Melancholy of the Restless

 Chaucer's Book Of The Duchess is primarily about a man experiencing insomnia and is unable to sleep in the furthest extent. Although when he does sleep, the dreams are vivid and palpable. He has not been able to fall asleep for years, around eight to be specific. In order for him to try to sleep, he first takes up chess which doesn't work too well and then ultimately finds himself reading stories. I cannot help but think he is in a state of melancholy possibly from insomnia because ineffective or no sleep at all can severely impact a person. Going of of that, the cycle of restlessness and melancholy continues in a loop because they feed off of each other. When he reads the stories, it could be as escape for him to get away from the real world. Someone who is severely sleep deprived causes chemical imbalances in the brain meaning hormones are not regulate in the way they should be. Due to imbalance, melancholy can be reached and experienced deeply but as we know in the early ages, treatments weren't very applicable. What if stories, fantasy, and imagination were his own form of treatment? Once he falls asleep and has vivid dreams, this could be an interpretation of what fantasy his world could be like such as being rewarded with luxurious gold-painted commodities, almost like a facade. Someone in a state of melancholy with little to no answers could do anything to either get relief or answers. With that being said, maybe this is the alternative for him. 


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