Incantations: The Gendered Epistemology of Witchcraft (original) (raw)

From pestilence to impotence, from tempests to plague, many of the denizens of Renaissance England thought Satan and his ever-present minions, the witches, to be lurking behind every ill. The mass hysteria and inquisitions that ensued in the Middle Ages executed countless thousands and continued throughout the early modern period. Of course the majority of the European populace followed the teachings of the Church and its leaders, but there were also those in this period who didn't fall so easily into this tradition of belief. There were skeptics and satirists who questioned the dogma of their era and, as early as the 16 th century, produced philosophical and theatrical writing that called into critical account beliefs and practices regarding the systematic victimization and persecution of countless people, especially unmarried, older women. Be that as it may, cynics and believers alike could not help but be affected by the legends, folktales and sermons (not to mention witch-hunts) surrounding them, perhaps none more so than the actor and playwright.

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