What is the figure screaming about in Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'?

In Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' the figure is screaming in response to an overwhelming sense of existential angst. The painting depicts a figure with an agonized expression holding its head and screaming under a blood-red sky while two individuals in the background walk on seemingly unaware. Munch has said of the painting: "I felt a loud unending scream piercing nature." It is believed that the painting is a manifestation of the emotional and psychological turmoil that Munch was going through due to his struggles with mental illness as well as the turbulent times he was living in a period of great social change in Norway.

The painting is widely interpreted as a representation of the feelings of anxiety dread and despair that Munch experienced during his lifetime. The vivid colors chaotic composition and distorted figures all evoke a sense of unease and terror. The painting is a metaphor for the modern human experience and a universal depiction of the human condition the feeling of being overwhelmed by the forces of existence.