My project investigates the ways in which the hysteria of witchcraft led to the persecution, torture, and deaths of tens of thousands of people. The witch hunts were a period of history that began approximately in the 15th century and lasted until the 18th century, with the accused being predominantly women, many of whom were old or economically vulnerable.My project uses communication design in the forms of publication design, illustration, and print to investigate the representation of women accused of witchcraft under the witchcraft act. This project explores the witch trials in England, particularly Jacobean drama which had a part in fuelling the stereotypical image of the witch. I feel that this topic is an underrepresented period in history for the women who were accused and convicted under the Witchcraft Act. These women were not witches; they were victims of brutal scapegoating in a patriarchal society that failed them.
