"Cleanse the foul body of the infected world / If they patiently receive my medicine" (Shakespeare 304). William Shakespeare addresses an illness known as melancholy through the character of Jaques in As You Like It. In this quote, Jacques accuses the outside world of having imposed its “infections” on him. Robert Burton defines this condition in Anatomy of Melancholy: Jaques's symptoms indicate that he suffers from what Burton defines as a habitual melancholy of emulation and love. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In order to understand Jacques' illness, it is essential to study its symptoms. Robert Burton explains that the signs of melancholy in the body are “obvious and familiar” and that the afflicted “willfully betray themselves, they are too common everywhere…their grievances are too well known” (Burton 382). In Act 2, Scene 1 of As You Like It, Shakespeare introduces Jacques to readers through a revealing conversation with Amiens. Amiens recognizes Jacques' discomfort with a song he performs. The words encourage others to sing together and fear only “winter and bad weather” (Shakespeare 302). Jaques responds with cynical comments to this positive message. He wants Amiens to continue singing, while prolonging his sadness. His interaction with Amiens reveals his well-known melancholic nature. Amiens openly addresses the fact that Jaques, who can “suck the melancholy out of a song like a weasel sucks eggs,” cannot be content (Ibid. 302). Furthermore, Jaques admits in Act 4, Scene 1, to suffering "from a melancholy of my own, composed of many simple ones, extracted from many objects, and even from the various contemplations of my travels, in which my ruminations frequent envelop me in a state of the most humorous sadness” (Ibid. 315). This reveals Jaques' comfort and open-mindedness in the face of his grievances; he is ready to make everyone aware of his illness. The melancholic humor that emanates from the body “makes some laugh, some cry, some sleep, some dance, some sing, some howl, [and] some drink” (Burton 383). Jaques' inconsistent behavior includes moments of sarcasm, contemplation, and stupidity. In Act 2, Scene 5, Jaques sardonically comments on his enjoyment of music and decides to create his own verse. His production includes cold and dry words; he criticizes the “monkey dogs” who have fled the courts: “Here he will see / Rude fools like himself / And if he will come to me” (Shakespeare 303). This song presents Jaques as a playful and sarcastic character which favors his melancholy attitudes. In Act 4, Scene 3, James insists that the lords “sing it.” It doesn't matter how it is tuned, so that it makes enough noise” (Ibid. 317). This desire for noise is born from the melancholy of the body. Besides playful sarcasm, Jaques delights in contemplation. It expresses a philosophical concept that underlies a deceptively simple idea. For example, in Act 2, Scene 1, Jacques describes a ragtag fool he meets in the Forest of Arden. He speaks with youthful excitement - a stark contrast to his darker moments - when he describes this fool: "And in his brain, which is as dry as the rest of the biscuit after a trip... Oh, how I was a fool! I am ambitious for a motley coat” (Ibid. 304). This statement represents the contradictory nature of Jacques wearing a coat of dry wit and melancholy which is part of his perpetual costume, while showing a. philosophical and intellectual side, a bit like the madmanheterogeneous. This offers a bit of irony in Jaques' disposition as his adamant desire to transform himself into a ragtag fool has already evolved. Another example of his contemplative nature occurs when he preaches about the passage of time and the inevitability of mortality. The constant shadow of melancholy that hangs over Jaques results in the development of his illness. It becomes evident through the study of Jaques's history of symptoms that his melancholy is habitual in nature. Robert Burton argues that the difference between melancholy of habit and melancholy of disposition lies in the way infected individuals behave during periods of suffering. Life is a “succession of pleasures and pains” and all humanity experiences melancholy feelings regardless of their social, mental or physical circumstances (Burton 144). Some learn to develop patience during times of illness, while others become their illness, frequently exposing their constant state of despair. Jaques represents those whose melancholy defines their lives. He refuses to face periods of despair with inner patience, and instead "gives way to [his] passion, willingly submitting...to the labyrinth of cares, misfortunes, miseries, and lets (his) soul be overcome by them …”become habits” (Ibid. 145). Evidence of this appears in Act 2, Scene 7, when Jaques explains that “all the world is a stage / And all the men and women but players” (Shakespeare 305). He believes that human nature is just a performance and emphasizes that life assigns certain roles. This fits with his earlier comments about how society doesn't expect a fool to speak deeply or intellectually. Jaques accepts his role in the society of “Monsieur Melancholy” (Ibid. 309), and therefore participates in this dramatic world that he describes. Additionally, society encourages his despair, leading Jaques to turn his melancholy into a habit. Jaques' interaction with society indicates that his melancholy is rooted in both emulation and love. Many aspects of emulation and love intertwine into one category, because love inspires thoughts of emulation and jealousy. Cyprian describes emulation as a “consummation aimed at making another man’s happiness his misfortune, at torturing him…they weep, sigh, and groan always day and night without interruption” (Burton 266). This “nursing of spirit and value” (Ibid. 267) occurs between Orlando and Jaques as they walk together in the Forest of Arden. Orlando writes love poems to Rosalind about trees, while Jaques develops an intense disgust towards his overly romantic acquaintance. He judges Orlando harshly, expressing his negativity towards Rosalind and the whole world and misery. “The worst fault anyone has is being in love” (Shakespeare 309). Jaques attempts to transform Orlando's feelings of love into feelings of indifference. He tries to convince Orlando that his actions are superficial and that only a foolish woman would appreciate superficial love poems. A similar circumstance occurs in act 2, scene 7: “And then the lover / Sighing like a furnace with a lamentable ballad / Made to his mistress's eyebrow” (Ibid. 315). Jaques mocks the romantic conventions of the Renaissance, but his apparent hatred for lovers is only a costume. He secretly envies couples like Orlando and Rosalind, but cannot escape his melancholy role in the world. This example crosses the line between emulation and amorous melancholy. According to Burton, those who suffer from romantic melancholy become angry when they hear about lovers and each other: "What greater contrast can there be than between a lover and a, 1997. 288-325.