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The Natural Chain of Being

The Natural Chain of Being. Shakespeare’s World. Shakespeare’s World. The way in which Shakespeare and the people around him viewed the world was much different from the way it is viewed today. They saw the world like a huge morality play written, staged, and directed by God.

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The Natural Chain of Being

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  1. The Natural Chain of Being Shakespeare’s World

  2. Shakespeare’s World The way in which Shakespeare and the people around him viewed the world was much different from the way it is viewed today. They saw the world like a huge morality play written, staged, and directed by God • In As You Like It Shakespeare wrote: All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.

  3. Natural Chain of Being

  4. Natural Chain of Being (cont’d) • In Shakespeare’s era, it was believed that this natural order truly existed • Order within the Natural Chain of Being must be maintained • Anything out of order resulted in chaos • Divine Right of Kings

  5. The Horror of Regicide • During Shakespeare’s time, regicide was catastrophic • Queen Elizabeth/King James represented authority and the entire society • If killed, the sanctioned authority of the monarch is denied and anarchy/chaos must ensue • i.e. the Natural Chain of Being is undermined • An attack on the king is an attack on God (because he was sanctioned by God to be king)

  6. King Law The king represents the best in humanity King law is to the community as moral law is to the soul as natural law is to the cosmos

  7. King Law (cont’d) • Rebellion against king’s law (or the Natural Chain of Being) leads to the disintegration of the community, the soul, and the cosmos

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