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Student
Mrs. Knight
British Lit/Comp 1
10 September 2016
The Elizabethan Great Chain of Being
The Elizabethans believed that the universe has a specific order, the chain of being, that
God created. God made a variety of beautiful beings that all have a role in the chain of being.
Throughout history, the idea of a chain of being was common in many different cultures, which
is shown in several works. The idea began with Plato, who passed it to Aristotle, and it
continued to spread and develop into the Middle Ages (Tillyard 26). The chain is also described
as a ladder because each part nourishes the next rung and enables superior life. A Renaissance
drawing depicts rocks and inanimate objects at the bottom of the ladder with plants above that,
then animals, humans, angels, and finally God. Heaven’s light shines through the door of the
castle that the chain of being leads to, suggesting that God lights the path of kings and leads them
to prosperity. The Renaissance drawing also depicts the king, using the qualities that are
bestowed on him, climbing to the top of the chain of being. As beings become more complex,
they make up a higher link of the chain. However, if the chain were to break, “the great scale’s
destroyed” and “the whole must fall” (Pope). Each being is vital to the order of the universe, no
matter how small or low on the chain. If one being breaks the chain, since “there can be no gap,”
everything would be out of place, and the whole world would disintegrate (Tillyard 26). Rulers
in the Elizabethan time period applied these ideas to society in order to maintain power and
organize the classes. They claimed the top of the chain of being with nobles, merchants, and
peasants below them and emphasized the idea that each person has a predetermined role. God
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granted rulers their predetermined role of leadership through divine right. Leaders used these
ideas to prevent rebellion and movement among the classes.
Although the play Macbeth is set in the Anglo-Saxon time period, its author,
Shakespeare, was influenced by ideas and elements of his own time. Because of the Elizabethan
idea of the chain of being, his work illustrates a hierarchy in society that should not be changed.
Instead of discussing a natural order of the whole universe, he applies the chain of being to levels
of society. Macbeth, a thane who is lower in the hierarchy than the king, usurps the true king
and his descendants. However, Macbeth becomes a cruel king because he upsets the hierarchy
and natural order of the society. His wife, Lady Macbeth, rejects her femininity and tries to
assume a more masculine role. Her decision to alter her natural gender leads to violence and
murder. She demonstrates cruelty and creates devastation around her. By changing the
hierarchy, these people harm others and negatively affect their land. When they break the chain,
they disrupt the whole natural order; they cause animals to act unnaturally and assume different
roles. Shakespeare includes these elements in his play to please his own king, King James I. He
illustrates the necessity of a hierarchy and emphasizes how the king should remain in power,
which supports his king’s position.