great chain of being

• God created the world with a clear hierarchal structure encompassing all matter and life.
• The monarch held the seat at the top of the hierarchal structure.
• Men were seen as higher on the structure than women, so women were expected to be subordinate to their husbands.

  • Women were inferior to their superior husbands.
• The great chain of being was considered as a fact of life.
• Link to the play:

  • When Macbeth kills Duncan, he is violating the great chain of being by betraying his superior and thus God.
  • Macbeth also breaks the great chain of being on a minor scale when Macbeth allows Lady Macbeth to emasculate him and force him into regicide.
• Keywords:

  • Hierarchal order from God