Beliefs1

During the Elizabethan age, people were not educated like today and had false beliefs. The people of the Elizabethan time believed in an “Elizabethan World Picture” which was a “widely held set of assumptions about the inherently ordered nature of the universe,” claims MJ Peters from website “Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Period: a Brief Introduction”, Elizabethan England. “There is a Great Chain of Being and every single element has its own prescribed place and function in the hierarchical universe.” In other words, the people during that time thought that there was a vertical chain ranking all things. “An objects place depended on the proportion of the “spirit” and “matter” it contained,” explains the English Department at Brooklyn College’s webpage “The Great Chain of Being” on the website Renaissance. An object that had less spirit and more matter would be found near the bottom of the chain. The people of Elizabethan England used this chain and ranked all things.
 * 6 WHAT IS THE “ELIZABETHAN WORLD PICTURE” AND “THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING”? WHATWERE COMMON SUPERSTITIONS, FOLKLORE, “OLD WIVES TALES”, AND BELIEFS IN ASTROLOGY IN SHAKESPEARE ENGLAND?**
 * Answer prepared by: Alexandra Meyers**

The Great Chain of Being was complicated and had all of the objects in a certain order. At the lowest point in the chain, there were objects like metals, stones, or the four elements- earth, water, air, or fire. Above those would be flowers and trees, then animals, after that humans, above that angels, and the very top would be God. Within each group, the elements would be arranged even further; even though both gold and lead were at the bottom of the chain, gold was the highest because it had the most spirit of these element and lead was the lowest because it had the least spirit of these elements. In the animals category, “shellfish were thought to be the lowest and shaded into the vegetative class, for example, because without locomotion (the ability to move), they most resembled plants,” states the English Department at Brooklyn College’s webpage. Along with the “Great Chain of Being”, the Elizabethan had even more ideas about the world.

There were also many interesting beliefs in astrology during this time. The Elizabethan concepts were based on the works of Ptolemy who claimed that they had a geocentric universe. This means that they thought that the earth didn’t move and the other seven planets revolved around the earth. Francois Laroque, author of the book __The Age of Shakespeare__ (pages 100-107) describes, “traditional medicine linked bodily rhythms and diseases to the motions of the seven planets and the influences of the twelve signs of zodiac on the parts of the human body.” This means that they thought that the planets had an influence over the medicine and illnesses. Different months of the year would mean different things to the Elizabethans; Aries controlled the head and face, Taurus the neck, Gemini the shoulders, Leo the back and heart, and Cancer would control the chest, stomach, and the lungs. People believed that heavenly bodies, like the planets, would control or influence life on earth so some people would pray to the planets.

There were many superstitions the Elizabethan people believed; some of these superstations are still believed today. Sarkis from the webpage “Elizabethan Superstitions” on the website Elizabethan England Life unravels some of the superstitions: “A pot stirred counterclockwise was bad luck to those who ate from it and caused spoilage of food. When you opened your mouth to sneeze it was thought that the devil would enter it so people said bless you, this would stop the devil because no demon could stay in a place that a Christian had blessed. The 7th son of the 7th son had supernatural powers. If you touched someone about to be executed, a cow breathed on you, or you spit into a fire you would have good luck. Spilling salt and a cat crossing you path was bad luck. The right hand of a prisoner was said to be lucky and had the power to heal.” Although people today may think that some of these superstations are absurd, some are still used today because of the Elizabethan people. The Elizabethans did not know as much as people today knew so some of their beliefs were far from the truth. Kindersley, Dorling. Shakespeare. New York: DK Publishing, 2002. 56-57. Print.
 * Works Cited**

Laroque, Francois. The Age of Shakespeare. Abrams: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1993. 101-107. Print.

Peters, M.J. "Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Period: a Brief Introduction." Elizabethan England. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar 2010. .

Picard, Liza. Elizabeth's London Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. 1st. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003. 277-278. Print.

Rowse, A.L. The Elizabethan Renaissance The Life of the Society. New York: Charles Scriber's Sons, 1971. 258-304. Print.

Sarkis. "Elizabethan England Superstitions." Elizabethan England Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar 2010. .

"The Great Chain of Being." Renaissance. English Department, Brooklyn College., 29 March 2009. Web. 27 Mar 2010. .