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    Emma Leahy - Witchcraft Throughout History

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    Witchcraft was widely believed and feared for many centuries, leading to persecution of many innocent people, especially women. The play Macbeth features three witches who influence Macbeth and propel the plot. Two articles provide historical context on beliefs about witchcraft - one discusses witch trials in 17th century Connecticut and how accusations could lead to execution, while the other describes how witchcraft accusations in some African countries today can result in imprisonment, loss of property, banishment or violence. Both articles illustrate how witchcraft beliefs have had serious negative social impacts.

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    Emma Leahy - Witchcraft Throughout History

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    114 views1 page
    Witchcraft was widely believed and feared for many centuries, leading to persecution of many innocent people, especially women. The play Macbeth features three witches who influence Macbeth and propel the plot. Two articles provide historical context on beliefs about witchcraft - one discusses witch trials in 17th century Connecticut and how accusations could lead to execution, while the other describes how witchcraft accusations in some African countries today can result in imprisonment, loss of property, banishment or violence. Both articles illustrate how witchcraft beliefs have had serious negative social impacts.

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    emma leahy - witchcraft throughout history

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    Witchcraft was widely believed and feared for many centuries, leading to persecution of many innocent people, especially women. The play Macbeth features three witches who influence Macbeth and propel the plot. Two articles provide historical context on beliefs about witchcraft - one discusses witch trials in 17th century Connecticut and how accusations could lead to execution, while the other describes how witchcraft accusations in some African countries today can result in imprisonment, loss of property, banishment or violence. Both articles illustrate how witchcraft beliefs have had serious negative social impacts.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    114 views1 page

    Emma Leahy - Witchcraft Throughout History

    Uploaded by

    api-412685422
    Witchcraft was widely believed and feared for many centuries, leading to persecution of many innocent people, especially women. The play Macbeth features three witches who influence Macbeth and propel the plot. Two articles provide historical context on beliefs about witchcraft - one discusses witch trials in 17th century Connecticut and how accusations could lead to execution, while the other describes how witchcraft accusations in some African countries today can result in imprisonment, loss of property, banishment or violence. Both articles illustrate how witchcraft beliefs have had serious negative social impacts.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Witchcraft was believed in for a very long time, people were considered horrible and

    evil if they were thought to be practicing witchcraft. This created problems for many
    innocent people, mainly women and young girls. In Macbeth witchcraft was very much
    relevant, the three witches in the play have a big role in Macbeths story. The articles “In
    1647, the Capital Crime was Witchcraft” and “Witchcraft Legal Aid in Africa” add to this story
    by showing why people believed in witchcraft and was added to Macbeth.

    In the first article “In 1647, the Capital Crime was Witchcraft” by Alvi Salzman
    mentioned that 350 years ago, witchcraft was the crime most likely to result in a death
    sentence. Witchcraft was taboo and very unwelcome. Witches were thought to have
    supernatural powers. Many people thought that they were the reason for unexplained
    sickness or odd weather. “Witch-hunting reached its peak in Connecticut in 1662, when the
    Hartford witch hunt began, eventually resulting in accusations against at least eight people,
    at least three of whom were executed. It was touched off by a woman named Ann Cole,
    who began having "ts" in which she shook and spoke of the devil” says Salzman,
    however in the mid-1660s these practices stopped and witch-hunts were made illegal

    In Macbeth, the witches gave him a prophecy that said he would be king of Thanes
    and Cawdor where there was already a king. This started a chain of events where he killed
    Duncan with his wife so he could become king right away. The witches were unhappy with
    the way things went and how self-centered he was. The Main witch decided to pull tricks on
    Macbeth for what he’s done, they start making spells when he demands to speak with them
    so they can give him more prophecies for his own benefit. Once again the witches didn’t like
    that. After this Shakespear enforced the idea that witches are evil because they told
    Macbeth what to look out for but they couldn’t be trusted because they were going to trick
    him. Many people when Shakespear feared witches because they were known as devil
    worshipers so they had to be evil. In the story as they were brewing their potion they
    repeated the line “double double toil and trouble” showing that they were up to no good.

    In the second article “Witchcraft Legal Aid in Africa” by Chi Mgbako the writer shows
    us how witch hunts and witchcraft accusations are still relevant and harmful today, as well
    as showing how some people still have the beliefs that witchcraft is bad. “ Accusations of
    witchcraft in Africa have gained increasing attention because of the severe impact they
    can have on the lives of those accused, including imprisonment, deprivation of property,
    banishment from villages and in some cases physical violence” Mgbako explains. People all
    over the world are still in fear of witches and what they could possibly do, they think all
    witches want is to spread evil and harm to others and its endangering other people’s lives
    because of it. Mgbako and his team traveled to Africa to help spread awareness of what the
    accusations they are giving are harmful. This has so far helped and many people in those
    villages have learned, it was made illegal to accuse someone of witchcraft.

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