The witch Giles is a fascinating character in the world of folklore and mythology. She is often depicted as a wicked and malevolent figure, using her magical powers for evil and causing harm to others. Giles is commonly portrayed as an old and haggard woman, with gnarled hands and a twisted smile. She is said to live in a dark and secluded cottage in the woods, where she performs her arcane rituals and practices her dark arts. Legend has it that Giles gained her powers through a pact with the devil himself. In exchange for her soul, she was granted immense supernatural abilities, including the ability to cast powerful spells and curses.
Act 4 gives us the exciting conclusion to this saga of madness. How are the citizens of Salem and their governing officials dealing with the fallout from the trials? Will the "witches" falsely confess to avoid execution? Does John Proctor still, like, totally hate himself? Read on to find out all this and more, including key quotes and a thematic analysis for the final act of The Crucible.
Hale argues that throwing away one s life, even if it s done in adherence to God s commandments, leaves a darker moral stain on the world than giving a false confession. He is so authoritarian that he would hang ten thousand people who objected to a law without stopping to consider whether this big of an uprising could indicate major flaws in the law itself.
In exchange for her soul, she was granted immense supernatural abilities, including the ability to cast powerful spells and curses. One of the most famous tales about Giles involves her enchanted broomstick. It is said that she would use this broomstick to fly through the night sky, spreading chaos and terror wherever she went.
Giles Corey, pressed to death
Autumn is my favorite time of year; celebrating Halloween and all things gruesome, haunted, and scary. One of my favorite, and kind of gross, stories to tell people, especially in September on its anniversary, is the tale of Giles Corey, pressed to death during the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692.
In 1692, Giles Corey was a successful farmer in Salem Village, the current location of Danvers, Mass., when a group of girls and young women started accusing locals of bewitching them with specters, pinches, and disease. Disliked personalities and large properties played a large part in who was accused of witchcraft during the trials. Giles was a criminal and was not well-liked. In 1676, he was tried for the death of Isaac Goodale, an indentured servant, whom he beat with a stick for stealing some apples. He was found guilty, but was only fined since corporal punishment towards indentured servants was legal. Many community members witnessed the beating and testified against him. Giles was also accused of stealing several times and had such a reputation that when John Proctor’s house burned down a few years previous, he assumed Giles had burned it! Giles’s wife, Martha, also had a mixed reputation. She was adulterous during her previous marriage but when she and Giles married, the community remarked a distinct change for the good in them both. However, their loud bickering was witnessed often.
Giles attended some of the first trials that took place in a tavern, and Martha was quickly accused of witchcraft. At first he testified against his wife, believing the accusations, but then changed his mind and tried to recant his words. Abigail Hobbs, another accused of witchcraft, named Giles Corey as a wizard close in time to when he testified against his wife. Martha denied the accusations but Giles would not plead guilty or not guilty. Giles Corey may not a have been a good person but he was smart. He knew that if he plead and let the trial happen, his estate would be taken away from his family after his execution. To save his children’s inheritance, he would not plead. According to the law at the time, those who did not plead could not be tried. To try to get the accused to plead, the legal remedy was “peine forte et dure,” translating to “strong and hard pain.” It became the name for the torture of pressing.
WARNING: below this image is graphic language explaining the mechanics of torture.
Samuel Sewall diary entry for 19 September, 1692. This image was first shared in another blog post; read it here.
In the MHS collection is the diary of Samuel Sewall, one of the judges of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Sewall kept a journal from 1673 until a few months before his death in 1730. His entry for 19 September 1692 reads:
“Monday; Sept-19th 1692. Abt noon, at Salem, Giles Corey was pressed to death for standing mute Much pains was used with him two days one after another by ye court & Capt. Gardner of Nantucket who had been his acquaintance: but all in vain. 20 Now I hear from Salem that abt 18 years agoe, he was suspected to have stamped and pressed a man to Death. But was cleared. twas not remembered till Ann Putnam was told of it by G Corey’s Specter ye Sabbath-Day night before ye Execution.”
