Gender Roles In Witchcraft

The books thesis is based on why a person was accused of being a witch and the relative circumstances thereof. Marital status, sex, community standing, wealth, and relationships with others all play an important part of a person chances of being accused of being a witch.

Tensions rose between young women and girls(Accusers/Afflicted) and older women who showed signs of deviance(Accused witches). In a single year, one hundred and fifteen local people were accused of witchcraft, and twenty were executed. The ordeal was a “role reversal of unique dimensions”(43). The “afflicted” girls were able to exert control over everyone else - as a means to outlet aggression. Young women were the weakest community members and they felt powerless. By accusing older women, some widows who held more power and challenged the male dominated pattern of land ownership, the younger women were able to exert life-and-death power over the

Prior to the fifteenth century, rural European women were highly revered and respected pillars of rural community life; not only considered mothers and wives, but seen as community leaders, physicians, and sources of strength and wisdom. Women had a special and imperative role in rural life, and even those that lived on the fringes of society were well respected as the village healers and wise women. These old women would possess the wisdom of the ages and pass it on to others. This respect for women quickly deteriorated, however, during the witch hunts. The belief spread that women were morally weaker than men and driven by carnal lust, therefore making them more susceptible to being tempted by the Devil, and thus practicing witchcraft. (Levack p. 126) As people took this belief to heart, it is apparent that society would be affected indefinitely by such intolerance.

Idea of witches date back to the Renaissance and the period in history known as the witch craze.

Also, women were most commonly accused because witches were viewed as a feminine role. Some men were accused of being sorcerers, which are basically the same concept as

Were the witch-hunts in pre-modern Europe misogynistic? Anne Llewellyn Barstow seems to think so in her article, “On Studying Witchcraft as Women’s History: A Historiography of the European Witch Persecutions”. On the contrary, Robin Briggs disagrees that witch-hunts were not solely based on hatred for women as stated in his article, “Women as Victims? Witches, Judges and the Community”. The witch craze that once rapidly swept through Europe may have been because of misconstrued circumstances. The evaluation of European witch-hunts serves as an opportunity to delve deeper into the issue of misogyny.

In the story of Medea, manipulation, depression, revenge, and murder are themes that run throughout the play. Medea responded to the betrayal she felt in very violent ways. Many people end up being killed by the end of the play due to her revenge plan. While Medea’s actions are horrendous and in some cases, inhuman, they can be sympathized with because the motives behind her actions follow the patterns of human nature.

Witchcraft gives women the power to heal, the power over life and death, and respect within the community. Oftentimes, having these powers elevated ones' status within the community. But all of this wasn’t always so. Several centuries ago the Salem witch trials occurred, creating a fear of witches.

There are countless different assumptions about witches. The majority of individuals in the sixteenth and seventeenth century presumed that God and Satan were real (Lambert 1). They also assumed that “witches” were in allegiance with Satan and made a vow to bow down and serve him (Lambert 1). Furthermore, another common belief was

Medea is the tragic story of a woman desperate for revenge upon her husband, after he betrayed her for another woman’s bed. It was written by Euripides, a Greek playwright, in 431 B.C. Throughout the play each character shows us their inconsistent and contradicting personalities, in particular, Jason and Medea. The play opens with the Nurse expressing her anxiety about Jason betraying and leaving Medea for another, wealthier, woman. Our initial reaction is to feel empathetic towards Medea, who has been abandoned so conveniently. But towards the end of the play, when Medea takes revenge on

Euripides’ Medea and Seneca’s Medea are the two surviving ancient tragedies of Medea. Both versions are drastically different and contrast in several aspects. Euripides portrays Medea as more human. She is the epitome of the oppressed housewife and only after her suffering is she capable of the crimes she committed. Seneca’s Medea is even more vengeful than Euripides’ and she is angry from the very beginning. Seneca’s version also portrays Medea as a vengeful sorceress whereas in Euripides’ version, though she is known to be a witch and have remarkable skill in poisons and potions, that aspect is not as crucial and significant as in Seneca’s Medea. The two poets offer contrasting depictions and characterizations of Medea, the most

Medea questions the firmly held belief in Greek society that women are weak and passive. Wanting revenge on Jason for his betrayal of her, Medea must take control of the situation, a stereotypical masculine quality. Though she cannot become a man or take power like a man, she perceives her

Small rural communities were run in a semi-socialist manner. Inhabitants all had their homes or land, and some were wealthier than others but because of the community spirit within these small enclaves the children of your neighbor may as well be your children, and one would never consider withholding food or aid from a poorer neighbor. Women in these communities could choose their path and remain single and independent or marry and have children. A woman was also virtually unlimited in the number of children she could have. More children meant more hands to contribute to chores and farm work, which in turn meant there was more food for the family to eat. Extended family was also a large part of this lifestyle and as such there were always grandparents, and perhaps even great grandparents who would help to raise the communities’ children and allow the mothers to contribute more fully to community life.

Commonly considered one of Euripides greatest pieces, Medea is an insightful depiction of how a woman’s love for her husband, churns into a gruesome revenge scheme against him. This tragedy illustrates a tale of a woman who challenges Greek societal norms. In the era that the story takes place; women are often seen in submissive roles. However, the play’s main character, Medea, challenges their customs through her actions against the Kingdom of Corinth and Jason.

By Shakespearean standards, as Lady Macbeth’s wicked actions imply she is witch-like, she could be considered and classified a witch at that time. As the weird sisters undermined the usual arrangements of society, Lady Macbeth subverted the typical order of sexes within man and wife. During the period which Shakespeare wrote in, women’s status in society was not equivalent to men, they were inferior to them, and their role was to encourage and support any of their husband’s decisions. As their value was subordinate this would result to shocking Shakespeare audiences, due to Lady Macbeth’s authority between her and her husband.