Henry IV

Henry IV delves into the idea of madness and the intrinsic nature of madness. Pirandello was surrounded by madness, as his wife needed to be sent to an asylum in order for their children’s safety. This means that the subject matter is quite personal to Pirandello and I believe he is quite well-versed on the subject.

            Henry choses to appear insane but isn’t really isn’t. In fact he had faking it for several years. Whether this can be considered insanity is where the ambiguous nature of madness is probed. Henry goes onto claim that he actual prefers insanity to sanity. “I preferred to stay crazy having found everything here ready and willing for this new delight of sorts” (Pirandello,132-133). His enjoyment is further discussed as he believes being aware of playing a madman has made him more self-aware and allows him to feel more control. This whole flirtation with the idea of madness is what makes Pirandello genius. It’s nearly impossible to know for sure whether Henry is insane merely because of semantics.