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Magic and witchcraft

Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England
Shakespeare Unlimited

Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England

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Uncover the world of cunning folk in Shakespeare’s England, as scholar Tabitha Stanmore reveals how these magic practitioners helped everyone from commoners to royalty with their practical spells and charms.

A real-life lawsuit over failed magic
Detail of book cover, reading
Shakespeare and Beyond

A real-life lawsuit over failed magic

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

Tabitha Stanmore tells the story of a 15th-century widow hiring a magic practitioner in this excerpt from her book “Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic.”

Some spellbinding October reads
Shakespeare and Beyond

Some spellbinding October reads

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Author
emma poltrack

As we enter the year’s spookiest month, explore a trio of contemporary novels that involve early modern witchcraft. Much has changed since the deadly witch hunts of Shakespeare’s era, and the contrasting approaches of these books are a good way…

Strange Shakespeare: Macbeth and the even weirder sisters
Shakespeare and Beyond

Strange Shakespeare: Macbeth and the even weirder sisters

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Author
David Taylor

Shakespeare’s witches haven’t always terrified audiences. For a century and more – from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries – actors played these parts for laughs. During the period in which Shakespeare became “the Bard”, the witches in…

A manual for witch-hunters
Shakespeare and Beyond

A manual for witch-hunters

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Author
Sarah Hovde

Worried about encountering witches like Macbeth this All Hallows Eve? Turn to a witch-hunting manual such as the Malleus Maleficarum! This famous book, known as “The Hammer of Witches” in English, was written in the 15th century by a pair…

Teller and The Tempest: Magic in Shakespeare's time
CST The Tempest
Shakespeare and Beyond

Teller and The Tempest: Magic in Shakespeare's time

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Author
Esther French

Prospero (Larry Yando) suspends his daughter Miranda (Eva Louise Balistreiri) in midair as the ever-watchful Ariel (Nate Dendy) assists his master in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Tempest, directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, in the Courtyard Theater, 2015.…