Shakespeare on old age and disability

The plays of William Shakespeare were reviewed for references to disabiliti es, aging and disability, and older characters with disabilities. Shakespea re's references draw from traditional cultural notions about older people w ith disabilities. These traditional notions include people with physical di sabilities being evil, the entertainment value of disabilty, and those who were mentally ill being wild and animal-like. He viewed the aging process a s disabling and old age as a time when individuals lost some abilities to f unction, particularly when it came to mental capacity and physical mobility . His writings show that he used disability as a literary tool to add dimen sion to characters and set them apart. Contemporary literature continues to share some of Shakespeare's view on aging and disability but also departs from them in important ways. For example, contemporary treatment of disabil ities and aging places more emphasis on the human side of the affects of ag ing and disabilities. Disabilities and aging are not cast in the same negat ive terms as Shakespeare used.