The Overbury Scandal Was a Sign of a Corrupted Society

Somerset's excesses and rise the murders and trials could be seen as a failing on the part of james to carry out his primary role as head of the household. In that role, he was entrusted by god with power to control the actions of others. And so they were responsible for making sure their household behaved in a godly and virtuous manner. A third way the audience might have interpreted events was much more broadly held in societies, highly gendered and socially stratified.