The Great Chain Of Being In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

The Great chain of being is a concept provided to display the hierarchical order of matter within the universe. God ranks on top, and succeeding him are angels, humans, animals, vegetative life, inanimate objects, and crud. The great chain of being 's premise originated from the Classical era, but it expanded and developed, becoming a major theme in the works of Renaissance thinkers. The Great Chain of being not only served as a metaphor that described all the parts of the universe, but it also depicted the shift from the theocentric mindset of the medieval era to the anthropocentric mindset of the Renaissance era. Works like John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, Marlowe’s tragic play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, and the medieval poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” all implement ideas of the Great chain of being.

By presenting Satan, Faustus, and Gawain as flawed characters who make irrational choices, all three works demonstrate the idea that in the chain of being, possessing a rational faculty can allow ascension while violating the divine order leads to