Reflecting Values: As you read Macbeth, how does the play illustrate the demise of the Great Chain of Being? What does the play say about the divine right of kings? What does it reveal about fate and free will? Use textual evidence to support an original, concise thesis statement. http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/macbeth/historical/elizaborder.html
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Kira M
10/12/2013 06:19:28 pm
The play Macbeth illustrates the demise of the Great Chain of Being by showing that the world did not fall into complete chaos after Duncan was murdered.Though some strange things did occur such as "A falcon, towering in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd." Act 2 Scene 4) the world was still in balance. The play shows that the divine right of kings should not be tampered with because God might take his revenge if someone were to harm his chosen representative on Earth. The play Macbeth reveals that there is no such thing as free will, Shakespeare shows that everything is predetermined and the choices you think you're making on your own only lead to your destined fate. Shakespeare shows this through the characters of the witches who tell Macbeth his destiny and then lead him to fulfilling it by tricking him and making him paranoid to the point that he eventually creates his own demise.
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Dennis K
10/13/2013 02:20:43 am
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Frida E.
10/13/2013 06:35:31 am
While reading Macbeth I can see that the play illustrates the demise of the Great Chain of Being in a way that makes up the whole play. The Great Chain of Being theory was of great importance to Shakespeare's peers and was used by him to set up events in his plays. According to this theory, everything in the world had its position fixed by god. The major event that illustrates the demise of the Great Chain of Being was when Macbeth killed King Duncan, so he could become the King himself. The theory of Great Chain of Being indicates that any attempt to break the chain (what god has put in order) would cause the world to get out of control and lose its natural being. When Macbeth became the king after Duncan, Scotland went out of its natural order, and therefore the country became chaotic and full of disorder. The play Macbeth does surely agree with the Divine Rights of Kings, which indicates that God's chosen representative on earth would be the king, and if his position was violated it would destroy the perfect order in the universe, and in this case, Scotland. In the play it's expressed that because Macbeth became the king after Duncan and not the heir, Malcolm; it would not be possible for Macbeth to control Scotland against anything good, because God's wishes were already violated. It would not matter what Macbeth did, because it would always lead against the world being out of its natural order and Scotland would become chaotic no matter what. What the play reveals about fate and free will, is that their actions and lives were predestined to some extent. God would control their actions and have effect on human lives, but I do not think it was among his plans to kill King Duncan. As the Great Chain of Being and the Divine Rights of Kings indicate is that God would've set up a perfect plan, however, if this plan got interrupted the world's natural order would become chaotic and terrible. Humanists had a great faith in man's ability to shape his own future, even though it was believed that God had already made a plan for everyone. A great example which shows the distortion of Scotland under Macbeth's control is during Act 4, scene 3, when Ross enters to discuss the condition of Scotland; "Alas, poor country. Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot be call'd our mother, be our grave". In earlier scenes we have seen Macbeth's terrorism in action against the people of Scotland, especially how he slaughter Lady Macduff and her son. Ross now says that these sort of things happen every day, and that Scotland is just a terrible place to be for the time being.
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Berk Dikici
10/13/2013 07:19:13 am
The Great Chain of Human Being and Macbeth
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Sher-Mon C.
10/17/2013 06:29:38 pm
In Macbeth, there resides a certain social order, with a king at the top, as specified by the Great Chain of Being. Order is maintained in the heavens and the earth, because the Divine Right of Kings is respected. When Macbeth severed the Divine Right of Kings, he disturbed the Great Chain of Being. Because the Great Chain of Being holds God at the very top, the heavens and the earth felt the aftermath of the sin committed by Macbeth. These results are seen in Act 2, Scene 4, with the day turning dark, the owl killing the falcon, and the horses going wild and killing each other. When Macbeth is slain and the rightful heir takes the throne, the heavens and the earth reestablish order, for now The Great Chain of Being is restored.
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August W.
10/17/2013 08:54:49 pm
In the time of Shakespeare the great chain of being was used in everyday life to asses how close someone was to "Godliness", the lists used to determine where things fell ranged from common items to animals to people. at the top of the list for people were kings, who at the time were to be regarded as people who should be respected and worshipped even if they were tyrannical. The play illustrates the demise of the Great Chain of Being, while at the same time sums up the divine right of kings, because in the play Macbeth rises to kingdom (in a less than desired fashion) and according to the tiem and chain of beign should have been respected despite the fact that he ruled with an iron fist and killed many of his subjects and lords. Thus with the fall of Macbeth Shakespeare is attempting to illustrate how the Great Cahin of Being is a sham and should not be followed, while at the same Shakespeare is also trying to tell the audience that kings have no divine rights or glory, otherwise Macbeth would not have succumb to death or revolt from his own lords. Shakespeare also attempts to describe through the play that fate and free will do in fact have an outcome on the kings well being. Meaning that from the instant the play starts Macbeth is destined to die by the end, this being his fate, but because he has free will he can drive himself towards that inevitable end in nay direction he wants. In the case of the play Macbeth murdered Duncan, throwing himself and his wife into madness, while also developing an endless thirst for blood that ignited revolt among his lords, Macbeth drove towards his end with himself at the top. Thus Shakespeare is really trying to tell everyone that you have a pre-determined fate, but you have free will on how you get there, and that no one is exempt from this including kings.
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Cullen Ennis
10/17/2013 10:42:20 pm
In Macbeth, the demise of the great chain of being is brought about throughout the play as Macbeth acts upon his ambitions to achieve a fate as king. Although the witches know the fate of Macbeth, it is his free will that makes it become true. As Macbeth makes choices that will eventually lead too his own demise, he ignores the great chain of being by slaying the king, and by becoming one himself. His tyrannical actions should not make him a true king, and it proves that kings were not chosen by divine right, as his coming to power was by no means divine. If Macbeht did not have a predetermined fate, the witches could have told him the prophecy as a fake, and Macbeth's ambition would have made it come true. It was free will, not fate that determined the tragic events of Macbeth.
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