Megalomania

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This article is about the psychopathological condition. For other uses, see Megalomania (disambiguation).

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Megalomania (from the Greek word μεγαλομανία) is a psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence - often generally termed as delusions of grandeur. It includes an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions. It is sometimes symptomatic of manic or paranoid disorders.

1 In the arts
- 1.1 Books
- 1.2 Plays
- 1.3 Movies
- 1.4 Music
2 See also

In the arts

Megalomania is portrayed very often in fiction, usually as an affliction of supervillains. It is not always used in a strictly correct manner; for instance, it is common for a villain to be described as a "megalomaniac" if he demonstrates an obsession with gaining immense power and wealth (rather than a delusion that he already possesses these things). However, fiction also contains genuinely megalomaniacal supervillains, and the lesser sense of an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions is a common supervillain trait.

Books

Megalomania features in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Plays

William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a famous example of overweening ambition and arrogance.

Movies

Charlie Chaplin parodied megalomania in The Great Dictator, his classic movie comedy about Adolf Hitler.

Music

Songs named Megalomaniac have been done by KMFDM, and Incubus. Black Sabbath have a song on their Sabotage album called Megalomania. Muse have a song called Megalomania on their second album Origin of Symmetry, and Therion have a song entitled Megalomania on their album Genocidal Raids.