Today, I would like to share a review of The Last Witch, a new play being presented in Scotland as part of the Edinburgh International Festival
While 18th century Scotland led Europe in science and reason, there still remained an attachment to pagan and supernatural ideas.
(Sia's note: A love of science and reason does exclude an "attachment to pagan [ahem, large P, please] - ideas", but that is an argument for another time).
The play explores the case of Janet Horne, who was killed in Dornoch, a coastal town in the north west Highlands, in 1727.
The facts are scant, even her name is one often given to witches in Scottish folklore.
....Munro has written a tale that imagines the circumstances in which a woman could be condemned to death for witchcraft.Witch hunts and the killing of innocent women still ocurrs today, in Africa and elsewhere, as we know.
"She turned it into a very personal story between the sheriff and Janet Horne."and again he makes my point....He added: "In the play the sheriff is sexually attracted to Janet and they have a relationship.
"Because of his own sense of guilt and shame he has her executed."
Mr Hill said witchcraft was often used as a form of attack on women who were seen to be sexually "non-traditional" in activities and outlook.
I haven't seen this new play but my very favorite play about witches still remains The Lady's Not for Burning. My favorite "witch books" are, of course, by Terry Pratchett.
Sia
Cover Art: An Abundance of Witches by P.G. Maxwell-Stewart
Video: The Lady's Not For Burning
Related Articles:
You say "witch" like it's a bad thing
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