The Witch of Edmonton

“The misery of beggary and want,

Two devils that are occasions to enforce

A shameful end.”

Frank Thorney’s statement foreshadows not only his own fate but also Elizabeth Sawyer’s: External pressures drive both of them to perform actions that result in their public executions. Frank identifies poverty—“beggary and want”—as the causal factor. Using the metaphor of “devils” to describe these foreshadows the arrival of Dog and his impact on their narratives. It suggests that Dog’s influence over Elizabeth stems from her socio-economic position. Her poverty and society’s resulting cruelty have created a path for the corrupting influence of the devil. Dog therefore plays a literal role in the play, but also a metaphorical one, connecting the ideas of supernatural influences to socio-economic ones.

“Get you to your nunnery,

There freeze in your cold cloister.”

Sir Arthur turns on Winnifride when she rejects his sexual advances, illustrating the power imbalance that exists between them and showing that his apparent affection and concern for her is dependent on his getting what he wants. Sending a disgraced woman to a nunnery to remove her from society was a common practice of the time; it also imposed a life of chastity on them, trapping them in a rigidly controlled environment. Heat was often used as a