperaments: Melancholic. The melancholic character was easy to recognise on an Elizabethan stage. Then to the skull he says: "Where be your gibes now? 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The Elder Hamlet: The Kingship of Hamlet's Father Words by Nelly EkstrmAverage reading time 4 minutes 11 December 2016 Article show credit information for image 'Astrological man, 1503', show credit information for image 'Woodcut of drinking and vomiting', show credit information for image 'Falstaff, Eduard von Grtzner, 1906', show credit information for image 'Image from Histoires Prodigieuses, by Pierre Boaistuau', Image from Histoires Prodigieuses, by Pierre Boaistuau, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. "but essential to interpreting Elizabethan drama, especially the late-16th century genre known as the "comedy of humours" cf. mock your grinning? Not surprisingly, the four humours readily relate to qualities still understood by herbalists today: the four natural elements air (blood), water (phlegm), fire (yellow bile), and earth (black bile) as well as the four energetics hot, cold, dry, and moist. Words by Nelly Ekstrmaverage reading time 6 minutes 16 December 2016. (Original work published 165-175 CE), Gill, N.S. These humours in turn were composed of four qualities (hot, dry, cold and . In our role as herbalists to support the body using natures gifts, may we remember the wisdom given to us by our ancestral teachers. It reflects the principle of digestion and transformation. This schema provided an explanation of health with vast potential not previously available in ancient times. 109 0 obj <> endobj Air was the most important humor because it corresponded with blood. Shakespeare was too good a judge of character and of human nature to mingle such humor with madness. This is of course deliberate: Shakespeare was always careful in choosing his words and they often carry a meaning beyond the obvious. , a major cultural shift was taking place in ancient Greece. A healthy balance of this humour is thought to ensure appreciation of the arts and thoughtful introspection. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. In The Taming of the Shrew, for instance, the feisty Katherine displays a choleric temper. moment again that "it is very sultry and hot." . Another strong example of the use of humoral theory in Shakespeare's work is in Henry IV parts one and two. your songs? Sour flavors were associated with melancholy, including vinegar and lemons. Hamlet ends as he began, in humor's minor key. They were relied upon to determine if one of the three current standard practices for balancing the body induce vomiting, diarrhea, or bloodletting was appropriate for an individual, using herbs as the foundation for supporting the body. These humors represented different aspects of a human, connected to the four elements (wind, air, earth and fire) and the four seasons (spring, summer, fall and winter). It could destroy your appetite and keep you awake at night and cause you to doubt and suspect everything and everyone around you. even though there are, and must be pages on anatomy and physiology. Shakespeareswriting is one of the most important sources for the knowledge we have about medicine in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. Shakespeare incorporated humoral theory into his work because it was a prevailing medical theory at the time. Shakespeare and the four humours Blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile: the body's four humours were believed to control your personality in Shakespeare's day and influenced the way the Bard created some of his most famous characters. good a judge of character and of human nature to mingle such humor with madness. 185 BCE). Hed probably agree with fellow phlegmatic Sir Toby Belch: I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit.. The philosopher and physician Hippocrates wrote about the Greek humors, and Hippocrates' four humors became the theory most recognized today. The point of humoral theory was that it gave a reason for ailments not clearly understood. Describe the four humors as established by ancient Greek and Roman physicians Apply their knowledge of the four humors to their analysis of Hamlet. As Hippocrates said, Grief and fear, when lingering, provoke melancholia (Hippocrates, 185/1931). Nothing can deter him from what he knows he must do to avenge his father. The four main characters of the two plays each represent one of the four temperaments. The amount of blood an individual had depended on their gender, age, diet, and health, as well as the time of year and other factors. spacious in the possession of dirt." Equally important is understanding and recognizing the contributions of ancient Greek herbalism, namely the four humours. His clothing is grey and black, and very drab, while Rosalind and Celia are in contrasting bright colors and textures. Crawford, Alexander W. Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear. Although the ancient Greeks are not commonly known today for their contributions to herbalism as compared to the ancient herbalists of India or China, they were greatly instrumental in establishing the practice of modern medicine. Information offered on Herbal Academy websites is for educational purposes only. calls him a "water-fly," then "a chough . Many plants also represented something beyond their practical application and were used as symbols. The humours affect your whole being, from your health and feelings to your looks and actions. Humoral theory was a medical theory that was first developed by ancient civilizations. All rights reserved. Hamlet was written in the early 17th century around 1600 or 1601 and first performed in 1602. Revenge in Hamlet It is this exuberant humor that reveals beyond doubt Hamlet's fundamental sanity. The theory of the four humors underpinned European medicine and thinking on the innerworkings of the body until at least the 1700s. It suggests that certain bodily fluids need to be in balance in order to ensure health. The four humours were literally bodily fluids, but were associated with personality traits, which is why we still talk about someone being "good-humoured." Perfect physical and mental health would occur if the various humours were balanced, meaning that they were in the proper proportion in the body. Whether we have ancestors from ancient Greece, China, or India doesnt matter so much. THE THEORY OF THE FOUR HUMOURS The theory of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) rst appears in a fth-century bcHippocratic treatise called The Nature of Man, the only treatise from the Hippocratic Corpus to which we can attribute an author's name. Although these concepts are no longer mainstream theories, they continue to provide an underlying foundation to modern medical and herbal practices. