The Context of Hamlet: The Great Chain of Being
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Jonny from Ignite delves into the concept of the 'Great Chain of Being,' an Elizabethan belief system that plays a crucial role in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' The video explains how this hierarchical order, with God at the top followed by the king, nobles, commoners, and inanimate objects, is disrupted in the play when Claudius unlawfully kills King Hamlet. This disruption leads to chaos and supernatural consequences, driving the plot. Jonny emphasizes the importance of understanding this concept for analyzing the play and encourages viewers to include it in their essays.
Takeaways
- ๐ The video discusses the Great Chain of Being, a key contextual feature important for understanding Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
- ๐ญ The Great Chain of Being represents an Elizabethan social hierarchy and belief in a divine order of beings from God to inanimate objects.
- ๐ At the top of this hierarchy is God, followed by the king, the heir to the throne, nobles, commoners, and finally inanimate objects.
- โณ The concept is rooted in the time when 'Hamlet' was written, around 1600, for an Elizabethan audience under Queen Elizabeth I.
- ๐ The disruption of this order in the play is seen as causing chaos and is often reflected in supernatural consequences within the story.
- ๐ป The murder of King Hamlet by his brother Claudius is a significant disruption to the Great Chain of Being, as it violates the natural order of succession.
- ๐ Claudius' unlawful ascension to the throne instead of Prince Hamlet causes a moral and cosmic imbalance that needs to be corrected.
- ๐ก Prince Hamlet's struggle with avenging his father's murder is central to the play and is tied to the need to restore the Great Chain of Being.
- ๐ The video encourages students to include the concept of the Great Chain of Being in their essays on 'Hamlet' for a deeper understanding of the play.
- ๐ The video is part of a series by Ignite, offering educational content and resources for English studies, including essay structures and comprehension skills.
- ๐ The video ends with a prompt to subscribe for more content and to check out Ignite's online resource database for further study materials.
Q & A
What is the 'Great Chain of Being' mentioned in the video?
-The 'Great Chain of Being' is an Elizabethan belief in a strict social hierarchy, with God at the top, followed by the king, nobles, commoners, and inanimate objects. This hierarchy represented the natural order of the universe.
Why is the 'Great Chain of Being' important in the study of Hamlet?
-The 'Great Chain of Being' is important because it underpins the plot of Hamlet. The play revolves around the disruption of this hierarchy due to the unlawful murder of King Hamlet by Claudius, leading to chaos and supernatural consequences.
How does the concept of the 'Great Chain of Being' relate to the plot of Hamlet?
-In Hamlet, the natural order is disrupted when Claudius unlawfully kills King Hamlet and takes the throne. This disruption leads to the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost, who urges Prince Hamlet to restore order by avenging his death.
Who was ruling England during the time Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, and why is this relevant?
-Queen Elizabeth I was ruling England when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. This is relevant because the play reflects the beliefs and social structures of the Elizabethan era, including the 'Great Chain of Being.'
What does the video suggest about the consequences of disrupting the 'Great Chain of Being' in Hamlet?
-The video suggests that disrupting the 'Great Chain of Being' leads to disorder, anarchy, and supernatural consequences in the universe. In Hamlet, this disruption results in the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost and the demand for revenge.
Why is Claudius's act of killing King Hamlet particularly problematic according to the 'Great Chain of Being'?
-Claudius's act is problematic because it disrupts the natural hierarchy. A king is not supposed to be killed unlawfully by a non-king. Claudius's usurpation of the throne violates the 'Great Chain of Being,' causing chaos and requiring restoration.
What is the significance of King Hamlet's ghost in the play?
-King Hamlet's ghost is significant because it represents the disruption of the natural order and serves as a catalyst for the plot. The ghost informs Prince Hamlet of the need to avenge his father's death to restore the 'Great Chain of Being.'
How does the video describe the social hierarchy of the Elizabethan era?
-The video describes the Elizabethan social hierarchy as a structured order with God at the top, followed by the king, nobles, commoners, and inanimate objects. This hierarchy was believed to be essential for maintaining order in the universe.
What role does Prince Hamlet have in restoring the 'Great Chain of Being'?
-Prince Hamlet's role is to restore the 'Great Chain of Being' by avenging his father's unlawful murder. He must kill Claudius, who has usurped the throne, to restore the proper order of the hierarchy.
