Witchcraft and Theatre in the Elizabethan Era

Daemonologie

A book about witchcraft written by King James I in 1597

Witch pact

A witch made a pact with the devil, giving up their soul for powers

Image magic

A form of witchcraft using wax dolls or pictures to harm people

Familiars

Magical assistants (e.g., cats, toads) believed to help witches

Witch marks

Skin tags, moles, or unusual marks thought to identify witches

Typical accused witch

Poor, old, single woman, often with a pet

1563 Witchcraft Act

Law that made it legal to kill witches

Church on healing

Using herbs to heal was seen as a pact with the devil

Wise women

Women who used herbs to heal, often accused of witchcraft

Elizabethan Era

Reign of Elizabeth I, 1558-1603

Jacobean Era

Reign of James I, started 1603

Gutenberg Press

Invented in 1456; helped spread books about witches, religion, astrology

Witch trials

270 people accused; 91% women, 9% men

Ducking stool

Witch test: float = witch (killed), sink = innocent (but dead)

Elizabethan women

Seen as inferior to men; raised to obey

No education for women

Upper class tutored at home, lower class had none; no university

Women's rights

No voting, no acting, no political or military roles

Masques

Fancy performances women could join (dance, poetry, costumes)

Legal age to marry

12; women expected to bring a dowry, raise kids

Whipping stool

Punishment for disobedient women

Shakespeare

Lived 1564-1616, not the only playwright

Other playwrights

Before: Marlowe; After: Ben Jonson

High demand

300+ playwrights, constant need for new plays

The Theatre (1576)

First permanent theatre by James Burbage

Mystery plays

Religious plays (e.g., crucifixion), banned mid-16th century

Morality plays

Taught moral lessons, performed in inns or homes

Actors

Many actors became playwrights (e.g., Richard Burbage)

Groundlings

Poor people who stood on the ground level at plays

Gallery

Middle and upper class seats, musicians played here

Stage setup

Simple stage, trapdoor, minimal props

Costumes

Contemporary (modern to the time)

Play performance

Helps fully understand a play's meaning

Drama meaning

About conflict, themes, characters, and subplots

Studying a play

Focus on themes, character changes, soliloquy, stage ideas

English Renaissance

Rebirth of Greek/Roman, Italian/French ideas in literature

Poetry vs Drama

Poetry for upper class; drama for lower class

Richard Burbage

First great Shakespearean actor

Will Kemp

Famous comic actor in Shakespeare's time