You are not currently logged in. Please create an account or log in to view the full course.
Why Were Witches in Macbeth?
Generating Lecture Summary...
Lecture summary generation can take up to 30 seconds.
Please be patient while we process your request
Generating Lecture Summary...
Lecture summary generation can take up to 30 seconds.
Please be patient while we process your request
Generating Vocabulary List...
Vocabulary list generation can take up to 30 seconds.
Please be patient while we process your request
Generating Questions...
Questions generation can take up to 30 seconds.
Please be patient while we process your request
Generating Questions...
Questions generation can take up to 30 seconds.
Please be patient while we process your request
- About
- Transcript
- Cite
About the lecture
In this module, we explore why witches were featured in the play Macbeth, considering: (i) Macbeth’s temptation by prophecy, (ii) in Holinshed’s Chronicles (1577), witches do not appear, (iii) the appearance of witches as a way of distracting from prophecy, as real rebellions were being caused by prophecy, and (iv) the popularity of witches on stage.
About the lecturer
Diane Purkiss is a Professor at Keble College, Oxford. She has published two books on the English Civil War - 'The English Civil War: A People's History' (2006) and 'Literature, Gender, and Politics during the English Civil War' (2005).
Cite this Lecture
APA style
Purkiss, D. (2022, October 28). Witchcraft - Why Were Witches in Macbeth? [Video]. MASSOLIT. https://massolit.io/options/witchcraft-76cc1f4e-8f16-45c1-8fc8-e23642625b19?auth=0&lesson=10085&option=13445&type=lesson
MLA style
Purkiss, D. "Witchcraft – Why Were Witches in Macbeth?." MASSOLIT, uploaded by MASSOLIT, 28 Oct 2022, https://massolit.io/options/witchcraft-76cc1f4e-8f16-45c1-8fc8-e23642625b19?auth=0&lesson=10085&option=13445&type=lesson