Drugs In William Shakespeare Essay
In the time that Shakespeare was writing his plays, many believed that he was using
drugs, often spawning inspiration for him. In his time, hemp was used for many
different options. It could be used for cloth, paper, rope, and even to cure certain
medical ailments. Upon examination of Shakespeare s home in Stratford, there were
several different pipes that were found. These pipes tested positive not only for
cannabis, but also for cocaine. He also alluded to
Green 3 the use of drugs in many of his sonnets, such as that in the opening of Sonnet
27 which reads
Weary with toil I haste me to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head, To work my mind when body s work s
expired. In his Sonnet 76, he also mentioned the use of ... Show more content on
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As a dramatist concerned with relationships and sexuality, Shakespeare was aware
that infatuation could be readily confused with madness. He also made certain
characters in Hamlet and As You Like It, as well as many other plays, have some sort
of mental illness. It is believed that Shakespeare had such interest in these mental
illnesses because his son in law, John
Hall, was a doctor who studied such things. Some of John s patients suffered from an
ailment named hypochondriac melancholy, and the ways he used to relieve such
mental and physical issues were also portrayed in many of Shakespeare s writings,
such as bloodletting and purgatives. Hamlet suffered from hypochondriac
melancholy. One of Polonius lines after
Hamlet was rejected by Ophelia was that Hamlet fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, thence to a lightness, and, by this
declension, Into the madness wherein now he raves And all we mourn for. During the
time that King James ruled England, Shakespeare created many of his