ELIZABETHAN

WORLD ORDER
Ideologies common in Shakespeares England.

The great chain of being

This theory, based on the Greek philosopher
Aristotles concept of the universe, was of
great importance to Shakespeares
contemporaries and was used by him in
developing events in his plays. According to
this idea, everything in the world had its
position fixed by God. The Earth was the
centre of the universe and the stars moved
around it in fixed routes. In Heaven God
ruled over the archangels and angels.
(http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/macbeth/hist
orical/elizaborder.html Macbeth William
Shakespeare)

On earth there was order

everywhere. Society
reflected this order with
its fixed classes from the
highest to the lowest
kings, churchmen,
nobles, merchants, and
peasants. The animals
had their own degrees
too, the lion being the
king. Plant life and
minerals also reflected
this order. Among the
trees, the most superior
was the oak; among
flowers, it was the rose.
Among the minerals,
gold was the most
superior.

The Elizabethans called

this hierarchical structure
The Great Chain of
Being.
Any attempt to break the
chain of being would
upset the established
order and bring about
universal disorder.
Why do you think
humankind is placed
between the angels and
the animals?

 ..... he engages in an unexpected theological

discussion with Iago. They both express their desire to
be saved, even though "there be souls must be sav'd, and
there be souls must/ not be sav'd (2.3.103-104)." After
Iago speaks his hope of salvation, Cassio cuts him
short: "Ay, but by your leave, not before me; the/
lieutenant is to be sav'd before the ancient (2.3.109110)." That Cassio utters this line, which is perfectly
reflective of the ordered hierarchy of the philosophy of the
Great Chain of Being, even when he is drunk shows that
the philosophy is so wedded to his soul that it is even
deeper than his conscious control. Indeed, as Iago himself
said early in the play, Michael Cassio was a man versed in
"bookish theoric (1.1.24)." We should not read that to
refer only to his skill at "number crunching" (the
theme of Iago's speech in 1.1); it suggests an
acquaintance with broader intellectual culture.
(http://www.drbilllong.com/ShakeO/LosingReputatio
n.html)

Other beliefs
of the time
put
individuals
at the mercy
of elements
beyond their
control.
These
include:

Signs of the zodiac

The type of person you were was
determined by the star you were
born under. Celestial movements
and alignments shaped events on
earth.

The four elements and the

four humours.
Everything on earth was thought to be
made of a combination of the four
elements of fire, water, air and earth.
In a similar way, people were thought
to be made of the four humours: blood,
phlegm, melancholy and choler. If one
was more dominant it would determine
the mood of the person. A balance of
the four made for "good humour", and
imbalance for an "ill-humour".

Eleme
nt

Humour

Earth Melancholy (yellow

bile)

Common
Quality
Cold and dry

Water

Phlegm

Cold and moist

Air

Blood

Hot and moist

Fire Choler (black bile)

Hot and dry

The wheel of fortune

Fate is like a
wheel. If you
are at the
high point,
you can
expect to
descend, and
vice versa.

The combination of these ideas

(along with the life expectancy
and comparatively less just
society) gave rise to fate. Fate:

life is predestined
controlled by impersonal forces (gods,
stars, elements)
has effect on human lives
what happens is not your fault