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The Chain of Being
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The Great Chain of Being
Year 10 English
What is the Chain of Being?
What is it?
The Chain of Being is a divine hierarchy based on the balance of spirit and matter in beings. A being that is all spirit, like God, is at the top of the chain. A being that is all matter, like a rock, is at the bottom of the chain.
The Elizabethans
The Elizabethans
The Elizabethan people believed in the Chain of Being as a way to organise their society. Every detail of the world has its place in the hierarchy. The Chain's purpose was to keep society in order and to stop people from challenging their superiors.
The Order
The main levels are: God, angels, man, animals, plants, minerals. Sublevels included things like families, which were organised: Father, mother, son, daughter, servant.
Elizabethans believed that if something stepped out of place in the hierarchy, chaos would ensue. For example, a child is considered lower on the hierarchy than their parent. So, if a daughter disobeyed her father, the daughter may become ill.
Diagram
Shakespeare was a devout believer in the Chain of Being. He wanted to follow God's order in his plays.
Shakespeare
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows the order where children are beneath their parents and must do what they say. When Romeo and Juliet disobey their parents, a series of tragedies occur.