Psychiatric and neurological implications in Shakespearean literature. Brief analysis

Abstract

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is with no doubt one of the most prolific literary artists of all times; in addition to being an eminent playwright, his works reflect arguments that express medical knowledge, allude to concise descriptions that are relevant to medical practice of that time, and even to current medicine. He wrote between 35 and 38 plays, six lyric works and 154 sonnets (approximately) where finding little more than 700 references to medicine of those days is possible. For this reason, different scholars have analyzed the medical concepts within the Shakespearean literature; some agree that these may be the result of studies of his own, while others suggest that Shakespeare repeated the medical knowledge of some ``men of wisdom{''} of his time. It should be mentioned that the author's contemporary London society lived in an overpopulated, nauseating, sexually promiscuous city that was plagued by pests and waste and continually besieged by epidemics whose treatments many times caused greater evil than benefit (for example, lead-based make-up). Some biographers credit syphilis, alcohol, and depression as the source of Shakespeare's creative production. Despite the myriad of authors who have analyzed the insinuations about medicine in Shakespeare's dramatic accounts, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is perhaps the most important; throughout his career he carried out a substantial analysis of the English playwright's works owing to his passion for literature and for this author.