Witches

A detailed Summary of Witches


In the Malleus Maleficarum, Sprenger and Kramer's basic argument about the origins of witchcraft is that witchcraft is found chiefly in women due to several reasons that focus on characteristics of women. Sprenger and Kramer argue that witchcraft in women is more probable because women were very naive and impressionable, carnal lust is never satisfied in women, and they are of lower intelligence and weaker memories than men.

Women are viewed as very naive and impressionable because they are influenced much easier and therefore they are more likely to become involved with the devil. Women were "more credulous, and since the chief aim of the devil is to corrupt faith, therefore he rather attacks them"(120). Women being credulous and naive makes it easier for the devil to entice them into witchery. They were also much more impressionable making them prime targets for "disembodied spirits" to influence them and cause wickedness (120). The spirits referred to are those


The characteristics that women have were the prime reasons that caused witchcraft to be more likely found in women than men. Women's manipulability, naivety, carnal lust, inferior intellect, and weaker memories were the reasons why they were more likely to become enticed by the devil and act in the evil ways of witchcraft.

Sprenger and Kramer saw women of lower intellect and weaker memories than man as evil since the two would cause a lack of discipline resulting in an easier change to the ways of the devil. Women, because of their inferior intellect and memories, would be more likely "to follow there own impulses without any sense of what is due" (124). These impulses cause evil because they do not take into account anything else other than their desires. As in the story of Laodice, her jealousy over Antiochus' love caused the death of his other wife, daughter, as well as herself (124). The deaths are all a result of her lack of discipline and her adhering to i

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Approximate Word count = 655
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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