Camera approaches an impeccably dressed man who appears to be waiting for someone. As the camera gets close enough, he turns to face the individual.
No, I will not give your kind anymore handouts. Now please leave me alone, I’m waiting for someone.
__handed a piece a paper
My mistake good sir, I had no idea that you were the person I was waiting for… (as he looks him up and down) I thought Mr Jaggard and Mr Shakespeare were acquitted with persons of higher social status… I don’t suppose you have anything nicer to wear? Or something clean?
__
No matter, we’ll have the booth to ourselves and if we run into someone of importance, you don’t mind acting a little mad do you? I could just say you’re one of my many patients at Bedlam.
__
Excellent, follow up me. I do apologize about the crutches, I was attacked by a mad patient of mine, he was bellowing something about ‘not being mad’ and ‘please improve my conditions’. I know, clearly possessed by a demon. So I decided to not give him food for a week along with 20 lashings, that’ll teacher the demon inside him.
We take our seats.
Mr Jaggard, after printing Mr Shakespeare’s First Folio almost a year ago, was kind enough to acquire some tickets for us to see Hamlet; supposedly one of Shakespeare’s greatest. I’ve seen most of them, but I have my reservations about this one.
the play starts __ I’m asked: what are your reservations?
That’s an excellent question, have you seen this play or know anything about it?
__
Didn’t think so, especially not from these seats… I, being the foremost medical expert in the nation of England know that this play is completely illogical and I’ll tell you why in a bit.
CUTSCENE
turn on ghost scene or something
You see, this ‘Ghost’ cannot possibly be here, Shakespeare is taking his privilege as a play-write to an extreme!
__
Oh you don’t believe in ghosts do you?
__ it could be a ghost sent by God from purgatory like he says
I may not know the Creator’s Will, but I do know Dante. On Mount Purgatory, the souls of those cleansing their sins are doing many different things, but nowhere does Dante mention souls going back to earth to wander as they please. Especially to tell their son to commit the sin of murder for them. That completely goes against Church teaching.
__
So what if I’m a Catholic, I’m too important for them to get rid of me. I take care of the King, I am doctor to the Royal Household and Keeper of Bedlam. I pay the Anglicans lips service, and there are minor thorns who suspect of my Catholic tendencies but they wouldn’t dare. The King believes I’m Anglican and that’s all that matters.
__
Hahahaha you must be joking? Who will ever believe you (gestures to his outfit), I mean look at yourself, middleclass at best and no name for yourself. Besides, I could just as easily deny it.
back to the play __ suggests the conversation move away from class
Your right, we should talk about things other than class while at this theater, you were well acquainted with Jaggard and Shakespeare after all.
__ Suggests Galen’s humors as explanation of madness and hallucinations
That’s precisely why you’re wrong! Galen’s view is wrong! There is no such thing as ‘the four humors’, despite his melancholic disposition and suicidal intentions. Melancholy is a real illness, Galen was just wrong.
__
(Rolls eyes) Galen didn’t know his foot from his forehead. His idea that fumes (spirit fingers), from my spleen (points to abdomen), go into my head (raises fingers to head) and cloud my worldview. Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy is correct, melancholy is a condition of the mind that is first temporary and can become much more severe.
__ well then what’s wrong with Hamlet if you’re such a great Dr
Ah. Now that’s the question. Honestly, if Hamlet were a woman, I’d say he is hysterical with a melancholic temperament. But we all know that only women can become hysterical. Since its only Act 2, I’d say that it’s probably just a severe case of melancholy.
__ What do you suppose if he is faking?
Hamlet did say he would fake madness. But if people thought he was faking, I don’t think I would have been encouraged so vigorously to see this play. I can only make my decision after the play.
CUTSCENE
__ end of play, mentions he may have still been faking
My, I thought you were brighter than that, weren’t you paying attention? Notice how Hamlet was completely mad in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th acts? He didn’t start the play mad but dove into psychosis by pretending to be mad; by acting mad, and fanning the flames of his initial madness, he became truly mad. I would have locked Hamlet up right away. As soon as he started pretending. Cause we all know that madness is incurable. So if you develop madness… and want the best treatment come to Bedlam, don’t let the howls and chains fool you, I’m very good at my job. When I decide to show up. Tell them the Helkiah Crooke sent you, and I’ll make sure your chains are padded and you are fed at least once a day. Good day Sir.
Helkiah Crooke walks away like the complete jerk that he is
Reflective Tag
I really stepped out of my comfort zone on this one. My stomach is churning just thinking about this persona’s presentation with my rhotacism in front of everyone. Thankfully, I was familiar with my topic since it was a rehash of my research paper. It was interesting to discover though that there is a pretty decent record of the Keepers at Bedlam and I was surprised to find that my Persona was actually a real person. I had some fun doing this guy – much more fun writing his script than performing – since he was Such. A. Jerk. I mentioned at the end of the persona that Crooke was fired from his post, I tried showing how much you don’t want to be around this guy. He apparently never showed up to Bedlam and the money and food he was given to run it, he pocketed or ate and when he did show up he was severely detrimental to patients (which means a LOT considering how they treated patients at the time). I was stuck in a predicament: It would have been pretty difficult to demonstrate his incompetence while simultaneously showing the current cultural perspectives on madness and mental illness; because there are those out there that thought Crooke was a complete fraud who copied his famous work from other people and reprinted it. In the end I just showed him to be a jerk. He’s the type of guy that’ll lock up a patient and throw away the key because I have no doubt he loved the idea that once you were mentally ill, it never went away and I had him comment on that near the video’s end.
reflective word count: 281