Shakespeare and His World

5. His world view

What is the chain of being? What did the wheel of fortune mean for the common man?

What is the idea of humours about?

What was the peoples attitude towards supernatural appearances?

Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel

What is the chain of being?

- Classical and western medieval conception of the order of the universe strict hierarchical system - Hierarchical links, from most basic to highest perfection - A place for everything in the universe, classified into either: holy, animal, vegetable, mineral - Place of earthly inhabitans in chain: God, angels, humans, mammals, birds, fish, plants
Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel

What did the wheel of fortune mean for the common man?
- It is a concept in medieval philosophy referring to the capricious nature of fate - Belongs to the goddess Fortuna who spins the wheel some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls - Used to aid religious instruction - remind people of the temporality of earthly things Death comes unexpectedly - Needed to secure his passage to heaven

Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel

What is the idea of humours about?

- Shakespeare inserted humor and puns to entertain his Elizabethan audience - Pun is the use of a word by playing with more than one of its meanings

Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel

What was the peoples attitude towards supernatural appearances?

- Belief in the presence and power of super naturals touch in every point - Behavior was dictated by it (all classes of people) - Governed peoples lives - Believed that all supernatural elements were at work - Shakespeare packed his works with popular beliefs about the super naturals (witches, ghosts etc.)

Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel

Unknown Words
perfection Vollendung, Vollkommenheit classified eingeordnet, klassifiziert chain Kette mammals Sugetiere capricious launisch fate Geschick, Schicksal, Verhngnis misfortune Missgeschick, Pech windfall unerwarteter Glcksfall pun Wortspiel supernatural bernatrlich, bersinnlich
Jan-Malte Adam, Dennis Vater, Malte Stratmann, Benjamin Nagel