Great Chain: Scala Naturae

1265 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in medieval society

Originating in the minds of Aristotle and various other philosophers, the idea of “scala naturae” was developed (Haaramo). This theory centered on the idea of a vertical ladder acting as a unilateral hierarchy of life forms. Starting in the Medieval Period, the Great Chain of Being was developed and reached its height during the Elizabethan Era (Haaramo). The idea of this theory was objective, and served purely as a ranking based on the level of a life form’s development (Carlin). Although this is true, the Elizabethans took advantage of their higher ranking and adopted the theory to fit their lives. Those of a higher status, heavily influenced those below them, so in effect, the inferior ranks’ minds were sculpted to how their superiors desired. The Great Chain was used by the higher rankings to support the dominance and control of European males, the Catholic Church, and the king, over any of their oppositions.
Equality between men and women was not the norm at this time, and the Chain of Being was used to support the idea of men being the dominant gender. Among the physical world, men were viewed as the superior life form above women on the Great Chain (Roots). People interpreted this as men being more developed or advanced than women and this led to a great disparity between the roles of each gender. Men primarily worked either physical labor or those positions which required more knowledge such as sciences and mathematics, versus women who remained at home and cared for the male’s offspring (Elizabethan). Because of the Great Chain, the workforce for men revolved around positions of more prestige and education than what a women was able to pursue. Also, because of their perceived higher rank, men were closer on the chain to G...

... middle of paper ...

...ext pertains to my topic as an overview and background. Along with the text are different aspects of the Renaissance culture that support and relate to the Great Chain of Being. The information references accurate people and dates along with some information that I've seen in other highly accurate and trusted sites. The audience for this website seems to target a high school audience. At the same time, there doesn't appear to be a specific author which could make this source less reliable, not knowing if a student or professor wrote this.
"Roots of Oppression." Human Animal Liberation. CALM, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
Tillyard in a Nutshell. Carson-Newman College, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. .
Valades, Didacus. Rhetorica Christiana. 1579. Photograph.

Show More
Related

  • Social Classes In The Elizabethan Era

    315 Words  | 1 Pages

    Elizabethan based their people upon the divine order, known as the Great Chain of being, which accommodated everything in the whole universe.

    Read More

  • Critical Review of 'Sex, Smallpox and Seraglios: a Monument to Lady Montagu'

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article starts off looking at the limitations and duties of a woman in the 18th century from the point of view of a man. Women were not permitted to do many professions such as law, economics or science related; these professions were reserved for men. Women were meant to be "the object of knowledge rather than its producer" (Frith 1994, 101) meaning that women were not to be educated but were to only of their responsibilities for pleasing a man, staying beautiful, and staying virtuous. Women were believed to be inferior intellectually and were therefore not to be educated and were basically forced to marry if they wished a decent life. However, Montagu feuded t...

    Read More

  • Sonny's Blues Thesis

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the

    Read More

  • Martha Stewart Gender Roles

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the biblical days, society was very structural with the role of the “Man” and the “Woman.” This concept came to be known as the term gender roles, referring to the significant differences between men and women due to an established role and expectation created by society itself. Society’s expectations of the man’s character were assertiveness, analytical, and unemotional. These characteristics, collectively, coin the term masculine for men. And society’s expectations of the woman’s character were sensitivity, nurturing, and emotional, which together coined the term feminine. Along with the standards of feminine and masculine came responsibilities both the man and the woman. The male had economic responsibilities and the female had domestic

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, gender role in Elizabethan era is very complex with respect to women’s role. Men are the masters of the home and society; they preside over every aspect of life. They are however, expected to take care of their family and also be actively involved in politics, war, and they inherit their father’s properties. Women role varied a according to their social status. All women were raised to be subservient to men. Unlike upper class women, lower class women were denied any kind of education. And all women are expected to get married and bear children. The qualities Shakespeare gave Beatrice are very significant because it contrasts traditional Elizabethan theater. Gender role has evolved over time, especially women’s role and it will continue to evolve as long as there are women like Beatrice around.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Elizabethan Era

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Secondly, Elizabethan women were considered to be inferior to men. The life of Elizabethan women was certainly a tough - arranged marriages, subordination to men, short life expectancy, constant child bearing and no right to education, no voting, not political participation, etc. were crucial facts about Elizabethan women’s life. Elizabethan women were categorized class wise as: Upper Class, Royal Class, Lower Class Elizabethan women. Elizabethan women were considered subordinate to men and they were dependent on males. They were also used for alliance with powerful families through arranged marriages not only in the lower class, but also in the ...

