This term paper is devoted to the depiction of lovesickness in Renaissance and modern poetry. Once commonly perceived as a serious medical condition, lovesickness transformed into a widely used fruitful metaphor in poetry and song lyrics.
The Renaissance doctors viewed erotic passion as an unwanted condition with a range of symptoms, certain pattern of development, and suitable ways of treatment. This can be stated with certainty by virtue of a wide number of specialised texts focused on the subject that were written at that time. Among them, in particular, there is "Treatise on Lovesickness" (quoted as T.L.) by a French physician Jacques Ferrand — in the first part of the theory chapter titled “Renaissance Physicians Warn”, the most relevant key points of this work would be provided. Similar findings from other medical works of the time will also be briefly mentioned.
Apart from scientific texts concerned with lovesickness, a clinical approach to love and its manifestation in the ‘patient’s’ body can be registered in Renaissance drama and poetry. William Shakespeare’s most famous texts, such as "Romeo and Juliet", "Othello", as well as his love sonnets, are evidence to that. The second part of the theory chapter titled “Renaissance Lovers Suffer” introduces the analysis of such instances in Shakespeare’s and Sir Philip Sydney’s works. The symptoms of lovesickness found in their texts will be explored in comparison with the medical description given by Ferrand.
Today, the scientific community does not identify romantic passion as a disease any longer. However, we widely and often unconsciously conceptualise love as such. For poets, it opens a richest source of metaphoric language. ‘Love is sickness’ rapidly became one of the most common metaphors in love poetry, allowing for endless artistic solutions, but at the same time engendering the risk of repetitiveness and the effect of ‘familiarisation’, in Viktor Shklovsky’s terms.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
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- "Thine eyes, sweet lady, have infected mine!"
- Renaissance Physicians Warn
- Renaissance Lovers Suffer
- Metaphors we Love by..
- Poetry
- Lyrics
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
Objectives and Key Themes
This term paper explores the depiction of lovesickness in Renaissance and modern poetry. It examines the evolution of this concept from a serious medical condition to a widespread and fruitful metaphor in poetry and song lyrics. The paper highlights the understanding of love as a disease in Renaissance medical texts, focusing on Jacques Ferrand's Treatise on Lovesickness. It then analyzes how this concept manifests in Renaissance literature, particularly in the works of Shakespeare and Sidney. Finally, the paper explores the poetic realization of the 'love is sickness' metaphor in a selection of love poems and love songs from different periods and styles.
- The historical and medical perception of lovesickness in the Renaissance.
- The representation of lovesickness in Renaissance literature.
- The 'love is sickness' metaphor in modern poetry and song lyrics.
- The influence of genre, style, and historical context on the metaphorical expression of love.
- The evolution of the concept of lovesickness from a medical condition to a poetic metaphor.
Chapter Summaries
The introduction provides an overview of the paper's objective and scope, exploring the evolution of lovesickness from a medical condition to a poetic metaphor. The first chapter delves into the Renaissance understanding of lovesickness as a medical condition, examining Jacques Ferrand's Treatise on Lovesickness and its influence on the period's literature. This chapter highlights the medical understanding of lovesickness, its symptoms, and the perceived need for treatment.
The second chapter analyzes the representation of lovesickness in Renaissance drama and poetry, focusing on works by Shakespeare and Sidney. It explores how these authors depict the physical and mental effects of lovesickness, showcasing the intersection of medical discourse and literary expression.
Keywords
This paper focuses on the themes of lovesickness, Renaissance medicine, literary analysis, poetry, song lyrics, and metaphorical language. It explores the historical and medical context of lovesickness, analyzes its representation in literature, and examines the development of the 'love is sickness' metaphor in poetic and lyrical works.
- Quote paper
- Aleksandra Dediukina (Author), 2024, The Depiction of Lovesickness in Renaissance and Modern Poetry. A Long Journey of Lovesickness from Diagnosis to Metaphor, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1477221