After he would not plead, Giles was asked to strip naked and lay down, face up, on the ground. A wooden board was then placed on top of him, and on top of the board, one by one, Sheriff George Corwin placed large rocks. After two days of this torture, through which Giles had remained silent, never crying out, he was asked to plead. Giles did not want his property to be taken, so he never plead either way. On the third day 19 September 1692 he died from being pressed to death. His last words were “more weight.”
Giles plan did work, his estate passed to his two sons, however Sherriff Corwin successfully extorted money from Giles daughter who later pressed posthumous charges against the Sherriff for his crime. Sherriff Corwin died of a heart attack in 1696, and every Sherriff after him died or resigned of some kind of blood ailment until 1991 when the Sherriff’s office moved from Salem to Middleton, Mass. Some witnesses say that Giles Corey did not remain silent and had cursed the title of Sherriff: “Damn you, I curse you and Salem!” However, it is mostly agreed upon that “more weight” were his last words.
Giles Corey’s case is the only of its kind in New England, although other pressings happened in England. Martha was hung as a witch three days later. The gruesome and public torture of Giles Corey changed some of the minds of the community about supporting the witch trials.
The prisoners have lost what little faith they had in the earthly authority figures who have failed them, and they look towards the judgment of God. John ultimately realizes the only power he has left is in refusing to confess and preserving his integrity. As Elizabeth says to him, "There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is!" (pg. 127). In steadfastly refusing to confess, Rebecca Nurse ends up holding onto a significant amount of power. The judges cannot force her to commit herself to a lie, and her sacrifice will deal a serious blow to their legitimacy.
Her broomstick has become a symbol of her dark magic and is often associated with witches in general. Despite her evil reputation, Giles also possesses a certain allure and mystique. Some legends suggest that she has the ability to shape-shift into a beautiful and seductive form, luring unsuspecting victims to their doom. This duality in her character adds to her intrigue and makes her a popular figure in stories and folklore. Over the centuries, the witch Giles has become a staple character in literature, film, and other forms of media. Her dark and menacing presence continues to captivate audiences and inspire countless adaptations and interpretations. In conclusion, the witch Giles is a powerful and enigmatic figure in folklore and mythology. Her wickedness and magical abilities make her both feared and intriguing. Whether she is portrayed as a cackling hag or a seductive enchantress, Giles continues to be a fascinating character in tales of the supernatural..
Reviews for "Delving into the Past: The History of The Witch Giles"
1. Jessica - 2 stars - I was really excited to watch "The Witch Giles" after hearing so many great things about it. However, I was incredibly disappointed. The storyline was confusing and difficult to follow, and the characters lacked depth. The acting was also subpar, with wooden delivery and lack of emotion. Overall, I found the movie to be a major letdown and would not recommend it to others.
2. Tyler - 1 star - "The Witch Giles" was a complete waste of time. The plot was incredibly slow and seemed to go in circles without any clear direction. The characters were uninteresting and their motivations were unclear. Additionally, the movie relied heavily on jump scares and cheap horror tactics instead of building genuine suspense. I was bored throughout and couldn't wait for it to be over. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this one.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I was really looking forward to "The Witch Giles" as I am a fan of the horror genre. However, this movie fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow and didn't pick up until the last 20 minutes, leaving me feeling unengaged for the majority of the film. The plot was also quite predictable, and I found myself guessing the twists long before they were revealed. While the cinematography was beautiful, it wasn't enough to save this movie from its lackluster storyline.
4. Jason - 2 stars - "The Witch Giles" had a promising premise, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver. The plot lacked coherence and the characters were unrelatable. The movie tried too hard to be mysterious, but instead, it ended up being confusing and frustrating. The acting was also mediocre, and I found it hard to connect with any of the characters emotionally. Overall, this movie was a disappointment and didn't live up to the hype surrounding it.