What is the Great Chain of Being?

[@santanu290]

I had no idea about that. Thank you sir😊

[@drybones5512]

You're welcome. It pops up every all over the place in lit once you are aware of it.

[@MrVulcanator]

This is fascinating. I had no idea that this hierarchy of different categories was so long standing and originally seen as the natural and divine order.

[@drybones5512]

Yeah, it's interesting to see the ideas pop up again and again in literature over the centuries.

[@Qu0thTheRaven]

well done, great presentation on the great chain of being

[@drybones5512]

Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

[@13371138]

Thank you, I needed to find out what on earth the chain of being was, and your video was perfect.

[@drybones5512]

I'm very glad you found it useful. Thank you for letting me know.

[@whyslim9504]

This was a brilliant video! Glad I stumbled upon this!

[@drybones5512]

I'm glad you did too. And thanks for the affirmation.

[@Art2z123]

Very helpful for researching Macbeth 👍

[@drybones5512]

I'm glad it proved useful.

[@LaoDan13]

The Great Chain of Being is ...a circle whose centre is everywhere and circumference is nowhere. Hermes Trismegistus

[@drybones5512]

Oh, I like that bit about everywhere and nowhere. That's St. Bonaventure right. That's how he talked about God, right? I come across two representations of the Great Chain. One is a circle. Robert Fludd (died 1637) did an etching that showed the chain as circular. There are also several, more linear conceptions of the chain. The one i used in the video was from Didacus Valades, Rhetorica Christiana (1579). I find that the hierarchical one to be easier for my students. Thanks for this.

[@DB-pp7kj]

Thank you Thomas Jefferson.

[@drybones5512]

A Modern approach, but it didn't contribute as much to poetry.