Last Wednesday at Rose Cafe, Sara Schlemm, Graduate Resident Fellow at Rose House and Ph.D candidate in the Department of English, lead a discussion about the history of melancholy in literature and film. We opened the discussion by talking about the differences between sadness and melancholy, which tend to be mixed together in everyday uses. When I think about melancholy and sadness, I think of melancholy as being more of a prolonged sense of numbness, longer lasting then just sadness, which may be fleeting and short-lived. I found it interesting that the term “melancholia” literally translates to “black bile”, and it historically related to the balance of the 4 humors in the body. This illustrates that periods of melancholia are a natural occurrence, originating from the body itself.

We focused on analyzing Hamlet, who is in grief over the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother. Hamlet is such an complex individual that his outward appearance does provide a window into his inner feelings. According the Frued, unlike mourning, someone experiencing melancholia may also be self-reproaching and nihilistic. Mourning is usually a result of a loss, but melancholia is more complex because it is connected to both love and loss, and it may even prevent the natural process of mourning.

I agree that melancholia, like the progression of seasons, is natural to feel and experience, and that we are all bound to experience our own version of melancholia at some point of our lives. I found the idea that, if you really want to know somebody, find out what makes them sad, very interesting, because sadness can be more revealing than happiness in that it shows what we truly value and care about.