Though the accused witches were not strictly female, the accused were predominantly women and more specifically older women, older women were seen as more fragile and impressionable so the devil could convince them to do his dirty work quiet easily.POV Two Dominican monks, Kramer and Sprenger, wrote a handbook used to identify witches by the Inquisition. In this book they explained that women are more credulous and carnal then men so they are more often found to be the devil’s workers. They think they know what they know because they are men and view women as a weaker sex. They are biased against women and are clearly sexist as they chose to blame women for being
Austin Meyer R10286217 The Crucible In 1692, the Puritans believed in the supernatural power of witchcraft and that the devil is responsible if anything bad happens. This belief in sorcery plays a very important role in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and sets the tone for how the play progresses. In the small Massachusetts town of Salem, religion is viewed as law and anything that goes against the bible is considered a dreadful sin. During this time, a person’s name meant everything to their honor and respect from others. An easy accusation of one’s name could tarnish their reputation and ruin their career.
The remark made by Banquo and the title of Hecate states that Shakespeare intends to use repulsive-looking women, mistakenly having beards, to render that women are predominately evil. Instead of using evil wizards with even longer beards, Shakespeare omits the fact that men are generally the cause of hostility because of their aggression. The witches’ supernatural powers give them a higher, more dangerous rank than men because they control the fate of the characters and their prophecies come true. They meet up with Macbeth hailing him, “Thane of Glamis” then “Thane of Cawdor” and “… shalt be king hereafter” (I. iii. 46-48).
Elizabeth Reis, Damned Women I feel that the seventeenth century Puritan beliefs of sin imbedded into both men and women were extreme. Women were no more evil than men in my opinion. People of the seventeenth century believed as their ancestors had done before them, the world was controlled by unseen forces that could influence or control, through the use of rituals and ceremonies. Magic was believed to be two parts; one was white magic, and it was the craft of healing. White Magic was practiced by cunning or wise people.
(1.3.71)” Banquo also doubts the intension of the witches, he believes that evil always tells one part of the truth in order to earn one’s trust and lead him to destruction. Banquo warns Macbeth, ”But ‘tis strange./And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ the instruments of darkness tell us truths,/win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/In deepest consequence. (1.3.124-128)” On the other hand, Macbeth ignored his friends warning and believes in what the witches say. He is over whelmed by his ambition to be king, he said to himself,”Glamis, and the thane of Cawfor!/The greatest is behind. (1.3.118-119).””Two truths are told/,as happy prologues to the swelling act/of the imperial theme.
I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Act I) In this quote it explains how Abigail tried saving herself from being known as a “bad” person. Abigail also wants her name good in the village because a rumor was spread of her having an affair with John Proctor which is true. She then wants John Proctors wife dead so she could have him for herself. It then blows up in her face that she did not get what she wanted simply because Proctor did not want her.
Christianity was the matrix of medieval life. Everyone was affected by these ideals, but not everyone lived up to these ideals. From the documentary, Inside the Medieval Mind, the church relied on fear and shame to control people. Sex is considered filthy in the Medieval Times, where virginity was the highest virtue. Women were thought of as Satan’s bait and poison for the souls of men.
Sin can lead many people in dark places, it can affect the personality of the people, and we can allow sin not to control our lives. Sin can lead many people in dark places. We live in world where some people do not question their moral values or question the way they live their life. But as Christians, we are called to live a life like Jesus. But because of are sinful nature, sin can gripe us and lead us into many dark places where one may stop believing the purpose that God has given unto them.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller can be superficially interpreted as a play that takes place during an era when witches posed a threat to people. With the villagers of Salem being a strictly religious puritan, any malicious event would have been considered to be the act of the devil and therefore were sought to be terminated immediately. It was during the early year of 1692 when mass hysteria rapidly spread throughout the people of Salem; with people being accused of consorting with devils and casting spells. These honest people were mainly middle-aged women who were childless or who were abandoned by their husbands. This trend undoubtedly represents the theme of empowerment and gender in the play.
Consequently, he results in reading ‘heavenly necromancy books’. This could imply that Faustus reads books that are about black magic, which relates to society at the time, as people would have frowned upon and be terrified of black magic. Witch trials were also taking place at the time which added to the superstition and alleged evidence of the superhuman. ‘Heavenly’ juxtaposes the use of ‘necromancy’ as heavenly supports the idea of God and what is good; however ‘necromancy’ supports the idea of the devil and what is bad. Necromancy