The Renaissance Chain of Being

11 & 12 English StudiesMs Paine2013

The Renaissance Chain of BeingWhat is it?• “The great chain of being details a strict, religious hierarchical

structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God.”

• “The chain starts from God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen/renegade angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, men, wild animals, domesticated animals, trees, other plants, precious stones, precious metals, and other minerals.[2]”

• Source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being> accessed on 14/05/2013)

The Divine Right of Kings• An intergral part of the Chain of Being is the divine right of kings.• The divine right of kings, is a political and religious doctrine of royal

and political legitimacy. • It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving

the right to rule directly from the will of God. The king is thus not subject to the will of his people, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the realm, including the Church.

• According to this doctrine, only God can judge an unjust king. • The doctrine implies that any attempt to depose the king or to

restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute a sacrilegious act.

• Source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings> accessed on 15/05/2013.

The Chain of Beingin Renaissance Times

Source: <http://stirlinge20.wordpress.com/macbeth/the-great-chain-of-being/> accessed on 14/05/2013

Source: <http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/history/carnegie/aristotle/chainofbeing.html> accessed on 14/05/2013