Supernatural1

** WHAT WERE COMMONLY HELD BELIEFS ABOUT GHOSTS, WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT, OTHER SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA, FAIRIES, AND OTHER MYTHICAL CREATURES IN SHAKESPEARE’S ENGLAND? WHAT WERE JAMES I’S BELIEFS ABOUT SUCH THINGS? HOW ARE THESE BELIEFS REFLECTED IN SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS? ** Answers prepared by: Addie L. In the Elizabethan London Era, supernatural phenomenon like ghosts, witches, witchcraft and mythical creatures all were common beliefs. Although, the more the people learned about the world around them over time, the less they began believing in some of these early theories. People during this age used the stars and the sun to determine their fate. They believed ghosts loomed everywhere and would seek revenge on their sins if they did not redeem their bad deeds. There were a few different kinds of witches. One of them was the white witch; it was known to be helpful and would do terrific deeds. The black witches on the other hand, were known to use their secret powers in order to harm others. As they witnessed real actions and consequence, they knew that these mythical creatures couldn’t be the cause of actual events. They discovered that it wasn’t necessarily possible for all of these ghosts and witches and fairies to exist .

Witches and their witchcraft were very popular beliefs at the time and, as such, they caused many problems. All wrongdoings were blamed on witches. There were 270 Elizabethan witch trials; mostly of the unprotected old, poor, and single or widowed women. These “witches” were accused of maleficium, the use of diabolical powers for harm. They were said to use potions and other mixtures to cast spells on people. Out of the 64 people that were accused of witchcraft, 53 were found guilty; most actually admitted that they were guilty. The delinquents were all prosecuted. In 1604, James I released his statute against witchcraft. He said that they were “loathe to confess without torture.” Witchcraft and witches were very common convictions and the majority of the population in London believed in these spirits.

 Ghosts were very popular in Elizabethan conversation. According to the author A. L. Rowse, “ghost is defined as the soul of a dead person who is said to appear to the living in bodily likeness at a place associated with his life.” These ghosts have died of an appalling circumstance and want revenge on all that were involved with their life. Spirits like ghosts, are said to be very ferocious. Many famous figures in history have claim to a phantom themselves. Sir Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I, and King Henry VII all have apparitions that have been spotted at some point. Shakespeare makes many references to these spirits in his plays. An example was the play Hamlet, which contains one of the most famous ghosts, King Hamlet, in literature.

 There were many different superstitions of which the Londoners were convinced. According to the Elizabethan English Life Research Foundation, one was that “it was believed that when you open your mouth to sneeze, you give the devil a chance to enter your body and bring about spiritual harm. Saying ‘bless you’ allegedly stops the devils from entering since they thought that no demon could stay in a place that a Christian has blessed.” Another, “the seventh son of the seventh son is believed to have supernatural powers.” Also, “it was also believed that if you touched a man about to be executed, if a cow breathed on you or if you spit into a fire, then you would have good luck.” A superstition that was most influential to them was that witches exist and they can cast spells on anyone. The spells were understood as so grave, they could lead to death. They were also blamed for most everything unexplainable -- the plague, famine, diseases and low crop yields during harvest time. In 1563, the Witchcraft Act was passed to persecute those witches said to invoke evils spirits to commit murder, which prove how much they believed in these doings. There were also a number of superstitions revolving around witchcraft: Witches had the ability to fly using broomsticks. Witches used a huge black pot or cauldron to make and brew their magic potions. Witches had the ability to change into animal forms like cats, dogs, raven, etc. As you can see, very many of the superstitions from the Elizabethan Era actually still are in existence today. These are just some of the many examples of myths that were believed in this time period and even still in the present day.

** Works Cited: ** 

"Elizabethan Ghosts." // Elizabethan Era //. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. .

Elizabethan England Life Research Foundation. "Elizabethan England Superstitions,Elizabethan Superstitions." // Elizabethan Era England //. 7 Apr. 2010. . "Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches." // Elizabethan Era //. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. . // Eyewitness Books: Shakespeare //. NYC: DK, 2001. Print. Hinds, Kathryn. // The City (Life in Elizabethan England) //. New York: Benchmark Books (Ny), 2007. Print. Laroque, Francois. // The Age of Shakespeare //. London: The London Museum,1999. Print. Picard, Liza. // Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London //. New York, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2005. Print. Rowse, A. L.. // The Elizabethan Renaissance //. 2nd ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2003. Print. Webb, Betony Toht. // Daily Life in Ancient and Modern London //. Minneapolis: Lerner Pub Group, 2000. Print.

This is a great website that has a list of other superstitions from the Elizabethan Era. This is another web page that has several other superstitions that were common beliefs from this time.  This is a witch that was being prosecuted after being found guilty of being a witch. This is a drawing of witches being hung.