53 pages 1 hour read

Thomas Dekker, John Ford, William Rowley

The Witch of Edmonton

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1621

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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.