Shakespeare A to Z | Loyalty
Elizabethans believed that all things in the universe, from God to the dirt underfoot, had a proper place in a vast hierarchy* known as the great chain of being. It was considered natural and proper for those positioned lower on this cosmic ladder to show respect and loyalty toward their superiors. Subjects were expected to be loyal to their monarch, children to their parents, wives to their husbands, and servants to their masters. Disruptions in this universal order, either on a large scale (the overthrow of a king by his subjects) or on a small one (the disobedience of a child toward his...
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