WitchCraft in Shakespearean Times

Witchcraft in Shakespearean times and the key theme of the consequences of killing a king

Witchcraft in Shakespearean times

In Shakespeare's time, witches were a huge talking point among people,it was also punishable by death. Some of the punishments enforced on accused witches included: being burnt alive, hung, and being drowned. The most common of being accused of a witch was females who worked as midwives, herbalists, healers and potion makers.

Consequences of killing a king in 1605

In 1605, there was a plot to kill a king, most commonly known as the gunpowder plot. This is were a man named Guy Fawkes and his accomplices tried to kill king James I and the government by blowing up the houses of parliament. So basically attempting and or succeeding in killing most certainly means CERTAIN death. In Macbeth, Shakespeare shows what would happen if a king did happen to be murdered and it shows Macbeth becoming king and then he eventually dies not because he is found out but because he is a cruel king.