Shakespeare - Context
Elizabethan World View – the basics
• During the times Shakespeare was writing, people believed that
everyone and everything was arranged in a certain order – a
hierarchy.
• This order was called the Great Chain of Being
• The Chain of Being served to create social stability – everyone knew
their place on the chain and interacted with the other levels
• The people higher up the chain were responsible to provide for or
care / protect those below them
• The people lower down had a responsibility to obey and serve those
above them
• The Chain of Being represents the social order of the time
• Anything that is outside the chain is considered to be chaos / evil
• Therefore, if the chain is broken, the order of the world is broken, and
it can descend into chaos
• Chaos, madness, evil – all of these things are outside the chain and
are not considered to be made by God.
• ORDER = GOOD
• CHAOS = EVIL
How might it be argued that the Chain of Being is broken in Macbeth?
The Divine Right of Kings
• It was believed that the King was divinely chosen by God.
• If his position was violated it would destroy the NATURAL order in the
universe and bring strife and chaos to the world.
• Any act of treachery against the King was considered to be a mortal
sin against God (UNNATURAL). The penalty was death – and eternal
damnation
• How does this view link to events in the play?
The Witches
• In Shakespeare’s time witches and witchcraft were believed to be evil
– they were agents of the devil. Thousands of people (mainly women)
were tortured and executed for allegedly practising witchcraft.
• Witches were intent on performing unnatural acts so as to disrupt
God’s natural order (Chain of Being).
Consider the witches in Macbeth, how do they attempt to disrupt the
natural order?
Women
Within the Chain of Being, within the hierarchy of men, there is
another hierarchy:
• Men
• Women
• Children
The roles of the sexes were clearly defined BY GOD, and women were
expected to express only feminine qualities. They should be gentle and
nurturing, looking after their husbands and children. They should be
completely subservient to men.
Lady Macbeth
• Does Lady Macbeth conform to the expected role of women at the
start of the play?
Lady Macbeth
• How does Lady Macbeth further challenge God’s natural order in Act
1 Sc. 5?
Order Restored
• How is the natural order restored?
Consider Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.