    Read More

  • Women In Beowulf

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    With any great society, there is a strong and invincible structure supporting it. This structure is made up of various factors and variables that when added up together equal something much grander than ever imagined. No matter how microscopic the part is presumed to be, anything can drastically alter the course of time and the people involved. One example of this is the Anglo-Saxon society that is ever present in the literary work Beowulf. Throughout the epic the strong sense of community and brotherhood are present; yet, one very important aspect of their world is swept under the rug and undermined. This would be, of course, the favorable effect women have in the society and how their roles, although presumed by many as minute and insignificant,

    Read More

  • The Progression of Gender Roles in American Society

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    Men of this time period also played a different role than they do today. The males of this era made all of the money for the household. They were the ones who went to work and provided for the family. They were looked upon as the head of the family and were expected to act as such. Males were also the ones who voted, so all of the leaders around this time were elected by men.

    Read More

  • Infanticide: Unsuccessful Women In The 16th Century

    458 Words  | 1 Pages

    Men were considered the patriarchal head of society. It was believed that without male control, women would turn monstrous.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Beowulf

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gender roles have had a great impact on society during the Dark Ages as well as pieces of literature such as, Beowulf and continue to make a great deal of impact today. Men and women were individually expected to act and behave in a certain manner causing many misfortunes in society while also influencing much of history, concluding that Beowulf features multiple different gender roles, helping to prove that men and women were unequal during the Anglo-Saxon society in the Dark Ages just as they are

    Read More

  • Women In The Elizabethan Era

    207 Words  | 1 Pages

    Life for women during the Elizabethan era was just as hard as it was before Queen Elizabeth went into ruling. Society at this time was biased towards men, and as a result, the treatment and expectations of women were much harsher. Women were expected to only look after their household, and to become skilled in the duties of a housewife. Since the expected duties of women were relatively simple, this meant that girl’s education was not something that was always given. For most girls, they would never learn more than counting to ten, unless they married a nobleman, a situation which was unlikely in itself. However, this is an entirely different story if you were a female in the nobility class. Because of their status and wealth, they would be

    Read More

  • Medieval Women In Beowulf Research Paper

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    In medieval society the average women lifestyle was “ caring for children, preparing food, and tending livestock” and that's all they knew but it becomes quite apparent how women a portrayed in medieval literature by just looking at Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath's Tale (Bovey, “Women on Medieval Society”) . At the beginning of the medieval period women took care of home, and that was it, anything outside of their home lives was a blur. But as the period went on the began to get more vocal about expressing their opinions and having a greater and more equal role in society. They became less restricted in many aspects of their lives and as a result are represented much more than they ever had before. The problem

    Read More

  • E.M.W. Tillyard's Elizabethan World Picture: Analysis

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Elizabethan World Picture begins focus on the Order of the Universe. Tillyard explains that God has created an order for everything. Cosmic order is a key characteristic in poetry and plays written in the Elizabethan time period. Tillyard claims that our order is affected by personal connections with each rank. Tillyard uses several examples of order in our lives one of those being, “the sun, and the king, primogeniture hang together”. Primogeniture is the right for the firstborn to inherit the family estates. This order is shown to be in conflict in Shakespeare’s play, Richard the Second. In Richard II the sun was the king, and he was to be respected as he divinely anointed by God for his role. We see an ignoring of this divine order when Henry Bolingbroke and the other nobles take it upon themselves to rebel and pressure the king into giving up his crown. Ironically, primogeniture is used to excuse treason in one case and then ignored to take Richard’s crown. When Bolingbroke arrived he claimed that he was only interested in taking back his God given right and at the end of the play we see Bolingbroke and the nobles ignoring Richard’s divine right to rule because he does not have the ability to rule. A lot of respect was given to cosmic order during Elizabethan times. It was believed that to be out of order, especially the cosmic order caused strife and chaos in the universe.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Romeo And Juliet

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    1558-1603. The Elizabethan era held some rather extreme and strange gender stereotypes, particularly seen in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in the city of Verona, Italy. Men were supposed to be the only brave, strong ones willing to fight anyone to protect their honor. While on the other hand, young women were the soft, fragile ones who had no control over their lives. Gender roles were prominent in everyday life, but in some cases they were not followed. Both Romeo and Juliet are portrayed as going against the stereotypical gender roles, playing a part in their rash decision making.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In The United States

    477 Words  | 1 Pages

    Gender inequality is found in all societies in history. Each society typically assigns specific tasks or behaviors to each sex, although those assignments are not always the same in every society. This sex typing is not absolute across any society, one society may attribute a specific job as a “male” job, while a different society will attribute that same job as a “female” job. Sex typed work was researched in 324 societies around the world by Anthropologist George Murdock. (Henslin, 2014, p. 297)

    Read More

More about Great Chain: Scala Naturae

Open Document