FROM ILLNESS TO META-SELVES IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET AND KING LEAR: NEW IDENTITIES IN THE TIME OF DISEASE
Research Article
FROM ILLNESS TO META-SELVES IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET AND KING LEAR: NEW IDENTITIES IN THE TIME OF DISEASE
ABSTRACT
The article investigates pictures of disease and corruption in Hamlet and King Lear and their role in
changing identities and creating the concept of the meta-self. Images of rottenness, contagion, ulcers,
surgery, diseased bodies, and sickness are displayed and discussed. The research traces three interrelated
trajectories. First, it proves that illness and diseases were a major preoccupation in England during the Early
Modern period. Second, it demonstrates that diseases could be considered a source of inspiration by
playwrights like William Shakespeare. Hamlet and King Lear are depicted as plays teeming with images
of contagion, decay, and an unhealthy atmosphere. Third, it examines the link between sickness and the
transformation of the main characters in the time of disease. The metamorphosis of the characters follows
what Baudrillard calls “hyperreality” or the “traversing” self. The research has corroborated the pertinence
of the concept of “the meta-self” as a manifestation of “the transmigratory nature of the text” while dealing
with the protagonists of both plays. The meta-self is part of personal identity since self and identity are
interrelated concepts. The meta-self is a self that goes beyond challenging social and ethical standards; it
shuns dogmatic overconfident beliefs about life and functions as a traversing mind that constantly
reassesses the certitudes of humans. The meta-selves become like re-narrated self-narratives. Once told,
they help the protagonists reconstruct their identities amid chaos, disease, and pandemics. The article draws
a guiding thread tracing the undercurrent dynamic between characters, on the one hand, and disease, on the
other. The meta-self is multifaceted; it is not only about mental or psychological growth but also the creation
of a new theatrical self. In the transformation process, characters represent theatrical entities and acquire
theatrical identities.
, Z.,
(2022). FROM ILLNESS TO META-SELVES IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET AND KING LEAR: NEW IDENTITIES IN THE TIME OF DISEASE. International Journal of Education and Philology, 3(2), 56-75. Arrival Date Posted By:https://ijep.ibupress.com/articles/from-illness-to-meta-selves-in-william-shakespeare-s-hamlet-and-king-lear-new-identities-in-the-time-of-disease
