53 pages • 1 hour read
Thomas Dekker, John Ford, William RowleyThe Witch of Edmonton
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1621A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Act V-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Act V, Scene 1 Summary
Elizabeth Sawyer laments that Dog has not visited her in three days. She longs for him to come and defend her from her detractors. She calls out to him lovingly and describes the lengths she would go to find him. Dog appears, but he is white rather than black. She questions if he is truly her Dog, and he says that he is, but his whiteness signifies that her sins will soon come to light. Elizabeth commands him to go and bite whomever she picks. He refuses. Feeling betrayed, she says she will sell her soul to other fiends to have him torn to pieces, but he says that she is already damned, so she has nothing to offer others of his kind. Old Banks, Old Ratcliffe, and other Countrymen enter. They forcibly arrest Elizabeth, and she calls out for Dog’s help; however, he only watches as they take her offstage.
Young Banks enters and meets Dog, who reassures him that he is the same creature, despite his different coloring. Dog confirms that he served Elizabeth only to lead her to the gallows and win her soul. Young Banks defends his own interactions with him by saying he did not engage with him as a devil, but only as a dog. Dog agrees, saying he therefore could not curse Young Banks with the power of a devil; he could only use dog-like tricks on him.
Young Banks marvels that Dog can change his form to resemble Katherine or even change his color. He asks Dog how he does it. Dog replies that devils are always close, waiting for the invitation of a person’s wicked words or actions. Young Banks says he pities Dog, and he suggests Dog mend his ways and live the life of a real dog. However, Dog says he loves his devilish activities. He asks if Young Banks wants his service. Young Banks rejects this, since he already knows of Dog’s wickedness. Dog says Young Banks is insignificant anyway and that he wants to pursue greater corruptions. Young Banks says he will beat him and chase him out of Edmonton. He says Dog will never be able to come back, as the villagers will mark out the boundaries of the parish accompanied by clergy who also pray for the land. He predicts that Dog will go to London.
Act V, Scene 2 Summary
The Justice, Sir Arthur, Warbeck, Somerton, Old Carter, and Katherine all enter. The Justice censures Sir Arthur for his role in the events and commands him to pay his fine soon. Sir Arthur agrees. Old Carter says that he places significant responsibility on Sir Arthur, feeling he is as culpable as anyone else. He and Katherine say they are glad Somerton and Warbeck are safe. They say they never doubted it their innocence. They hear the sounds of Frank Thorney being taken to his execution, and Old Carter says he pities him.
Act V, Scene 3 Summary
Frank Thorney is brought across the stage by armed officers; he is on his way to his execution. Old Thorney, Old Carter, Katherine, and Winnifride follow the group to watch the execution, but they remain onstage as Old Thorney urges them all not to get too close, since that would be very distressing. He and Old Carter treat Winnifride kindly, saying that the events are not her fault. She is so distressed that she nearly faints. However, she is glad that she is not in any way implicated in Frank’s terrible deeds and that her own sin of sex outside wedlock is cleansed by her genuine repentance.
Elizabeth Sawyer is brought onstage by more armed officers, accompanied by a crowd who has come to watch. Old Carter furiously blames her for Frank’s actions, saying Frank would only have done what he did if bewitched by the devil. Elizabeth repents and confesses, but she remains at odds with Old Carter and the aggressive crowd. The officers take her away to be executed.
Frank is brought on again by the officers, accompanied by the Justice, Sir Arthur, Warbeck, and Somerton. He expresses his sadness at leaving Winnifride to face harsh circumstances alone, but he says that she will be rewarded in heaven since she is a good person. Old Thorney hopes that Frank will be rewarded in heaven, too. Frank assures him that he is truly sorry for every misdeed he has ever committed, so he hopes God will be merciful to him. Winnifride is comforted by this and believes they will meet again in heaven. Frank starts to apologize to everyone for the various ways he has wronged them all, but after Old Carter forgives him, the others interrupt Frank to say that they have already forgiven him. They express sadness that even though he has their personal forgiveness, the law cannot be so easily satisfied. Old Thorney also blesses him. Frank ends by urging the community to look after his father and Winnifride, saying that they are not responsible for his sin. Then, he is led away to his death.
Old Carter promises to support Old Thorney so that he will not lose his estates, saying they have both lost their children. Katherine and Somerton agree to be married. Sir Arthur agrees to pay a large sum to support Winnifride. Old Carter offers to take Winnifride into his household, sympathizing with her plight. The Justice encourages the community to come together in their sorrows.
Epilogue Summary
Winnifride wonders if she will ever marry again, since she might never be able to fully trust a suitor. She hopes that good people at least will speak well of her in some small way.
