Definition and Explanation
- Concept: “everything in the world has its own place”
- No matter what you do, you cannot make your way up in the chain
- You are all that you are born with, for the rest of your life, no matter what you do to try and change it
- The English society depended on a certain “order”:
- Hierarchical: The Great Chain of Being dictated everyone’s social station and standing
- Obedience: The lower classes were to submit to the upper classes. The upper classes, in turn, were responsible for the welfare and upkeep of the lower classes.
Philosophical Perspective
- In the Elizabethan times, everything in the universe was said to have a place in this hierarchy
- Less spirit and more matter an object had, the lower down on the chain it was
- Italian philosopher, Pico Della Mirandola, believed human beings were capable to rise to the angel level through philosopher contemplations
- Aristotle: Thought the universe was completely perfect, so was the “Great Chain of Being”
Presented in the Play
- Lear is the King he is, a man of great power
- Relinquishes the kingdom to his daughters, as a reward, to test their love for him
- Lear surrounds himself with people who use him (i.e his daughters (except Cordelia) )
- Edmund is considered low on the chain because of the circumstances that surround his birth
- Father treats him poorly because of his illegitimacy
- i.e.: King acknowledges his intent to abdicate his thrown
- By surrendering the throne to fuel his ego he disrupts the Great Chain of Being because he is challenging the position that God has given him
- Chaos occurs later in the play
- Lear banishes those around him that genuinely care for him.
Profundity Scale
- Mental -> King Lear divides his kingdom, Edgar holds onto the letter to keep & attain his Father’s attention
- Psychological -> King Lear divides his kingdom to rid himself of burdens and responsibilities
- Philosophical -> “Greed for power”
What is “Rotae fortuna”
unpredictable nature of fate.
What is the point of this chain of being?
The Great Chain of Being dictated everyone’s social station and standing and it upholds order.
I swear that i couldn’t find the answer!!
For anyone who wants to know what the chain of being uphold I believe the answer is social class.
so what does it up hold
this doesn’t answer any question for my webquest.
chain of being, still dont know what it is
I have a feeling that half of the people in the comments are in the same class
Why do we have to do this Webquest? It doesn’t really even tell us what it upholds!!!!
What was the Chain of Being and what did it uphold?
thanks ;p
WHAT DID THE CHAIN OF BEING UPHOLD
order in the community
I love webquests
me too
so what are some examples of being broken in Shakespeare’s plays
OMG! I am working on a Webquest!
what did the chain of being uphold
THE ANSWER TO THE WEBQUEST IS: It is a concept that says that everything in the world has its own place and no matter what you do, you cannot change your place by going up the chain.
Greetings from Spain !!!
Umm.. I umm… Um………………….. I don’t get it..