Witchcraft

• Superstition and Witchcraft - A Shakespearean audience would have believed in witches, so their appearances would not have been a shock, though they would have been fearful of them.
• Medieval Scotland, in common with many other European states, believed in witches and in their ability to make prophecies and to control human affairs.
• Witchcraft was generally regarded as an evil practice, which depended upon a relationship with the devil, and as a threat to social stability.
• King James himself contended that witchcraft was a reality and that those who dabbled in it should be punished.
• The reaction of the audiences over time would change in relation to the witches. This needs to be taken into account and discussed in any response to the play.