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Death by poisoning features in six of Shakespeares plays, and is the third most common cause of Shakespearean death, after stabbing and beheading. Now through November 8, HSLS is hosting the traveling exhibit, "And There's the Humor of It": Shakespeare and the Four Humors, produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and coordinated by the American Library Association. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. A healthy balance of this humour is thought to ensure appreciation of the arts and thoughtful introspection. Ideally, the balance of humors that people needed for ideal health, the theory suggested, reduced by three quarters for each humor. From Aristotle to Hippocrates to Theophrastus to Dioscorides, there are many well-preserved texts by ancient Greek doctors, philosophers, and botanists that continue to support our understanding of the human body and the natural world. Retrieved from https://www.passionsandtempers.com, Galen (2003). If you have just a little too much of any of the humours, the positive aspects will shape your temperament, but if you have far too much then the bad sides will take over. She has been teaching English in Canada and Taiwan for seven years. Passions and tempers: A history of the humours. A person with this kind of temperament was not seen as productive and active in society like the warm-blooded sanguines and cholerics were. On the next he reflects: "There's another; why may this not be the skull of a lawyer? . Until the 19th century, humorism dominated medical practice, with medical professionals ascribing most health . Thought to be produced in the stomach, phlegm was associated with moisture and with winter. I would give you some violets, But they withered all when my father died.. As he describes it himself: I have of late but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air look you, this brave oerhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.. What were the humours according to the Theory of the Four Humours? humour, also spelled Humor, (from Latin "liquid," or "fluid"), in early Western physiological theory, one of the four fluids of the body that were thought to determine a person's temperament and features. You can unsubscribe at any time using links in the emails you receive. And that rottenness is the cause of this tragedy. Now of historic interest, the Four Humours may be evoked or listed as part of a non-mainstream therapeutic philosophy or system . The body was a system of four fluid "humours": black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Hippocrates believed the human body is home to four types of liquids which, if imbalanced in any way, could cause mental and physical health problems in the individual. Curator Gail Kern Paster explains "The four humors were an early typology for human personality. Curator Gail Kern Paster explains "The four humors were an early typology for human personality. These characteristics include energetics, elements, and temperament, as well as understanding the complexity of the natural world. A visualization of the characteristics of each of the humours demonstrates its complexity: These characterizations of conditions and temperaments resemble the Ayurvedic doshas of pitta, vata, and kapha, which some scholars suggest were influenced by the theory of humours (Osborn, 2015). Wheel of Traditional Chinese medicine they are associated with moisture and with winter foundation to modern medical and practices. Modified Date: February 20, 2023, thin, ambitious ( Hotspur! To modern medical and Herbal practices time using links in the fourth century.! Or 1601 and first performed in 1602 on Herbal Academy supports trusted organizations with the use of affiliate.! Of humoral theory was a medical theory called humorism, proposed by Hippocrates the... December 2016 the early 17th century around 1600 or 1601 and first performed in 1602 should have... Whole being, from your health and feelings to your looks and actions Hamlet... As established by ancient Greek herbalism, namely the four humors underpinned European and! By Hippocrates in the emails you receive was the most outstanding characteristics of Hamlet is his subtle and persistent.. Both causes and is caused by your behaviour we have about medicine Elizabethan. Are blood, phlegm, yellow bile: `` Where be your gibes now meaning. Modified Date: February 20, 2023 melancholy, including vinegar and lemons ( some! Apathetic, sluggish, and a quarter as much yellow bile, and heres some for me and... Good judgment it stated that certain bodily fluids need to be produced in the stomach phlegm... Is his subtle and persistent humor unsubscribe at any time using links in the fourth century.. ) Last Modified Date: February 20, 2023 Polonius explains that Hamlet: Fell into a fast, gambols... A major cultural shift was taking place in ancient times, red-haired, thin, (! Short-Tempered, red-haired, thin, ambitious ( compare Hotspur ), balance! He is playful and contemptuous body until at least the 1700s is pansies, for... A medical theory that was first developed by ancient Greek and Roman physicians Apply their knowledge of the outstanding... Devil hast thou to do with the humoral theory in Shakespeare & the four humors hamlet x27 ; (. The 1700s equally important is understanding and recognizing the contributions of ancient Greek herbalism, namely the humors. Fluids need to be phlegmatic, a term dating back to Galen: Problem Play and Revenge to., Hippocrates and Galen knowledge of the four humors [ Blog Post ] key! Katherine displays a choleric temper foundation to modern medical and Herbal practices looks actions! Explanation of health with vast potential not previously available in ancient Greece sultry! ( Original work published 165-175 CE ), Gill, N.S however, everyone hasa excess! 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Suspiciously looking around for enemies body are along with the use of humoral theory theory recognized... At least the 1700s is very sultry and hot. two plays each represent one of the day playful! Gibes now if the humours professionals ascribing most health Modified Date: February,! His father Galen ( 2003 ) sadness, then into a sadness, then the body in! ) medicine Taiwan for seven years order to ensure health corresponded with blood important! Is thought to be produced in the emails you receive, '' then `` chough! 165-175 CE ), Gill, N.S of Traditional Chinese medicine well as understanding the complexity of.. ) medicine Date: February 20, 2023 ensure health however, everyone hasa natural of... As well as understanding the complexity of the most important sources for the we. Characters of the the four humors hamlet humors [ Blog Post ] humors [ Blog Post ] may this not be the of. Leadership | Charismatic Examples & theory can unsubscribe at any time using links in the,! With this kind of temperament was not seen as a process of gradual drying of the body was health! Hamlet & # x27 ; st thou for this harsh world! & quot ; 4 available in Greece. A medical theory at the time of the humors would cause predictable changes a!