The Great Chain Of Being and Other Elizabethan Beliefs

A look at the world in Shakespeare’s time

The UniverseBecause of the ideas of the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy, most in Shakespeare’s time believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and stood still while all other celestial objects rotated

around it. Also borrowing from the Greeks, the universe was thought to be made up of four basic “roots” or elements (earth, air, fire, water) and dominated by either the forces of harmony (order) or the forces that caused discord (chaos).

Ptolemy 87-170 AD

Religion

As already stated, England during this period was embroiled in major religious conflict now known as The Reformation.The Catholics vs. the Protestants

Hierarchy and salvation vs. Interpretation and Predestination English Translation of the bible and the rise of Nationalism

The Great Chain Of BeingA concept the Elizabethan’s inherited from the Middle Ages, the GCB attempted to give a hierarchical order to all of creation.For human beings, the central moral purpose of life was to acknowledge one’s position on the scale (which also had various levels for humans) and live up to their responsibilities to those below as well as their obligations to those above on the scale

Order vs. ChaosA major theme that plays itself out in just about all of Shakespeare’s work, chaos was the result of the breakdown of the great chain of being or an imbalance of one of the major elements.This disorder, depending upon the genre of the play lead either comic situations (think Midsummer) or to tragic conclusions (R&J, King Lear, etc.)

Four Qualities, Four Elements, Four Seasons, Four Humors

season element humour body fluid locationSpring air sanguine blood heartSummer fire choleric yellow bile liverAutumn earth melancholic black bile spleenWinter water phlegmatic phlegm (various)

The HumorsThe human body was thought to contain four humors or fluids which, depending on how they were mixed, determined a person’s temperament as well as their physical and mental health.

1. Black Bile2. Phlegm (spit)3. Blood (Sanguin)4. Choler

While a rare few had a perfect mixture of humors, most were considered to have more of one than another

Hamlet:Diagnosis: too much black bileAssociated with melancholy and a tendency to focus on tragedy/creulty

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Hotspur:Diagnosis: too much cholerAssociated with ambition/energy/passion

Bottom:Diagnosis: too much sanguine (blood)Associated with light-heartedness, confidence and spontaneity

The Zodiac

The ZodiacAs stars were much more visible and prominent in Shakespear’s time than today, the heavens played a much larger part in the culture and beliefs of the period.One belief was that the position and movement of the stars could foretell and influence events on earthAstrologers of the time were renowned and respected even having the ear of some of England’s most powerful individuals (Elizabeth I). Not all educated individuals believed in this “science” and Shakespeare himself shows that he was aware of the debate, but often used the ideas for his own purposes.

Fairies and other folklore

The Quarrel of Oberon and TitaniaBy Joseph Noel Patton 1849

Folklore & Shakespeare

Fairies, magic, witches, spells, and prophecies (utterances that foretell the future) all formed part of the Elizabethan view of life. Folklore and superstition were often as important to people as official religious beliefs taught by the church.While historically, fairies and other similar forces were associated with evil and demonism (Robin Goodfellow was a name for the devil), Shakespeare adapted them for his own purposes and almost single-handedly changed those associations to that of jokes, tricks and disguises. Shakespeare himself was not a folklorist, nor did he seem to be particularly obsessed with the supernatural, but did make good use of these folk traditions to further plots and engage the audiences imagination

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