This is analysis from:
Levin, et al. 'High and Mighty Queens of Early Modern England, realities and representations' 2010.
Kirilka Stavreva,"there's magic in thy majesty": Queenship and Witch-speak in Jacobean Shakespeare'.
These ideas are my own and I wanted to share what I have been working on. This is an overview and I will discuss in greater detail in upcoming posts.
Daemonologie (1597) is important when considering the rise of Christian demonism, this led to a greater amount of women being accused of practising witchcraft. The fear in a pious society to be anything other than Protestant went against what was desired in England and Scotland during this period. Shakespeare's description of the witch in Macbeth and James' fascination as highlighted by the writing of Daemonologie, can be contributed to the rise of witch-hunts during the English Civil War (1642-52). The legacy of Daemonologie can be contributed to the end of these form of witch-hunts which stopped at the end of the C18th.
When considering James VI/I's views on witchcraft we have to take into account the Early Modern belief of the Great Chain of Being. The Great Chain of Being, refers to a hierarchy of people and beings and their associated treatment within the Early Modern Period. James' beliefs othered these women accused of witchcraft, creating an 'us vs them' consensus in society. As these women could be exploited due to being viewed as different and below these men that were searching for the early modern 'witch'. Men could scapegoat those who fitted into the early modern label of being a witch.
The fear that was not aided by popular culture meant that any woman who was not following the social consensus for a woman of this period, could have been accused of communicating with the devil. As these women are othered, yet when mentioning the historiography of witchcraft of the early modern period. Many associate Shakespeare's own description of witches as reflective of views during the Early Modern Period, this is where many myths and misconceptions originate from.
What is important to remember within the Early Modern Period, is that 'witch' was used as a label for any individual that went against the social consensus. Especially in an era with religious and political turmoil, many were in fear of being found out. This is especially the case for women, these women were forced into confessions. Rather than being used by a king for prophecies, like Macbeth James became fearful and paranoid. This saw him turn against his own wife, Anna of Denmark, as through contemporary sources James does not take accountability for his fear of the supernatural. This saw through the patriarchal nature of Early Modern England as well as the rest of Europe that Anna, has to take the blame for increasing fear into James. This is similar to Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, highlighting how the fascination in those who did not conform to the protestant beliefs that were perpetuated in Early Modern Society. This can be furthered by Wormald that the witch-hunts that James VI/I, highlight the control that men in the Early Modern Period had over women's bodies. This is in contrast with how Lady Macbeth has greater control and manipulation over Macbeth, this is of interest to me as this on one hand conveys how women can be controlled by the devil, yet on the other hand suggests how women inadvertently were breaking away from the social consensus through practicing Christian Demonism.
Macbeth in comparison to James VI, conveys how there was this innate fear in the mind of early modern individuals. This allows for insight in how real the threat of these women were to the monarchy especially in regards to James VI. The fear that James faced when he became King of England in 1603, did not help this fear especially in regards to the Gunpowder Plot (5th November 1605). The superstition and the idea that individuals were communicating with the devil to ensure his downfall can be interpreted from this. Though his witch hunting activities decreased at the end of his reign, the Pendle Witch Trials (Lancashire, 1612) can be an example of the continued fascination in the fear of the witch. These women were subjected to the control of men and there was no way to escape the horrific torture methods used. Shakespeare's popularisation of the 'witch' through Macbeth, did not decrease the witch-hunting but rather contributed to the later 'witch-hunting mania'. James' witch-hunting legacy continued throughout the reign of his son Charles I, this will be discussed in a later post.
Therefore, Daemonologie and Macbeth are important when considering the popularisation of the witch and how this had an impact on Early Modern women. As well as the legacy of both works in regards to what it led to, for other monarchs. It is also vital to remember the impact of christian demonism and the impact this had on the people of Early Modern England and Scotland. As a witch could threaten the social order, however social, political and religious factors play a significant role in how the idea of the witch caused many women to be hung or killed even when from a C21st lens these women can be recognised as trying to change the narrative within society.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to sharing more research in following posts! :)
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