What advice does the video give to students studying Hamlet?
-The video advises students to mention the 'Great Chain of Being' in their essays, as it is critical to understanding the play and Shakespeare's intentions. It underpins the entire plot and the motivations of the characters.
Outlines
๐ Understanding the Great Chain of Being in Hamlet
In this introduction, Jonny from Ignite sets the stage for discussing the concept of the Great Chain of Being as it relates to Shakespeare's *Hamlet*. The video aims to explore this Elizabethan belief system, explaining its relevance to the plot and characters in the play. Jonny emphasizes the importance of contextual knowledge in analyzing *Hamlet*, highlighting how Shakespeareโs audience would have understood the social hierarchy depicted in the play. The introduction also encourages viewers to subscribe to the channel for more educational content.
๐ The Elizabethan Hierarchy and Its Role in Hamlet
This section dives into the Great Chain of Being, an Elizabethan belief in a divinely ordained social hierarchy. Jonny explains that in this structure, God is at the top, followed by the king, the heir, nobles, commoners, and inanimate objects. He emphasizes that disrupting this order would lead to chaos and supernatural consequences. The discussion then shifts to how the belief system underpins the plot of *Hamlet*, where the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius creates disorder. This conflict in the natural order drives much of the play's tension and themes.
๐ The Plot and the Disrupted Hierarchy in Hamlet
This part connects the Great Chain of Being directly to the plot of *Hamlet*. Jonny explains how King Hamletโs murder by his brother Claudius, rather than by another legitimate king, disrupts the hierarchy. Claudiusโs unlawful claim to the throne leaves Prince Hamlet in a position of needing to restore the proper order by avenging his fatherโs death. The ghost of King Hamlet symbolizes the disorder and chaos resulting from this disruption. Jonny highlights how this belief system is crucial to understanding Hamlet's struggle and the overarching conflict in the play.
๐ Key Takeaways for Your Essays
In this conclusion, Jonny reinforces the importance of mentioning the Great Chain of Being in essays on *Hamlet*. He reiterates how this concept underpins the central conflict of the play and provides critical context for Shakespeareโs audience. Jonny encourages viewers to integrate this idea into their analysis, as itโs essential to grasping the themes and motivations driving the characters. The video wraps up with a reminder to like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more content.
๐ Explore More Resources from Ignite
In this final segment, viewers are encouraged to explore Igniteโs online resources, which offer comprehensive materials for studying English. These resources include essay structures, writing tips, and comprehension skills, all crafted by top English educators. Jonny invites viewers to check out these tools on the Ignite website and stay engaged for future content.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กGreat Chain of Being
๐กHamlet
๐กContextual Feature
๐กElizabethan Audience
๐กSocial Hierarchy
๐กKing Hamlet
๐กClaudius
๐กPrince Hamlet
๐กFeudal Duty
๐กSupernatural Consequences
๐กDisrupted Order
Highlights
Introduction to the topic of the Great Chain of Being and its relevance to the study of Hamlet.
Contextualizes the Great Chain of Being as a belief in the Elizabethan era, reflecting the social hierarchy and order of the universe.
Explanation of how Shakespeare aimed to resonate with his Elizabethan audience by incorporating the Great Chain of Being into Hamlet.
Introduction of the concept of the Great Chain of Being, with God at the top, followed by the king, nobles, commoners, and inanimate objects.
Discussion on how disrupting the Great Chain of Being was believed to cause disorder, anarchy, and supernatural consequences.
Application of the Great Chain of Being to the plot of Hamlet, focusing on the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius.
Explanation of how King Hamlet's unlawful murder by Claudius disrupts the social hierarchy, creating chaos in the universe.
The rightful heir, Prince Hamlet, should have taken the throne, but Claudius's usurpation causes a disruption in the Great Chain of Being.
King Hamlet's ghost appears to Prince Hamlet, urging him to restore the disrupted social order by avenging his murder.
Hamlet's struggle with his filial duty to avenge his father's death and restore the Great Chain of Being.
The Great Chain of Being is central to understanding the motivations and actions of the characters in Hamlet.
Emphasis on the importance of mentioning the Great Chain of Being in essays on Hamlet for a deeper analysis.
The video's conclusion encourages viewers to subscribe for more content and utilize online resources for further study.
Promotion of online resources created by state rank achievers and English experts, covering essay structures and comprehension skills.
