Renaissance Superstitions
Witches in the Medieval and Renaissance time periods were interesting. They were mostly older women that practiced sorcery. Many also suffered consequences and witchcraft was not accepted everywhere. The belief in witchcraft, in the medieval and renaissance time periods, relates to the tragedy, Macbeth, and made it unpredictable and full of suspense.
A witch is a woman that is thought to have magical powers that differ depending on the time and place, like the weird sisters in Macbeth, who practice sorcery. In fourteenth century Scotland, there were treason trials being held. There were large numbers of people being accused of meeting with the devil in order to perform acts of sorcery. In the following century, Scottish witch beliefs and …show more content…
They arose in order to explain how the witches committed their crimes that they were accused of. Witches were said to be able to fly on a broomstick to commit a crime quickly. Many widowed old women were lonely, so they had pets to keep them company. It was thought that witches have animal-like creatures, called familiars, that they send out to do their bidding for them. A witch that made a pact with the Devil would often have a third nipple that her familiar could suck on that would keep them alive and well. Another common witch superstition claims that if someone burns hay on a witch’s house, she will immediately appear to stop her house from burning down. It was also a common belief that a witch would float if thrown in the water because water is pure, and the opposite of pure and innocence would be evil.
In conclusion, witchcraft in the Medieval and Renaissance related to the tragedy Macbeth, where the three weird sisters created a dark and superstitious mood in the play. Witchcraft in these time periods were not accepted socially. The witches were accused of practicing sorcery and were punished if they were found. The majority of the witches were mature and poor, with the exception of some male witches. The three weird sisters influenced Macbeth to be a greedy and ruthless murderer with a limitless lust of
A witch is a woman that is thought to have magical powers that differ depending on the time and place, like the weird sisters in Macbeth, who practice sorcery. In fourteenth century Scotland, there were treason trials being held. There were large numbers of people being accused of meeting with the devil in order to perform acts of sorcery. In the following century, Scottish witch beliefs and …show more content…
They arose in order to explain how the witches committed their crimes that they were accused of. Witches were said to be able to fly on a broomstick to commit a crime quickly. Many widowed old women were lonely, so they had pets to keep them company. It was thought that witches have animal-like creatures, called familiars, that they send out to do their bidding for them. A witch that made a pact with the Devil would often have a third nipple that her familiar could suck on that would keep them alive and well. Another common witch superstition claims that if someone burns hay on a witch’s house, she will immediately appear to stop her house from burning down. It was also a common belief that a witch would float if thrown in the water because water is pure, and the opposite of pure and innocence would be evil.
In conclusion, witchcraft in the Medieval and Renaissance related to the tragedy Macbeth, where the three weird sisters created a dark and superstitious mood in the play. Witchcraft in these time periods were not accepted socially. The witches were accused of practicing sorcery and were punished if they were found. The majority of the witches were mature and poor, with the exception of some male witches. The three weird sisters influenced Macbeth to be a greedy and ruthless murderer with a limitless lust of