Supernatural2



WHAT WERE COMMON HELD BELIEFS ABOUT GHOSTS, WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT, AND OTHER SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA, FAIRIES AND OTHER MYSTICAL CREATURES IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND? -WHAT WERE JAMES 1'S BELIEFS ABOUT SUCH THINGS? -HOW ARE THESE BELIEFS REFLECTED IN SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS? Answer Prepared By: Lisa Marking People in Elizabethan England believed in the Christian worlds of heaven, hell, and earth; but there was another world that people believed in as well. "A world of angels, fairies, and witches,” stated, in __Daily Life in Elizabethan England__ by Jeffery L. Forgeng. The beliefs of such phenomenon were widespread across all of society, regardless of religion. According to Forgeng, "witchcraft was accepted as real by both church and state and carried the death penalty." According to Jeffery L. Singman,"side by side with the official teachings of the church was a continuing belief in magic." Such a belief as this dramatically changed the way people were living in England.

Accusations of witchcraft were mostly found in the regions of southeastern England. People today believed that witchcraft was highly used when it peaked in the 1580s and 1590s; they also believed during these time periods that people were using witchcraft a lot. Though this statement is not true, people in England did not use witchcraft as often as they expected. On p. 237 in __Daily Life of Elizabethan England__ it states that the most active part of England in prosecuting witchcraft was Essex, England."The study of magic actually played a role in the development of scientific thought," according to the book __Daily Life in Elizabethan England.__ Statements like these are why researchers love to find out more of Elizabethan England, especially in the witchcraft category.

The Elizabethans that were educated distinguished the magic from superstitious folk-beliefs of the uneducated. People also believed in supernatural creatures, especially fairies. "They used magical charms and recipes and consulted people believed to have supernatural skills or powers, especially in matters such as illness, childbirth, loss of property, love-longing, or predicting the future," according to Jefferly L. Forgeng. Anybody who came across these cross-currents of belief was complex. This person might embrace multiple strands of incompatible belief, meaning that he believes in God but also believes in witches.

According to the __Elizabethan Era__ website, people blamed the unexpected happenings as the works of witches. The Black Death was a terrible disease that was feared and angered the people who wanted to blame someone. Witches were the obvious target. "When people died from terrible diseases, when animals died, when there was a bad harvest, when houses were burnt down in fires even when foods curdled - witches were the obvious targets," according the article __"Elizabethan Witchcraft and Witches."__ Compared to men, women were the most accused of being witches. Those accused of witchcraft were either old, poor, unprotected, or single women or widows. During the Elizabethan Era there was the White Witches and the Black Witches. The White Witches had the knowledge of healing and providing help of the people in need from various plants and herbs that were often passed down through generations. Black Witches practiced the secret arts of physical or practical harm to others. As we can see, witches were obviously a big deal in Elizabethan England, whether believing in one or becoming one.

These images are plays that contain ghosts in them them and are written by Shakespeare!

**WORKS CITED** · "Elizabethan Witchcraft and Elizabethan Witches." //Elizabethan England Life//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar 2010. [] . · Forgeng, Jeffery L. //Daily Life in Elizabethan England//. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 120-123, 236-239. Print.  · Picard, Liza. //Elizabeth's London//. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003. 102-109, 278-279. Print · Roberts, Russell. //How'd They Do That in Elizebethan England//. Mitchell Lane Publishers: 2010. 53. Print. · Singman, Jeefrey L. //Daily Life in Elizabethan England//. Westport, Ct: Greenwodd Press, 1995. 52-53. Print.