The Role Of The Witches In The Elizabethan Era

Witches were unquestionably the most hated and feared people during the Elizabethan era. Not many people today truly know who they were and what they did. Elizabethan witches were essentially old, poor women, were penalized for their actions, and put uneasiness into everyone near them(Alchin 1). They were treated brutally for crimes they had not committed. They never had a chance to explain themselves, and never will. The witches of the Elizabethan age were particularly elderly and poverty-stricken women. Occasionally, there was a male who owned the title of being a witch --also known as a wizard. This group of people is commonly mistaken to be altogether wicked by society nowadays. The theory that witches were outright evil is false. There existed …show more content…
There was an assumption that they made a pact with the devil --and the assumption was true. Not all allied with the devil, considering there were white witches, and some black witches used herbs only for their wickedness. People were also horrified of diseases and natural disasters that they believed to be caused by witches. This is one exception to witches being treated too harshly. They were to be blamed for any disaster whatsoever, but weren’t the primary reason --or the reason at all-- that specific disasters occurred. People concluded that their herbs and potions could cause diseases, natural disasters, and many other unusual activities. One such odd enterprise was bringing spirits and wickedness into black-furred felines. The worldwide known superstition of a black cat running across a pathway or road being poor luck origins from these distinct witches. Along with cats, they also used their own pets, insects like flies, and even bees. Witches believed animals could be used to accomplish their evils. Multitudes of people were afraid and scared of animals as a result of this. Fear struck