Malleus Maleficarum Falsely Accused Essay - 1,137 words

Witches, Scapegoats and Disorder Section 04 Are the Witches in Macbeth Psychological Projections? "No estate, no class, no group, however conceived, was completely exempt from the persuasiveness of belief in witchcraft witches could strike anywhere. ." One of the most famous questions that still exists today is, do witches really exist or are they simply a creation of the human mind? Regional Scott questions the intentions behind the witch craze. According to him witchcraft and those being accused were questionable. He was very skeptical about whether or not these accusations were legitimate or if people were accusing others simply in fear of their own lives. In writing his doubts about witchcraft his own life was in danger.


He was aware that at anytime he could himself of being a witch. "But whatsoever is reported or conceived of such manners of witchcraft, I dare avow to be false and fabulous (coinage, dotage, and poisoning excepted) neither is there any mention made of these kind of witches in the Bible. " Regional Scott had his doubts about the existence of witchcraft because there is no mention of the existence of witchcraft in the Bible. His question was not whether or not witches truly existed but what was the extent of their power. However, his questioning of the extent of their power, questions whether or not they were truly a threat to society. He questioned whether or not this "craze" was truly necessary. At the Persecutions at Bamberg, the mayor himself, Johannes Junius, wrote a letter to his daughter talking about his experiences.


This letter states that he only confessed to witchcraft because he was tortured over a period of many days. He writes of how each day a different mode of torture was inflicted upon him. Tortures such as thumbscrews, legs crews, and the strappado were inflicted upon him until he confessed. He states that the men tried to get him to name others who were witches as well but he refused to give up any names. He wrote to his daughter Veronica that he six other men confessed against him but that he forgives these men because he knows they only did it in the hopes that they would save their own lives as well as the lives of their families. Junius states "innocent have I come into prison, innocent have I been tortured, innocent must I die. " We see that he was tortured until he confessed and that he was not truly a witch.


He claims his innocence with such conviction that we know that he was falsely accused if he was falsely accused. "Now follows, dear child, what I confessed in order to escape the great anguish and bitter torture, which it was impossible for me longer to bear" Both the writings of Regional Scott and Johannes Junius show that there is a doubt about whether or not witchcraft truly exists. We can question why those who confessed truly did confess. It was not because they were witches it was because they were tortured. Another prime example of the question of reality is Shakespeare's Macbeth. The story of Macbeth questions whether witches are real and can see the future or if the witches are just a figment of the imagination. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: accused, witchcraft, falsely accused, confessed, malleus maleficarum

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