The Various Theories of Madness presented by Jonathan Swift in “A Tale of a Tub”
Jonathan Swift’s extract on an “A Digression …..Of Madness in a Commonwealth” effectively establishes
three essential theories that he inevitably links to Madness, its causes, effects and consequences for the
victim. Though, generally deemed a satire, the following essay aims to present the analysis of Swift’s
paper while being viewed literally. The Theory of Vapor, knowledge and Ethics are presented by Swift in
the selected passage, as his views of Madness
In Swift’s theory of vapor, madness is referred to as an essential and a fundamental aspect that the
“human understanding” needs, to produce greater effects from this human “invention”. Here vapor is
meant to metaphorically stand for madness, which is evident in Swift’s using the example of mists,
steams and smokes, as being the same states of matter, but arising from different and various sources.
Swift repetitively reemphasizes his concept, “..It is of no import where the fire was kindled, if the vapor
has once got up into the brain”, which explains that the causes of madness may be different and
unimportant but the effects are always the same. As the writer states, madness has varied kinds of
effects that it produces, which depend on the “soil” or individuals. According to individual differences,
the effects of madness may vary differently from person to person. Swift uses visual representation to
show ascension of vapors to the brain through the body, by relating a fictional incident of a great Prince
who started raising the greatest, well-equipped, and infallible fleet, without consultation of his own
ministers, and was ultimately found to be guilty of trying to save his wife who had been kidnapped by
his enemies. The Prince’s ascension of madness begins through his spinal duct after the semen had been
inflamed and turned to choler, and then proceeded to his brain. According to the details of the theory
laid down in the passage, the effects of madness eventually die down in some, which emphasized when
Swift states that “The same spirits which, in their superior progress, would conquer a kingdom,
descending upon the anus, conclude in a fistula”. The change does not however, need to be forceful but
swift and easy transformation, in and out of madness, in individuals.
The theory of knowledge introduced by Swift concludes that great men in history, science, philosophy,
etc, had been to a point indulged in madness, hence the reason why they had great minds and
introduced brilliant concepts into the world. People who come up with great ideas in fields such as
philosophy, where it seems impossible, are subject to madness which drives their mind through
different direction that normal minds would not go. These great people today if born in the current era
(Swift’s time) would have been regarded as crazy for the ideas that they came up with and would have
probably been treated with phlebotomy and other torture methods in hospitals. Swift uses the
metaphor of atoms to demonstrate how an individual’s opinions and ideas may surge and collide against
each other in the brain because of madness, until they finally unite into one final unanimous
idea/opinion. Swift here, extends his theory in the essay, by introducing the idea that people with the
same tastes/opinions will be more accepting to similar ideas. An idea needs to “dexterously screw up to
Jonathan Swift’s extract on an “A Digression …..Of Madness in a Commonwealth” effectively establishes
three essential theories that he inevitably links to Madness, its causes, effects and consequences for the
victim. Though, generally deemed a satire, the following essay aims to present the analysis of Swift’s
paper while being viewed literally. The Theory of Vapor, knowledge and Ethics are presented by Swift in
the selected passage, as his views of Madness
In Swift’s theory of vapor, madness is referred to as an essential and a fundamental aspect that the
“human understanding” needs, to produce greater effects from this human “invention”. Here vapor is
meant to metaphorically stand for madness, which is evident in Swift’s using the example of mists,
steams and smokes, as being the same states of matter, but arising from different and various sources.
Swift repetitively reemphasizes his concept, “..It is of no import where the fire was kindled, if the vapor
has once got up into the brain”, which explains that the causes of madness may be different and
unimportant but the effects are always the same. As the writer states, madness has varied kinds of
effects that it produces, which depend on the “soil” or individuals. According to individual differences,
the effects of madness may vary differently from person to person. Swift uses visual representation to
show ascension of vapors to the brain through the body, by relating a fictional incident of a great Prince
who started raising the greatest, well-equipped, and infallible fleet, without consultation of his own
ministers, and was ultimately found to be guilty of trying to save his wife who had been kidnapped by
his enemies. The Prince’s ascension of madness begins through his spinal duct after the semen had been
inflamed and turned to choler, and then proceeded to his brain. According to the details of the theory
laid down in the passage, the effects of madness eventually die down in some, which emphasized when
Swift states that “The same spirits which, in their superior progress, would conquer a kingdom,
descending upon the anus, conclude in a fistula”. The change does not however, need to be forceful but
swift and easy transformation, in and out of madness, in individuals.
The theory of knowledge introduced by Swift concludes that great men in history, science, philosophy,
etc, had been to a point indulged in madness, hence the reason why they had great minds and
introduced brilliant concepts into the world. People who come up with great ideas in fields such as
philosophy, where it seems impossible, are subject to madness which drives their mind through
different direction that normal minds would not go. These great people today if born in the current era
(Swift’s time) would have been regarded as crazy for the ideas that they came up with and would have
probably been treated with phlebotomy and other torture methods in hospitals. Swift uses the
metaphor of atoms to demonstrate how an individual’s opinions and ideas may surge and collide against
each other in the brain because of madness, until they finally unite into one final unanimous
idea/opinion. Swift here, extends his theory in the essay, by introducing the idea that people with the
same tastes/opinions will be more accepting to similar ideas. An idea needs to “dexterously screw up to
