In Tartuffe (1664), as in his other plays, Moliere employs classic comic devices of plot and character. Here, a foolish, stubborn father blocking the course of young love: an impudent servant commenting on her superiors’ actions; a happy ending involving a marriage facilitated by implausible means. He often uses such devices, however, to comment on his own immediate social scene, imagining how universal patterns play themselves out in a specific historical context.…
The play, The Crucible, is about a group of girls that go dancing in the forest with a black slave named Tituba. While dancing, they are caught by the local minister, Reverend Parris. One of the girls, Parris’s daughter Betty, falls into a coma-like state. People gather in the Parris home while rumors of witchcraft fill the town. With the fear of being accused of witchcraft, the girls start accusing others of bewitching them. Abigail Williams…
The Cruciable by Arthur Miller portrays a Puritan society that at the time is unsteady. In common Puritan society, witchcraft is highly looked down upon and religion means everything to them. The play takes place in Salem, Ma, where young girls are accusing specific people of being witches, in order to get what they want. John Procter has an affair with Abigal, Abigal doesnt like Procter’s wife, Elizabeth, so she accuses her of witchcraft. Miller portrays John Procter as respectful, honest, and caring, this causes the reader to feel that procter is a good and trustworthy man.…
Francois-Marie Arouet goes by the pen name of Voltaire. He is a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher whose works have become famous because of his wit. He is an advocate for freedom of religion, expression, and also fought for the separation of church and state. One of Voltaire’s most famous works is a satire called Candide. The novel starts out when the two main characters Candide and Cunegonde fall in love. When Cunegonde’s father finds out, he banishes Candide. This propels Candide on a dangerous and exciting journey. Through Candide’s global journey, Voltaire critiques European society mainly through their religious…
Why during the scientific revolution when people were more rational that the witch hunts occur?…
“It should be noted, as with so many legends and popularly accepted truths created out of political motivation: There, in fact, is no evidence that the hundreds of murders historically attributed to the werewolves of Gévaudan were actually caused by wolves. As with all witch-hunts…” "Beatdom #11: The Nature Issue." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web”. The Salem witch trials brought about hostility within a community causing unwarranted chaos and corruption in the small town of Salem Mass. Furthermore, these events lead to witch trials becoming a problem in Salem.…
The European witch craze started in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. Over this period of time there have been between 200,000 and 500,000 witches executed. 85% of those were women. The Change of the inquisition’s objectives determined the character and timing of these executions, also a big part of that played differentiation process within medieval society. Women began to occupy higher positions within European society. A part of it was the higher proportion of female leaders and their influence on the changing economic roles. On the one hand it was a great period of time for women on the other they had to face increasing pressures from society and unfortunately, men became threatened by them therefore they put them in a worse light and highlighted their negatives. These executions gained common acceptance within society. People developed demonological theories and studied it. Witch craft in the early period was mainly a means of allocating blame for disasters that couldn’t otherwise be explained. People believed that there was a war between god and the devil and devil sent witches to earth as a means of revenge and to punish the human race. Because there was no logical or scientific explanation for meteorological incidents or deaths people looked into religion. There are several questions I asked myself when researching the subject witch craze. Why did it start in 14th century? Why did it end in 17th century? Why were women the main victims? And why did people associate witches with demons?…
In "Tartuffe", the character "Tartuffe" is touted as a holy zealous man that is supposed to be pious. Tartuffe is actually a master con-artist who gains entrée into the household of Orgon by portraying himself as a holy man. Throughout the play Tartuffe first gains permission to marry Orgon 's daughter Marianne, then he proceeds…
The “Propoganda of Saints in the Middle Ages” article, written by Esther Cohen, goes over many of the methods the Catholic Church employed to gain power over the people in Europe. Cohen goes through the middle ages by describing how the Catholic Church was spreading its faith; mainly through the use of propaganda. An Age of Faith took place between the fall of the Roman Empire and the discovery of America. Cohen describes how the in the early years of the church, martyred Christians rapidly assumed a high position in the churches hierarchy of faith. These saints where given to have special powers and gradually became central to the Catholic Church; as opposed to God.…
I am mainly focusing on religion, jealousy, and justice for my three themes. I do think that the author's past plays a visual role in his writing.…
The early modern European period saw the phenomenon of the witch-hunt manifest. The rationale behind this was to stop the perceived threat from those who would not conform and accept subordination. Essentially the witch-hunt served as a repressive form against individuals that threatened the patriarchal balance of hegemony. It was a social wielding of power to oppress those who did not feed tradition and those who were not circled by the restraint of society. Women fell disproportionately in the category of those accused of witchcraft, and it follows that the tropes attached to a witch largely surround female sexuality but extend to individuals who usurped social norms. The witch-hunt is enshrined in misogynistic connotations and is a seemingly…
During Voltaire 's lifetime, traditional social institutions and government systems held power. Arguably the most influential of those was the Catholic Church, which was considered sacred and above the state in authority and importance. Although Voltaire was a deist, he despised the Church clergy for its corruption, impiousness, and hypocrisy. Having been sexually used by teachers while attending a Jesuit school, he harbored a special hatred towards the Jesuits. Yet his abhorrence of religion extended past Catholicism. Voltaire condemned Protestant clergy in much the same way as Catholic priests. Furthermore, although in theory Voltaire believed in religious equality, he held strongly anti-Semitic views, even calling Jews "abominable" in his Dictionary of Philosophy. Muslim clerics were described in much the same way. Clearly, Voltaire hated all religious institutions and customs. In his most satirical and important work, Candide, he incessantly mocks not only the Catholic Church, but also Protestants, Jews, and Muslims.…
Throughout history there have been thousands of “false” trials. These trials were based around false accusations. The trials most notable for accusations without the clearest of evidence was the Salem witch trials, hundreds were killed for being suspicious and never indicating that they were actual witches. Everyone who died in Salem and everyone who is serving or served an undeserved sentence have or at least had families, career opportunities, a career, in short a life. All of these get ripped away from people even after the person accusing them has admitted to being a liar after the innocent has served time or, a portion of his/her sentence. The acts of a false charge is not as well recognized of a felony, and should be treated much more severely.…
Many villages, in the late 1600’s, were undergoing what we know today as with trials. The most famous one that sparked people’s interest was the one that took place in the village of Salem, Massachusetts. It all started with a group of girls blaming one girl in particular as being a “witch” and from that a ripple effect occurred. During this time the girls who were accused of being a witch held a certain stereotype. This stereotype included being very old and very poor. If someone was found guilty if witch crafted at this time, they were given a trail. The punishment for being found guilty of witchery was truly horrific. Examples of these punishments included: stoned to death, hung, or burned on a stake. The women found guilty were not only…
The Salem Witch Trials, which occurred in the late 1600s, was a time of accusation and injustice that taints America's history. One of the judges responsible for sentencing the accused to death, regardless of a lack of evidence, was John Hathorne, the great-great-grandfather of the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up listening to the stories of his great-great grandfather influencing him to write stories about the Puritan society and the Salem Witch Trials, which quickly became American classics. During his lifetime as well, the Transcendentalist era was in full swing, however, Hawthorne did not follow the beliefs. Components of Hawthorne's life became the building blocks of his stories. Hawthorne’s works…