120027 AR Witchcraft and Witchcraft Plays in Early Modern England and Scotland (2007W)

This interdisciplinary course will explore the phenomenon of "witchcraft" and the persecution of witches in Tudor and Stuart England and Scotland as reflected in both historical documents and literary representations in the drama of the time. The witch-hunts in England and Scotland will be placed in the context of the European witch-craze of the 16th and 17th centuries, which was sparked off by the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum (1486). The beliefs, superstitions and social as well as religious assumptions underlying the perception of "witchcraft" and various theories relating to its potential origins will be considered; moreover, the active role of King James VI of Scotland in the New Berwick witch-trials will be examined on the basis of historical documents and the king's controversial views as stated in his treatise on witchcraft Daemonologie (1597) will be discussed. King James's controversial notion of witchcraft will be contrasted to the more balanced and rational views expressed by Reginald Scot in his Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584). Other historical documents used as primary texts will include records of Scottish witch-trials and pamphlets published in News from Scotland (1591). - The literary treatment of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th c. will be discussed on the basis of selected plays, including Shakespeare's Macbeth (1606), Middleton's The Witch (c. 1615), The Witch of Edmonton (1621) by Dekker, Ford and Rowley, and, as an example of a comic treatment of the theme, The Witches of Lancashire (1634) by Thomas Heywood and Richard Brome.

Course requirements:
Regular attendance; one presentation in class (ca. 15 mins per student), active participation in the discussions and group-work; open-book exam at the end of the semester (essay plus specific questions).