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Hamlet The Great Chain Of Being Essay

1255 Words6 Pages

From God to Hamlet and to a stone –---- an era of great chain of being William Shakespeare, born and raised in London in 1564, was recognized in the British literary history as leading poets and the greatest author and playwright. In the time of Shakespeare, it was regular to see the universe as adjusted because of the Great Chain of Being. Many people believe Shakespeare’s writing style in Hamlet demonstrates a sort of tragedy as his demise is brought about as a result of Hamlet’s attempt to act contrary to the hierarchy of the Great Chain of Being. The Great Chain of Being is a religious hierarchical structure of life, announced by God and using three standards: plenitude, continuity, and gradation. Plenitude means that creation is finished; nothing else could be added to the universe. Continuity explains that there are no better refinements between the life frames than that as of now exist. Lastly, …show more content…

There was a belief in Shakespeare’s time that a King was appointed directly by God. As a result, it was believed that a just and good King had special powers and was protected by God. Therefore, King is a representative of the divine power which is on the top of the great chain of being. For instance, in Act Four Scene Five line 121- 123, Claudius comforts Gertrude and said, “There’s such divinity doth hedge a king, which treason can but peep to what it would, Acts little of his will (4.5. 121-123).” And earlier in the play at Act Three Scene Three, Rosencrantz tells Claudius to worry less about the murder of the kind because “The cease of majesty dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw what’s near it with it: it is a massy wheel, fix’d on the summit of the highest mount… (3.3.15-18)” These lines all spread out the idea that a king appointed by God is different than normal people and has a noble position at the Great Chain of

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