Final encouragement to like, subscribe, and check out additional videos and resources on the Ignite HSC platform.
Transcripts
hey guys Jonny from ignite here welcome
to another video we're gonna be looking
at Hamlet today and in particular we're
gonna be looking at a very important
contextual feature called the great
chain of being we're gonna be talking
about what that is why it's important
for your studies of Hamlet and how that
actually fits in with the plot of the
play itself so strap in make sure you
subscribe now if you haven't already and
let's get into it
okay guys so today we're looking at the
great chain of being and this was a
belief at the time that Hamlet the play
was written by Shakespeare so you have
to take your mind back not that it's
actually literally possible to do this
because you weren't alive then but think
back to what it would be like in 1600 to
1600 and one remember in 2019 now we're
going back with a 400 years to when
Shakespeare was writing his play he's
writing his play for an Elizabethan
audience Queen Elizabeth of England was
the Queen at the time and there was a
different set of beliefs then then there
is now and at that time one of the
beliefs that's going to be incorporated
into this play because you want to
resonate shakes me wants to resonate
with his audience he wants to be talking
about things that will make sense to his
current audience one of those things was
a belief in the Great Train of being
which is fundamentally an Elizabethan
social hierarchy what does that mean
it's a belief in a certain type of order
of things and people in the universe who
should be at the top who should be in
the middle who should be at the bottom
that's what it is it's a belief in that
hierarchy so let's have a look at what
that is and then we'll talk about how it
fits into the play
at the top of the great chain of being
is God after God is the king then
follows the key heir to the throne so in
the play who is the heir to the throne
who is the Prince Prince Hamlet King
Hamlet or Hamlet senior who is Hamlet's
father has actually been murdered before
the play begins when we start reading
the play King Hamlet has been murdered
he's been murdered by Claudius his
brother and
come back to why that's important for
the great chain of being in a second so
underneath the king in this hierarchy in
this ranking system we have the heir
we then have the nobles we have the
people who would be in the castle with
the king with the heir
we then have the commoners so the common
people of England who would be walking
around the streets just like you and I
we would be underneath the people who
are in the castle and then we would have
rocks so we're gonna have those
inanimate objects those minerals those
things in the ground this table this TV
these things are going to be below
people thankfully and that's the order
they believed in critically they
believed that if this order was
disrupted if something happened to put
the order out of whack there is going to
be disorder and anarchy and chaos that
amounts in the universe and often the
way you see that happen in the play
especially is with supernatural
consequences so let's relate this now to
the play and hopefully you can see how
it's important this Elizabethan belief
in the great chain of being actually
translates into the plot of the play
because when you start reading the play
you learn that King Hamlet has been
murdered by Claudius he has been
poisoned in the ear by his brother
Claudius is King Hamlet's brother and
Claudius has taken the throne we now
have King Claudius which is a massive
disruption to this hierarchy because the
King has not been killed by another King
which would be fine like the King of
Norway for instance this is the King of
Denmark the King of Norway like
Fortinbras you're allowed to kill other
Kings but he's been killed by his
brother unlawfully unrightfully so what
should have happened is an heir to the
throne should have taken over Hamlet
should be king and the order would be
fine but because Hamlet is not going to
be king and Claudius is king instead the
order is out of whack we have the ghost
of King Hamlet come and make a visit to
Prince Hamlet and he lets Hamlet know
that he has to take revenge he has to
kill Claudius if we're to get this
social hierarchy back in order so we can
restore the great chain of being so
that's how it underpins the plot we know
that how much struggles to fulfill this
feudal duty this filial duty to his far
to kill Claudius who had killed him but
we can see why it's so important we have
this disrupted great trainer beam and we
need to fix it and that's the essence of
the play all right guys I hope that
helps that's the great chain of being
remember to mention that in your essays
because it's critical to an
understanding of the play and to where
Shakespeare was coming from when he
wrote it please subscribe and like if
you enjoy the video and I'll see you in
the next one hey guys thank you so much
for watching if you do like the content
subscribe to our Channel and we'll have
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guys thanks for watching and please make
sure you check out our online resource
database we've had a team of state rank
achievers and heads of English put these
together for you covering everything
from essay structures and examples all
the way through to craft of writing and
comprehension skills so check them out
at ignite HSE comm day you and we look
forward to seeing you in the next video
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