Scan barcode
A review by daisymaytwizell
The Witch of Edmonton by John Ford, Thomas Dekker, William Rowley
3.0
For pleasure, not my favourite thing. But from a scholarly perspective this text is very interesting.
The text threads three different interactions the devil has in Edmonton: the successful conversion of Elizabeth Sawyer, the subtle manipulation of Frank Thorney, and the sheer refusal of Cuddy Banks. There is a nice interplay between its dark moral questioning and its lighter moments of humour, creating a very interesting debate about the threat of the devil. It also has interesting historical context through the real story of Elizabeth Sawyer, which adds another intellectual layer to the text.
It is still worth considering, however, that this is an old text. It doesn't quite fit into modern story-telling, and it is severely harmed by the fact that the devil isn't as rampant a fear in society now.
The text threads three different interactions the devil has in Edmonton: the successful conversion of Elizabeth Sawyer, the subtle manipulation of Frank Thorney, and the sheer refusal of Cuddy Banks. There is a nice interplay between its dark moral questioning and its lighter moments of humour, creating a very interesting debate about the threat of the devil. It also has interesting historical context through the real story of Elizabeth Sawyer, which adds another intellectual layer to the text.
It is still worth considering, however, that this is an old text. It doesn't quite fit into modern story-telling, and it is severely harmed by the fact that the devil isn't as rampant a fear in society now.