The Bard on the brain : understanding the mind through the art of Shakespeare and the science of brain imaging / Paul M. Matthews and Jeffrey McQuain ; foreword by Diane Ackerman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matthews, Paul M.

Contributor:

McQuain, Jeff, 1955-

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge and learning--Psychology.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Psychology.

Drama--Psychological aspects.

Drama.

Mind and body in literature.

Psychology in literature.

Emotions in literature.

Brain--Imaging.

Brain.

Physical Description:

ix, 235 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Dana Press, [2003]

Summary:

To count the ways and times William Shakespeare is quoted every day would be impossible, but it is easy to see why we return to his words again and again. Shakespeare discerned the unique capacities and problems of our humanity. He showed them from every angle. His plays are filled with the passions, desires, and deviances of man. His themes -- love, family relations, adultery, power, treachery -- are as modern as today's front page, and illuminating all is his uncanny insight into the human mind and brain. That is what fascinates us. Here we explore the beauty and mystery of the human mind and the workings of the brain, following the paths the Bard pointed out in the most famous speeches from his plays. Paul Matthews, director of brain imaging at Oxford University, and Jeffrey McQuain, scholar of Shakespeare's language, find the playwright an irresistible guide and mentor. It is Shakespeare who sees what we need to know in our modern quest to understand the engine of our humanity. How remarkable that a man from a small village in 17th century England marches so confidently along the very frontiers of 21st century science. Having him ask again the questions we are trying to answer today makes them even more compelling and absorbing.

This joint exploration of Shakespeare and brain science leads to many places. On the magical isle of The Tempest, Miranda's joy at seeing others like her takes us to the discovery of how our brain is shaped by development and experience. In Richard III, Richard's chilling description of his villainous character and evil intentions -- "Dive, thoughts, down to my soul" -- raises the question of what in the brain enables us to make moral choices. The French princess Katherine's struggle to communicate with her English future husband in Henry V leads to the wonder of how our brain masters language. And in Macbeth, Macbeth's anguished appeal to his wife's doctor, "Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased ...Raze out the written troubles of the brain...?" points to urgent discoveries we are still trying to make. Thirty-five of the most beautiful passages from Shakespeare's plays are given here, together with stunning images of the brain from researchers around the world. To this intoxicating mix are added performance photos of acclaimed British and American actors -- such as Morgan Freeman as Petruchio, Sir Ian McKellan as Prospero, Alfre Woodard as Paulina, and Anthony Hopkins as King Lear -- from celebrated Shakespeare companies. The result of this partnership among scientist, scholar, and Shakespeare is a unique view of the human drama and a wonderfully revealing perspective on the brain.

Contents:

Foreword: On the Bard's Brain / Diane Ackerman 1

A Map of the Brain 21

1. Minds and Brains

The Wonder of the Human Brain (The Tempest, 5.1) 23

Seeing the Man Through His Brain (Hamlet, 5.1) 29

We Share a Common Humanity (The Merchant of Venice, 3.1) 35

2. Seeing, Smelling, Feeling

Finding a Face (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2) 41

Smell: A Direct Link to the Emotional Brain (Hamlet, 3.3) 47

Heat and Cold: As Much in the Mind As on the Skin (Hamlet, 5.2) 53

3. Decision and Action

Battle of the Sexes (The Taming of the Shrew, 2.1) 59

Movement Begins in the Mind (Henry V. 3.1) 65

"Let Me Clutch Thee" (Macbeth, 2.1) 71

Learning and Growing (Love's Labour's Lost, 4.3) 76

Judgment and Control (Henry IV, Part I, 1.2) 83

Motivation and Morality (Richard III, 1.1) 88

4. Language and Numbers

A Muse of Fire (Henry V, Prologue) 95

A Subtle Voice (The Merchant of Venice, 4.1) 101

What Is a Word? (Henry IV, Part I, 5.1) 106

Binding Qualities in Meaning (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2) 111

Putting an English Tongue in a French Brain (Henry V, 5.2) 117

Numbers on the Mind (Julius Caesar, 2.1) 122

5. Our Inner World

Development and Memory (The Tempest, 1.2) 129

Musie As a Call to Life (The Winter's Tale, 5.3) 137

What Makes Musie Sweet? (Twelfth Night, 1.1) 142

Being God's Spy: Opening the Emotional Heart (King Lear, 5.3) 147

A Fearful Anticipation (Macbeth, 5.8) 152

Building a World in the Mind (The Tempest, 4.1) 157

6. The Seventh Age of Man: Disease, Aging, and Death

Brain Sickness and the Seven Ages of Man (As You Like It, 2.7) 163

The Falling Sickness (Julius Caesar, 1.2) 169

A Strange Commotion in the Brain (Henry VIII, 3.2) 176

The Blackness of Depression (Richard II, 3.2) 182

Tempests in the Mind (King Lear, 3.4) 188

7. Drugs and the Brain

A Celebration of Alcohol (Henry IV, Part II, 4.3) 193

Miming Death (Romeo and Juliet, 4.3) 199

The Seduction of Drugs (Othello, 1.2) 205

Treating Depression (Hamlet, 3.1) 210

The Promise of Treatment (Macbeth, 5.3) 216.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0972383026

OCLC:

50843994