"To everything there is a season": some Shakespearean models of normal and anomalous aging.
Shakespeare perceived aging characters as falling broadly into two categories: normal and anomalous. The former age in conformity to societal expectations, often displaying an inability to affect the outcome of events; the latter (e.g., Lear and Falstaff), deviating from these behavioral norms, dominate the action of their respective plays. Falstaff, a prime example of the anomalous ager, suffers rejection by King Henry V, his former boon companion, a consequence of ageism.
Donow
H S
HS
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901-4503.
D000368:Aged; D004324:Drama; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D011287:Prejudice