The Great Chain of Being

The Great Chain of Being applies in Shakespeare's writings, and it is shown in The Tempest. Overall, it states that God is above all of mankind, and the King is the hierarchy of man. Animals, plants, and minerals are at the bottom of the chain, and disruption in the change could cause strange things to happen/mess with the law of nature.

The Tempest starts with a storm and this has symbolic connotations to Shakespeare's historical context. It is very dramatic and brings a feeling of tension between the characters and the reader. Shakespeare lived in a politically turbulent time, where the King was being challenged and Queen Victoria caused anxiousness within the people because she hadn't produced an heir to the throne. There were many events ongoing at this time; a Catholic and Protestant war was continuing and the Gun Powder plot had occurred. Manipulating The Chain of Being is something that happens in the first scene, where all the hierarchy and lower classes are together on one ship. They're all trying to survive, and we see the Boatswain controlling where the King and others locate themselves, giving him some power. However, on top of all this, Prospero is controlling the storm, and theoretically dominating The Chain of Being. 

Diagram from http://swh.schoolworkhelper.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-Great-Chain-of-Being.jpg?e6ecea