Act V-Epilogue Analysis
This is the shortest act, representing the crescendo of the narrative as it reaches its dramatic conclusion and the falling action afterward. The two main drivers of the plots, Frank Thorney and Elizabeth Sawyer, are executed for their sins, showing the cost of The Vicious Cycle of Evil. However, as these two characters go to their executions, the community treats them with sharply contrasting attitudes. Frank receives forgiveness and sympathy from the whole community, which includes even Susan’s family. Everyone explicitly forgives him, while Winnifride and Sir Arthur even claim partial responsibility for his actions. Old Carter pardons him unreservedly, saying, “I forgive thee with all my heart” (5.3.117-18). Somerton wishes Frank could be spared, overlooking Frank’s attempts to frame him for the murder and send him to the gallows. Somerset declares: “I would you could as easily / Make satisfaction to the law as to my wrongs” (5.3.121-22).
In a sharp contrast to this warmth and forgiveness, a crowd harasses Elizabeth Sawyer as the officers take her to her death. The crows shouts: “Away with her! Hang her! Witch!” (5.3.20). An onlooker rants about a petty accusation, alleging that Elizabeth caused a sow to give birth early. Old Carter verbally berates her and blames her for Frank’s misdeeds, saying, “Did you not bewitch Frank to kill his wife? He would never have done’t without the devil” (5.3.26-27). In this way, the play comments on The Role of the Witch in the Community, showing that even after Elizabeth’s execution is assured, the community continues to use the archetype of the witch to scapegoat her for their grievances. The idea of witchcraft helps them to rearrange their blame to fit their worldview—this is why the actions of Frank, a well-liked young man, are instead attributed to an ostracized older woman.
In Frank’s final sections, he focuses on Free Will Versus External Pressures, accepting blame and seeking forgiveness for his past actions despite his impending execution; by doing this, he finds peace. In this way, the play shows that the cycle of evil can be broken when a person repents and seeks forgiveness. Frank expresses deep regret for his previous actions through a number of monologues. He speaks eloquently and at length to acknowledge his sins and their impact on other people, stoically accepting his fate, stating: “He is not lost / Who bears his peace within him” (5.3.74-75). In showcasing his noble character in this final scene, the play paints him as the tragic archetype of the flawed hero whose initial misdeeds trap them in a cycle of evil. Winnifride, too, says to Frank: “my first sin with thee, / Since which I knew none like it, by my sorrow / Is clearly cancelled” (5.3.96-98). Despite her difficult circumstances, she has been able to exercise her free will in both her actions (having never repeated her sin) and in her repentant attitude (her “sorrow”), earning both societal and divine forgiveness.
In contrast to Frank, Elizabeth’s final words express her bitterness that the community thrust her into the role of the witch. She speaks in short bursts, arguing with Old Carter: “Churl, thou liest” (5.3.33). She directly addresses the way she is sucked into confrontation despite wishing to find peace: “Have I scarce breath enough to say my prayers, / And would you force me to spend that in bawling?” (5.3.49-50). This underlines the reciprocal relationship between her and the community in pushing her into the role of the witch. According to the period’s religious ideas, it was important to die in a penitent state, having cleansed the soul through prayer, in order to go to heaven. Elizabeth tries to assert her agency over her own soul, but the crowd’s harassment makes this challenging.
Her soliloquy at the beginning of the act reinforces her struggle with exercising her will in the face of the community’s mocking derision. Her lengthy monologue uses heightened, poetic language: When she is alone, she is as eloquent as Frank, but when faced with her accusers, she plays the role of the witch. By describing her intense emotions, the play invites the audience’s sympathy for her. However, she also states that she wants to blow up the whole world and expresses her love for the Devil (in the form of Dog), which also indicates the depths of immorality that her pain and hatred have thrown her into. Frank’s redemption is helped along by the love and forgiveness the community shows him, while Elizabeth is ostracized until the very end, which stokes her moral corruption.
Although Frank’s example shows the possibility of breaking the cycle of evil, Elizabeth’s ending is more ambiguous. The play indicates that regardless of her fate, the cycle of evil will continue elsewhere since Dog vows to move on to greater mischiefs. He tells Young Banks: “I am for greatness now” (5.1.196). This offers the audience a warning to guard against immoral behavior, as Dog says that devils are always lurking nearby, seeking a way to enter and corrupt human souls. Commentary on morality was a common component of Jacobean theater: Medieval morality plays were one of the early influences on the thriving theater culture of 16th- and 17th-century London. However, the clownish character of Young Banks offers a note of hope: Having treated Dog at face value—simply as a dog he wants to care for—he encapsulates the value of moral incorruptibility above social status or wealth.
