The witch concept had developed after the onset of the plague epidemic in the fourteenth century. People looked for a scapegoat, and if there were no Jews handy to blame, they went for older women. By Shakespeare's day, there was a whole literature about witches which had been constructed. King James I was very interested in witch lore.
There were no real witches in Shakespeare's time, because they don't exist! But, there is no exact figure as to how many women were thought to be witches. There were apparently thousands of them around! If a woman was seen to own a black cat, or if she made special herbal medicines, then she was seen as a witch. There were witch-hunts, and around 16000 (sixteen thousand) women were killed because they were thought to be witches. (They were burned at the stake, or drowned.) Hope I helped you! :)
In Shakespeare's time, certain people were really frightened of witches and believed that they were a clear and present danger to their country. The history of the Salem Witch Trials is an example of this kind of fear, which was only starting in Shakespeare's day. Throughout the seventeenth century, fundamentalist religion became very powerful in England and even overthrew the monarchy, and it is religious fundamentalists who generally are frightened of witches.
He was a policeman of sorts.
what was the culture of the people in shakespeare time
Males
Macbeth
If they were ever told their real name, they would instantly die. btw, only docotor who could figure that 1 out!
There were no real witches in Shakespeare's time, because they don't exist! But, there is no exact figure as to how many women were thought to be witches. There were apparently thousands of them around! If a woman was seen to own a black cat, or if she made special herbal medicines, then she was seen as a witch. There were witch-hunts, and around 16000 (sixteen thousand) women were killed because they were thought to be witches. (They were burned at the stake, or drowned.) Hope I helped you! :)
In Shakespeare's time, certain people were really frightened of witches and believed that they were a clear and present danger to their country. The history of the Salem Witch Trials is an example of this kind of fear, which was only starting in Shakespeare's day. Throughout the seventeenth century, fundamentalist religion became very powerful in England and even overthrew the monarchy, and it is religious fundamentalists who generally are frightened of witches.
strossers
Whether or not the audience believed in the existence of real witches, the witches in Macbeth are for entertainment. Nobody thought they were anything other than a group of actors. The witches may have originally been played for laughs, and certainly the addition of songs and dialogue and the character Hecate from Middleton's play The Witch made them very silly indeed.
He was a policeman of sorts.
what was the culture of the people in shakespeare time
donit know
Yes, in Shakespeares time.
3:pm
Males