Melancholia: A Choice

The Inside [An Explanation of the Work]

Melancholia: A Choice is a suite of poems which is based around Sigmund Freud's theory on Mourning and Melancholia, and explores the responses to Melancholia. In his theory, he explores the difference between experiencing Mourning and experiencing Melancholia. In both cases, they are a result of an individual losing something or someone that is significant to them, causing them to spiral into a state of sadness. However, according to Freud, the process of Mourning eventually passes due to a replacement of, or a distraction from, what has been lost, and a gradual ability to detach oneself from the bygone subject. Therefore it is a healthy process. However, Melancholia is a case of the inability to let go of this lost object, becoming an abnormal pathology. In the theory, Melancholia is perpetual and is thought to always end in either suicide or mania, making it a dangerous state of mind. It can cause self-deprecation, self-exposure in excess, difficulty eating and sleeping, paranoia, irritability and unlike mourning, is an unconscious process. Throughout the Major Work, each persona is portrayed with a case of Melancholia, and their responses are different depending on their attitude and the period of time in which they live, due to specific social events.

Melancholia: A choice is intended for a more specific audience of those who are curious about or directly experiencing despondency. It explores the possible ways in which an individual could have dealt with Melancholia throughout the ages, which I believe is beneficial to the intended audience. The purpose of the Major Work was a personal desire to observe whether melancholy and depression has continued to exist throughout the ages, or if it has not. Therefore, my major work has been laid out in the format of a brief timeline. I also chose to represent Melancholia throughout the ages because when choosing to start my Major Work, I did not know in what region of the Extension and Advanced course I wanted to focus on, so I decided I would incorporate poems to represent moments in literature history that had been studied. In my investigation, the texts that had been paid attention to throughout the Advanced and Extension course, provided me with an array of social contexts. This allowed me to explore the relationship of texts, mainly poetry, with their time periods.

Melancholia: A Choice has a slightly altered outlook on the theory that Freud has proposed about Mourning and Melancholia. Although he suggests that Melancholia only ends in suicide and mania, the Major Work also explores the ability to move past melancholia, a more modern day strategy and this can be shown in the Romantic poem, 'Ode to a Nightingale: A Wordsworthian Perspective'. This poem was based around John Keats' 'Ode to a Nightingale' in which his melancholy is eased for a moment when he sees a bird, and experiences a sense of relief from the crassness of the world due to Nature. Nature was seen as a healing force by the Romantics, and had the ability to transcend an individual's mind into a state of complete serenity, even if only temporarily. In the poem that I have written, edition two of "Ode to a Nightingale", the persona, who represents John Keats, must confront that their life will be aborted due to a common terminal illness of the time period, known as tuberculosis. Despite his state of melancholy, he has a paradoxical image in his mind of the nightingale returning to his grave, and is persuaded to continue writing before his death, despite that his name will eventually be forgotten.

"The Silent Siren" is a poem composed to emphasise on mania, and how it affected an individual, at an earlier time before mental illness became a common subject. The poem was influenced by "My Last Duchess", a poem written by Robert Browning, about the jealousy that a persona feels due to the possessive nature which they feel toward their spouse or lover. This poem was designed to heighten the significance and dangers that were not recognised at the time, due to the belief of that duty was more important than personal desire. Similarly, "Ephialtes" is composed to emphasise on Melancholia behind closed-doors. The persona in the poem believes that he has had his reputation ruined, and already suffers from a severe case of paranoia. He does not yield to his emotions at the banquet, however, upon his arrival back to his home that night, his insomnia triggers the unconscious mental state that he keeps hidden. Therefore when the chamberlain enters, he quickly composes himself. He becomes so delusional, that he believes that the demon, Ephialtes, has been with him his whole life, and that he has been asleep in a nightmare. He does not calm down, and does not express his emotions to anyone, presenting his decline into mania.

"The New Filth" is a poem based solely around the time period in which social statuses were changing, and the rise of 'The New Rich'. A man is about to lose his position as the inheritor of a family estate, due to changing societal laws. He has so much pride, that losing this privilege, without having worked for it, makes him delusional, aggressive and irrational. Again, like the persona in "Ephialtes", he believes that the demon, Mammon, exists.

In respect to the timeline, "On the Origin of Species" is about the Darwin Theory that shocked many religious individuals during the time. The title of the poem has been derived from Charles Darwin's published theory, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life". The persona displays impeccable receptivity toward the situation, and takes into account that, despite that she has been raised her whole life to believe in God, the theory that Charles Darwin has come up with is true. However, she has fallen into a state of melancholia, because she is too afraid that her beliefs might be wrong. However, in the end, the persona firmly ends the letter she is writing, accepting the dangers of the world, and stating that even if Melancholia will be her demise, she will continue to search for the meaning of life.

"The Hermit: The First Romantic" is a perfect example of a social context in which the persona's duty and pride is worth more to them than their emotions, and as a result, they lose their family. The Hermit is a fellow poet of the persona who attempts to guide him toward making the right choice, and is symbolic of a Romantic. His existence as an individual in the poem foreshadows the Keatsian poem that follows after it, in respect to the timeline. This poem was not based around a specific text, but rather was composed to make the transition from the Renaissance to the Romantic, showing the two contrasting figures, the Renaissance man and the Romantic man.

Then there is also the common case of self-deprecation in Melancholia which can be observed in the poem, "Traveller at a Window". The setting of the poem is based on the post effects of World War II on the ex-soldiers, physically and emotionally. Post-traumatic stress disorder, at the time was, a much overlooked mental condition and could, by Freud's definition be classed as melancholia, for it is on-going and can eventually lead to suicide or mania. At the end of the poem, the persona chooses to hide his emotions and feelings from his family, because the constant need for excessive care, due to his mental and physical disability, has become a burden on them. This is an act of self-deprecation, and I derived the scenario, emotional state and idea from the character of Septimus Warren Smith, in the novel by Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway which was a text looked at in the Advanced Course. Septimus eventually kills himself due to the lack of privacy that he feels in his life, with people constantly invading his personal space as a false means to attempt to force him to recover. During this social period, men were expected to maintain a hero's complex, which was to save others whilst remaining composed, and with a solid emotional state. Unhealthily, the persona of my poem continues to force himself to stay composed, which is a clear indication that with the lack of ability to express himself, his mental condition will worsen and eventually lead to mania.

This experience has allowed me to realise the more psychological aspect of the human response to melancholia and perpetual sadness. It was a very personal work, due to the fact that I myself have been struggling to deal with these consistent and negative feelings. The investigative process and the development of the finished product have enabled me to realise that humanity in society has not fluctuated much throughout the ages in regards to these specific emotions, and that most likely, most of mankind has experienced these woes, or some form of it. Despite that the social context has changed over time, the responses of individuals have not, whether or not these emotions were deemed acceptable during the time, they still existed. Although Freud has stated that melancholia is an on-going and unconscious process, and that it most likely has the potential to end badly, my view specifically on the attitudes to sadness about the Romantic Period has allowed me to become more insightful, and despite realising the reality of Freud's theory, I can disprove that it will always end badly. I believe that melancholia can eventually be made a conscious process in order to recover from it. This has become a life lesson for me–despite the realities of the world, the attitude, the perspective and the receptivity of the individual and their ability to adapt has a huge impact on whether or not they succeed to overcome Melancholia.