SH+P6+2015+Witchcraft

__Aim- Ali Jones__ // Robert Cochrane, founder of a form of traditional witchcraft known as, “Cochrane’s Craft”. //

The purpose of “traditional witchcraft” was to find balance between good and evil. Using the more traditional witchcraft, Cochrane’s Craft’s beliefs, the leader of this take on witchcraft, Robert Cochrane, he described Cochrane’s Craft as, “ Nothing is purely good or evil, these are relative terms that man has hung upon unacceptable mysteries. To my particular belief the Goddess, white with works of good, is also black with works of darkness, yet both of them are compassionate, albeit the compassion is a cover for the ruthlessness of total Truth. Truth is another name for the Godhead. Male or female doesn't really matter, what does matter is the recognition of neither good or evil, black and white, but the acceptance of the 'will of the Gods', the acceptance of Truth as opposed to illusion ” (Traditional Witchcraft). In the more recent adaptations of Witchcraft, they continue to focus on the importance of balance and both spiritual and physical stability. The main 13 goals of a witch involve, “knowing yourself, knowing Wicca, learning, apply knowledge with wisdom, achieve balance, keep your words in good order, keep your thoughts in good order, celebrate life, attune with the cycles of the Earth, breathe and eat correctly, exercise the body, meditate, and honor the Goddess and God” (Cunningham). Although this practice generates a strange image to the average American, these practices seem to be very healthy for those who participate in it.

Works Cited: Knowles, George. "//Controverscial.Com//". //Robert Cochrane//. N.p., 23 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

"//Cochrane's Craft//." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

"//The Thirteen Goals of the Witch.//" //The Thirteen Goals of The Witch//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

__Audience- Zoey Zhao__ // The Salem Witch Trials held in the 1600s in colonial Massachusetts. //

Throughout the ages and in all countries there have been people who have believed in witches and witchcraft. The people of Shakespeare's day were no different. Riedel explains, "The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely believed in Shakespeare's day, as demonstrated by the European witch craze, during which an estimated nine million women were put to death for being perceived as witches" (Riedel). Before, in the late 1500s, no-one could be executed simply for being a witch. However, in 1604, witchcraft became a capital offence. The practice of witchcraft was seen to overthrow the established order of religion and society, and hence was not tolerated. Evidence of a relationship with evil spirits condemned a suspect to death by hanging, burning, or drowning. Because the topic of witches were so popular, witch hunting became a respectable and moral craft that people could pursue. This creation in jobs, avid hunting of witches, and mass execution shows the major role witchcraft played in the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries in which many people were influenced under the strong and controlling subject of witchcraft and witchery.

Works Cited: Riedel, Jennifer. "The Witches' Influence on Macbeth." //Shakespeare: Background Resources//. University of Victoria, 26 Feb. 1966. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

__Historical- Ben Dorathy and Elizabeth Ellis__ - Those accused of witchcraft were burned, stoned, and drowned. - The concept of witchcraft is complex and varies in each culture. - Throughout the olden years and even today, there are some who believe that witches and witchcraft dealt only in graves in the midst of night with ties to their “lord” Satan and were responsible for the ills of the world, such as the “evil rites and poisons” (Marotous) they created. Between Shakespeare and the post-Elizabethan England, whence he wrote and created his tale “Macbeth”, there was a political scandal just one year previously called the Gunpowder Plot and there was also a more cynical and dark feel to the era because of all the insecurities that lay on the surface of the citizens (BBC). Based on these insecurities, the text is censored to the Jacobeans by their feelings in the ways that the witches do not actually tell lies in order for the men to make decisions, but they actually tell all of the truth and manipulate the characters through their fears and feelings into making the worst decisions they could for them. For each of the people in Jacobean times, witchcraft was more evil and more of a sin and way of the night, than the previous Elizabethan years. “Macbeth” and Shakespeare use this in the languages and the words or spells for the witches such as “cauldron bubble” and “eye of newt and toe of frog” where the normal ingredients to the witches are odd and disgusting to the general populace. Even today, people believe in witchcraft, some of them practicing it, some of them joking about it, and then there are some who like in the Salem Witch trials want to burn those they suspect. History repeats itself, and unless the world populace is gone, witchcraft will forever be seen and forever be practiced. // Woman burning at the stake after being found “guilty” of witchcraft. //

Works Cited: "//Witchcraft//." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

"//Macbeth: Background//." //BBC News//. BBC, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Marotous, George. "//Witches and Witchcraft//." //Resources//. English Faculty of Melbourne High School, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

__Cultural- Rebecca Frostrom__ The audience now is more relaxed reading the author’s work because now witchcraft is less of a demonic idea, unless you’re super duper Christian. Or Jewish. Jeffrey Russell explains “The development in medieval witchcraft is bound to that of heresy, the struggle for the expression of religious feeling beyond the limits tolerated by the Church,” (Russell 3). Back then, the thought about straying from the church is so awful, that justice should be served, by burning them at the stake (because that isn’t equally as bad). Jeffrey is very informational with how he presents his facts, but even if he presented his facts as a joke, many people would laugh along (again, unless you’re uber-religious). Shakespeare uses witchcraft to intrigue his readers, because it was a popular discussion during his time. This made readers have a very cruel attitude towards witches. It persuaded people that witches were evil and deserve to die. But now, witchcraft and witches aren’t much of a big deal anymore in modern times. In fact, the idea inspires us. Witchcraft and witches has inspired books, such as Harry Potter, and movies, such as Hocus Pocus. It is now a great part of our entertainment culture, so right now, the persuasion that witchcraft is awful and should be taken seriously is lost to the modern audience, but it doesn’t stop people from enjoying Macbeth as a source of entertainment.



//(from left to right) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Monty Python and the Holy Grail Witch Scene//

Work cited: Russell, Jeffrey. "Google Books." Google Books. 1972. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

"//Witchcraft.//" //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

"//Macbeth: Background.//" //BBC News//. BBC, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Marotous, George. "//Witches and Witchcraft//." //Resources//. English Faculty of Melbourne High School, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.