Three Common Faces of Melancholy

In his essay "On Elizabethan Melancholy," G.B. Harrison lists what he considers to be the three most common Elizabethan character types of those afflicted with melancholy. Not only do these character type all apply to Hamlet, but there are various factions within the court at Elsinore who suscribe to one theory recarding his madness or another relating to these commonly held images of melancholiacs.

Use the following list to further examine these character types and their relationship to Hamlet.

The Forlorn Lover The Political Malcontent The Intellectual