Class Description
The witch in the Western imagination is a rich and varied cultural icon, reflecting society’s anxieties about power, gender, marginalized groups, politics, and more. From Shakespeare’s crones in Macbeth to the infamous Salem witch hunt depicted in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to more recent appearance of witches on stage, we’ll explore how these plays draw upon and transform foundational beliefs about witches and witchcraft to reflect different historical and cultural contexts. BYOB (bring your own broomstick).
Dr. Kay Daly is a novelist, writer/editor, curriculum developer, theater critic, and independent scholar specializing in early modern English literature. She has taught courses at Northwestern University on topics including witches in literature and Shakespeare and feminism.
Materials List
Required
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Any edition.
- William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford, The Witch of Edmonton. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017. ISBN: 9781979640015, or any edition (Also available for free online: text and audio.)
- Arthur Miller, The Crucible. Penguin Classics, 2016. ISBN: 9780143129479, or any edition.
- Caryl Churchill, Vinegar Tom. Samuel French, Inc, 1982. ISBN: 9780573619731, or any edition.
- Jen Silverman, Witch. Samuel French, Inc, 2022. ISBN: 9780573708237, or any edition.
- Digital Course Packet
First Reading
Read from the Digital Course Packet prior to the first class:
- Selections from Malleus maleficarum
- Selections from Discoverie of Witches
- Selections from King James I’s Daemonologie
- Selections from “Newes from Scotland, declaring the damnable life of Doctor Fian: a notable sorcerer, who was burned at Edenbrough in Ianuarie last, 1591.”
Cost and Registration
6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We now offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($255), and Sponsor ($285). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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