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The Role Of Witches In Renaissance Literature

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There are three significant pieces of literature that came out during the Renaissance period that highlight what it was like to be a citizen during all these witch trials and witch hunts. Both of the documents describe what a witch is and present to audience of aristocratic and peasantry, things to note when hunting for witches. The first piece of literature as mentioned previously is a book called, The Malleus Maleficarum. This is the ultimate guide to what witches were like during the Renaissance. Hammer of Witches as translated in English details the witch trials of Germany. It is a treatise on the prosecution of witches, written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic clergyman and James Sprenger. The document itself also attacked those individuals who did not believe in the existence of witchcraft. It was also the main hand book filled with instructional magistrates on how to identify, interrogate and convict witches. …show more content…

They stated, “Let us consider another property of hers, the voice. For as she is a liar by nature, so in her speech she stings while she delights us. Wherefore her voice is like the song of the Sirens, who with their sweet melody entice the passers-by and kill them.” This quotation is important because one never considered the voice as something associated with witches. From this passage, one assume that a witches voice was a powerful tool that enticed many people, especially men. Furthermore, the quotation also goes on to explain that though their voices, women also lied to kill passer - by, making their voice in Kramer and Sprenger’s opinion a very significant trait of female

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