Shakespeare
The
Elizabethan
World Picture
Contents
Introduction
z The Elizabethan Age
z Chain of being
z Mirror
z
z
Macrocosm
Ptolemy’s system
Copernican system
System of
correspondence
The human being
Humours
Temper
King
Introduction
●
Renaissance took
place in Italy between
1400-1600 century.
●
In England around
16th century
●
Elizabeth I reigned
1588-1603
→Elizabethan Era
●
Tillyard: „Elizabethan
World Picture“
Renaissance
●
New birth = beginning of „modern age“.
●
Discovery of the new world.
●
Inventions and scientific progress.
●
Seperation of church.
●
Man as centre of interest.
●
Public school system for the privileged.
The Elizabethan Age
●
God had created the univers and everything
in it.
●
He had established Order and unity.
●
He had bound all lifeless and living things
together in a system.
●
●
each object and being had his rightful
place
According to his rank and usefulness.
Chain of being
Chain of being
●
Is divided into 4
kingdoms
●
Mineral Kingdom
(„est“)
●
Vegetable Kingdom
(„est“ and „vivit“)
●
Animal Kingdom
(„est“, „vivit“ and „feel“)
●
Human Kingdom
(„est“, “vivit“, “feel“ and
„intelligent“)
Chain of being
The human steps:
●
●
●
●
Learned Human
(„est“, “vivit“, “feel“
and „intelligent“)
Sensible
(„est“, „vivit“ and
„feel“)
Gluttory
(„est“ and „vivit“)
Lazyness
(„est“)
●
The world consits of mirrors
●
Neighbouring objects reflect each other
●
●
The higher object reflects the being of a lower in
an higher, cleaner way.
The lower object reflects the being of a higher in
a lower way.
●
Macrososm (Universe)
The Ptolemaic System, geocentric System
„
„
„
„
Claudius Ptolemy
proposed a model of the
universe
earth at the centre
(geocentric)
earth as stationary
other planets and the
sun move in complex
orbits around it
The Ptolemaic System, geocentric System
centre: earth
„ around the earth:
seven zones of planets:
moon, mercury, venus, sun,
mars, jupiter and saturn
„ “outer zone” is outside the
universe
Æ “Coelum Empyraeum”
„ God, the Angels and the souls
of the blessed lived there
„
Ptolemy‘s idea of the universe
The Copernican System, heliocentric system
Nicolaus Copernicus
• Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473-1543)
• heliocentric model of
the solar system
• the sun is stationary
at the centre
• the Earth moves
around it
The Copernican System, heliocentric system
Major characteristics:
• the earth rotates daily on
its axis and revolves
yearly around the sun
• the planets also circle the
sun
• the earth was just
another planet
Copernicus idea of the universe
The Copernican System, heliocentric system
• the concept of a
moving earth was too
difficult for most 16thcentury readers
Æ Consequently, the
sun-centred system
was hard to introduce
System of correspondence
Macrocosm
• sun
Microcosm
• man’s heart
(giving planets light and
power, in the middle of
the universe)
• stars
• man’s head
(placed highest in the
sphere)
• earthquakes and
storms (in nature)
• man’s passion
The human being (Man)
Man’s position in the universe:
●
central position in the universe
●
the highest position in the living nature
●
the latest and the most perfect created
creature
The human being (Man)
●
Sir Walter Raleigh:
“[And whereas God created three sorts of
living natures, to wit, angelical, rational, and
brutal; giving to angels an intellectual, and to
beasts a sensual nature, he vouchsafed unto
man both the intellectual of Angels, the
sensitive of beasts, and the proper rational
belonging unto man…]”
The human being (Man)
●
man has the function of a mirror
●
the whole creation is reflected
●
man is a summary, a model, and an
overview of the universe
●
is called microcosm or the "little world"
The human being (Man)
Humours
●
the body of the human being consists of the four elements
●
His four humours correspond to the four elements
●
contain the four basic qualities of these elements:
element
humour
quality in nature
earth
melancholy
cold and dry
Water
phlegm
cold and moist
Air
sanguis
hot and moist
fire
choler
hot and dry
The human being (Man)
The Tempers
●
●
●
the balance of the humours decided about
the constitution of man
ideal balance was disturbed by the original
sin
the balance is confused by
atmosphere, the age of man, the geographic
position and especially by the food
The human being (Man)
• The domination of one of the humours led to four tempers:
•
The Choleric Man, the Sanguine Man, the Phlegmatic Man and
the Melancholic Man
The Choleric Man:
“hath Nature of fire”
•
is hot and dry, is
lean and slender, ireful,
hasty, brainless and
foolish, he has wine of
the lion; loves black
clothes
The Sanguine Man:
“hath nature of air”
• is hot and moist, is large,
plenteous, attempered,
laughing, he has wine of
an ape; loves high
coloured clothes
The Phlegmatic Man:
“hath nature of Water”
• is cold and moist, heavy,
slow, sleepy he has wine
of the sheep; loves green
clothes
The Melancholic Man
“hath nature of Earth”
• is cold and dry,
backbiter, malicious, and
slow, he has wine of an
hog; loves black clothes
The King
• representative of god on
earth
• can never be disturbed
• Moon: material goods
• Mercury: eloquence
• Venus: mildness
• Sun: religion
• Mars: bravery
• Jupiter: intelligence
• Saturn: Majesty