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The Four Humours

  • Series
Coloured diagram of the four elements, four qualities, four humours, four seasons, and four ages of man. Naked woman in the centre.
The four elements, four qualities, four humours, four seasons, and four ages of man, 1991. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
  • Article

Shakespeare and the four humours

Blood. Phlegm. Black bile. Yellow bile. The theory of the four humours informed many of Shakespeare's best-known characters, including the phlegmatic Falstaff.

  • Article

Shakespeare’s cholerics were the real drama queens

In Shakespeare’s times, people’s personalities were categorised by four temperaments. The choleric temperament was hot-tempered and active.

  • Article

Hamlet, the melancholic Prince of Denmark

Hamlet clearly demonstrates an excess of black bile and is arguably the most famous literary melancholic.

About the author

Photograph of a Wellcome Collection Visitor Experience Assistant conducting a tour of the Reading Room.

Nelly Ekström

Nelly Ekström is a Visitor Experience Assistant, bringing the galleries and exhibitions to life.