Not all references made to the four humors are poetic – in fact, most of them are humorous. These less poetic references are seen throughout, from eating beef making someone less intelligent (Shakespeare 1.3.85-86), to a gag involving someone mistakenly attributing the astrological sign of Taurus to the legs and thighs in order to get someone to dance (Shakespeare 1.3.134-139), to Malvolio, when asked what is wrong, responding “Not black in my mind” (Shakespeare 3.4.28). While none of these examples are that substantial, the casualness of them actually lets us know how generally accepted these ideas were, and how vital they were to the popular culture of the time. Another instance of this can be seen when Andrew responds “Faith, so they say, but I think it rather consists of eating and drinking” when Toby asks, “Does not out lives consist of
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Orsino is performative in his depression, Viola crosses over to melancholy occasionally, Maria is subservient to Olivia, and Andrew is not particularly sluggish. David Hoeniger says it best: “Though by 1600…errors had been pointed out by Galen, and skepticism towards his theory and methods were increasing, Galen’s basic assumptions persisted widely…[Shakespeare] makes frequent use of traditional Galenic notions and takes for granted his audience’s familiarity with them” (Hoeniger 71). At the time of Shakespeare, the idea of the four humors was being overcome by scientific discoveries. Even still, the four humors were widely familiar in Elizabethan England. Even now, four centuries later, “the four humors,” is a familiar phrase. Even though it is a familiar phrase, it is not as familiar of an ideology; in Shakespeare’s time, though the physiology of the four humors was being gradually being phased out, the psychology of it and cultural impact can be seen in Twelfth
Orsino is performative in his depression, Viola crosses over to melancholy occasionally, Maria is subservient to Olivia, and Andrew is not particularly sluggish. David Hoeniger says it best: “Though by 1600…errors had been pointed out by Galen, and skepticism towards his theory and methods were increasing, Galen’s basic assumptions persisted widely…[Shakespeare] makes frequent use of traditional Galenic notions and takes for granted his audience’s familiarity with them” (Hoeniger 71). At the time of Shakespeare, the idea of the four humors was being overcome by scientific discoveries. Even still, the four humors were widely familiar in Elizabethan England. Even now, four centuries later, “the four humors,” is a familiar phrase. Even though it is a familiar phrase, it is not as familiar of an ideology; in Shakespeare’s time, though the physiology of the four humors was being gradually being phased out, the psychology of it and cultural impact can be seen in Twelfth