Judit Csiky Page 1 Witchcraft in the Early Modern Drama – An Analysis of The Witch of Edmonton Introduction We live in an era where superstition has significantly decreased due to science, technology and just the general changing of times. It is hard to imagine that four hundred years ago it was natural to believe that witches existed; they were thought to be the servants of the Devil, releasing all kinds of malice on the community. The label of the witch was a heavy one to wear; it came with social isolation, rejection from the community and often resulted in prosecution and execution. This chapter takes a particular interest in the mindset of English society in the early modern period in terms of the attitudes towards deviant behaviour, in particular, witchcraft, frequently ascribed to women. By analysing the Jacobean drama, The Witch of Edmonton, I will look at how witches were commonly regarded by society. The Witch of Edmonton is a particularly interesting drama as it is based on real events, or more precisely oŶ HeŶrLJ GoodĐoles aĐĐouŶt of the trial of Elizabeth Sawyer in 1621. The Wonderful Discoverie of Elizabeth Sawyer a Witch of Edmonton was circulating as a pamphlet and provided a topic for discussions about witchcraft. The Witch of Edmonton is a reaction to the debate and while it does not deny the existence of witches, it looks at them with a humanizing approach. To understand witchcraft as a social construct of the time, we need to look at how the Reformed Church influenced not just how people lived but popular belief about good and evil. We will also explore how some marginalized groups such as women, the elderly or the poor were more under suspicion of witchcraft, which will be a theme The Witch of Edmonton talks about in detail. The analysis will explore the sin of witchcraft in contrast to the actions done against the witch in the name of good, to highlight the social critique of the play. From Elizaďeth Sawyer’s proseĐution to her representation in the play Elizabeth Sawyer was an underprivileged elderly woman that was prosecuted and executed for witchcraft in 1621. She was brought to trial for ĐausiŶg a Ŷeighďours death ďLJ using witchcraft. In the pamphlet, a documentation of the trial written by Goodcole, she denies this accusation but