Essay On Superstitions In The Elizabethan Era

The Elizabethan age became known as a golden age throughout the English Renaissance which led to resurgence in all aspects of daily life, few of those being the English Theatre and English literature. Even throughout the Elizabethan era, some aspects have never changed since it was first developed, only either modified or added. One of these aspects includes superstitions during the Elizabethan era. Superstitions have been an integral part of society that existed before the Elizabethan era in England. However, being superstitions, they have been passed down from generation to generation which people have believed and held throughout the Elizabethan era. Surprisingly, these superstitions have lasted throughout the development of each century

People during the Elizabethan era placed most of their luck on certain objects, or performed certain actions in hope that they will be endowed with good luck or protection. The main reason why people during the Elizabethan era took superstitions as an integral part of life was because most people during that time displayed ignorance and also lived in fear because of their minimal knowledge about anything more than the physical world around them (Alchin, “Elizabethan Superstitions”). This included unseen external forces such as the supernatural, nature, or God. Some superstitions that were a part of Elizabethan England still exist in today’s culture in America. One example is when a person sneezes,

One prominent example of this was the heightened suspicion of witches and witchcraft throughout this time period. The Elizabethan Era, along with its resurgence of learning, also mustered in a period of renewed interest in the supernatural which led to the belief that certain people possessed supernatural abilities (Alchin, “Witchcraft and Witches”). This led to the mass hysteria and paranoia of witches, witchcraft, witchcraft trials, and mass murders of many innocent lives. People used the explanation of witchcraft as a scapegoat to explain events such as people or animals dying, a poor growing season, and even houses burning down. One major example from history that people during the Elizabethan era used witchcraft as a scapegoat was during the outbreak of the bubonic plague. Because people during that time could not find valid evidence explaining why this was occurring, they turned to witchcraft as the only explanation (“Witchcraft in the Elizabethan