SH+P5+Witchcraft



**Historical**

Marisa Pagel

The historical impact of witchcraft is different for many cultures. In //A Short History of Witchcraft,// “Belief in witchcraft exists around the world and varies from culture to culture. Historically, people have associated witchcraft with evil and usually have regarded a witch as someone who uses magic to harm others,” (Rosewl 1). According to Rosewl witchcraft has affected many people. Usually when people think about witchcraft and especially when they think about what it used to mean evil might defiantly be one of the words that might come up. Unless one is born to a culture that believes in witchcraft, usually it is something that results in tragedy or as many say “evil.” Rosewl also stated, “People around the world continue to practice witchcraft for good or harm,” (Rosewl 2). For cultures, the practice of witchcraft is dependent on the historical impact that the past generations have made of it. If the history is rich of “good witchcraft” because the ancestors believed or practiced it then most likely the following generations will keep up with the idea. However if the history shows a substantial amount of “harmful witchcraft” then the ancestors have made the following generations believe or practice “harmful witchcraft.” It all depends, as stated before, the historical impact of the past generations. In //Causes and Effects of Witchcraft//,“Beliefs and practice of magic and witchcraft is a phenomenon that has captured the minds of millions since the beginning of history. These so called witches have caused fear, hatred, interest, widespread panic and variety of other emotions in other people from all over the world,” (Reala 1). As one might be able to tell witchcraft has had a very historical impact on many people, wither it is positive or negative. It is a high possibility that witchcraft will keep having a historical impact for generations to come. With each culture the impact is different, however, the most common thought about witchcraft is that it is “evil.”

**Works Cited-** Reala, M. //Causes and Effects of Witchcraft//. Chicago: Study Mode, 2011. Print.

Rosewl J. // A Short History of Witchcraft. // England: Wiccan One’s Universe, 2002. Print.


 * Witchcraft has been used in many stories and many people believe in witchcraft. Witchcraft is magic, spells, and potions. It is usually associated with evil as well. People believe in witchcraft as it being evil and that the witches will cause harm to people. “ "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Taylor). The purpose of witchcraft is to get the witches to do what one asks them to do. They represent evil and they are used to do evil things or set someone on their way. They could be used to let people know they are in danger or danger is going to come their way. **

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Erica Cook
Witchcraft has been seen and used thoughout the ages. Over time witches have dwindled into scary stories and mke for great novels. In Shakesbeare's time, however witchcraft was defenitly more real. Wikipeadea states " It was widely believed in early modern Christian Europe that witches were in league with the devil and used their powers to harm people and property." (Wikipeada). Withces were seen as evil things set out to destroy people. Becuasee this was widely beilived during Shakespeare's' time this had some influence on his work. In some of Shakespeare's' play's including Macbeth people see the idea of witches playing a role in the stories. The role of a manipulator. Witchcraft is still highly controversial today. Works Cited

"Witchcraft." //Wikipedia //. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. .

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Lauren Letarte
The intended audience for the witchcraft present in Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, would be those who have knowledge of witchcraft or signs of evil such as witchcraft. Witches are for the untraditional and what can seem to be the “wrong” way. It is commonly opinionated that “witches subvert the natural order of religion and society” (Riedel 1). Witches are against tradition and are often seen as signs of wrongdoing. The witchcraft in Macbeth can be intended for all audiences really because all can relate to sign or evil, marks against tradition and uncommon/supernatural events. Because everyone can relate to witchcraft through marks of evil in their own way, the three witches in Macbeth help create more of a bold frame for the characters and story line by slightly foreshadowing throughout the play. Although the understanding of the witchcraft throughout the play may differ, the foreshadowing and signs from the three witches are evident. The intended audience is for all who can relate or have a clear understanding of the three witches and their evil.

Works Cited: Best, Michael. //Shakespeare's Life and Times.// CD ROM. Santa Barbara, CA: Intellimation, 1994. Version 3.0.

//The Burning Times.// Direct Cinema, 1990.

Cooper, T. //The Mysterie of Witchcraft.// London: Nicholas Okes, 1617. Cotton, N. "Castrating (W)itches: Impotence and Magic in //The Merry Wives of Windsor." Shakespeare Quarterly.// 38, 1987: 320-326.