The Witch gr. A

  1. When / where ?

The movie takes place in New England, in the early 17th century (early / mid / late). New England is a region in northern America where Puritans settled (coloniser) after 1620 (Pilgrim Fathers, thanksgiving).

Puritanism was a very austere version of Protestantism.

2. Historical Accuracy

Religion is pivotal (essential) in this Puritan society. Puritans believed that man's actions couldn't help him go to Heaven ; drinking, smoking, dancing or theatre was forbidden / frowned upon (mal vu), and were said to send you to hell.

thou, thine, thee... you / have, has / hast = even the language is different.

Oppositions :

the forest    /      the city

witches       /      family

nature         /       culture

wilderness  /        society


3. Names of the characters

William + Katherine

Thomasin / Caleb / Mercy - Jonas / Samuel

 

4. William is a very strong father figure at first ; BUT in the end, he's accused of being weak, and a hypocrite.

Katherine is supposed to be the guardian of the household, BUT Thomasin thinks she's being unfair.

Thomasin will eventually (à la fin) sell her soul. Caleb looks at her in a strange way. The twins are lying all the time. And Samuel, even if he's just a toddler, might go to hell because he wasn't baptized.

 5. Witches existed in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period under the name "wise women" (and wise men). They lived outside of society and would service the community in different ways. They still exist today in different forms and shapes. 

But they would sometimes be accused of Maleficium, that is, using their gift to promote evil. One such wise woman was Ursula Kempler. She was tried for corrupting crops (de corrompre les récoltes) ; she confessed having familiars (they could be toads, cats, dog, hares, goats...). In the movie, the witch lives in the forest, on her own.

Traditional representations of witches describe them by groups of three. These are reminiscent of the Greek Moirai, or Fates, who presided over the destiny of men and gods. 

6. there are fantastic elements before Thomasin speaks with the goat and turns into a witch = when Caleb spits the apple, or when Sam is kidnapped.

 


5.














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