Cognitive tragedy in Shakespeare

Abstract

In the 17th century, human behaviour was associated with Galen’s theory of the balance of the four body fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Nowadays, modern brain physiology focuses on the exchange of neurological impulses between the brain stem, the limbic system and the neocortex. Shakespeare’s experimentation with mental cognition and passions is in great part inspired on some of these theories, which appear especially in soliloquies and passions of some of his major characters. Shakespeare’s ability to present passions through the medium of cognitive and emotive theories – his incredibly accurate manipulation of basic emotions − is greatly responsible for the lasting legacy of his drama.