1. The Elizabethan World Picture
Shakespeare
The Elizabethan World Picture

2. Contents Introduction The Elizabethan Age Chain of being Mirror
Macrocosm
Ptolemy’s system
The Elizabethan Age
Copernican system
Chain of being
System of
Mirror
correspondence
The human being Humours Temper
King

3. Introduction
Renaissance took place in Italy between century.
In England around 16th century
Elizabeth I reigned
→Elizabethan Era
Tillyard: „Elizabethan World Picture“

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Chain of being

7. 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“)

8. Chain of being The human steps: Learned Human („est“, “vivit“, “feel“
and „intelligent“)
Sensible
(„est“, „vivit“ and
„feel“)
Gluttory
(„est“ and „vivit“)
Lazyness
(„est“)

9. 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.

10. Macrososm (Universe)

11. 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

12. 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
€ “Coelum Empyraeum”
God, the Angels and the souls of the blessed lived there
Ptolemy‘s idea of the universe

13. The Copernican System, heliocentric system
Nicolaus Copernicus ( )
heliocentric model of the solar system
the sun is stationary at the centre
the Earth moves around it
Nicolaus Copernicus

14. 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

15. The Copernican System, heliocentric system
the concept of a moving earth was too difficult for most 16th- century readers
€ Consequently, the sun-centred system was hard to introduce

16. System of correspondence
Macrocosm
Microcosm
sun
(giving planets light and power, in the middle of
the universe)
stars
(placed highest in the sphere)
earthquakes and storms (in nature)
man’s heart
man’s head
man’s passion

17. 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

18. 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…]”

19. 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"

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. The Phlegmatic Man: “hath nature of Water”
is cold and moist, heavy, slow, sleepy he has wine of the sheep; loves green clothes

26. The Melancholic Man “hath nature of Earth”
is cold and dry, backbiter, malicious, and slow, he has wine of an hog; loves black clothes

27. 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