Anachronism in Monty Python

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a pretty funny movie. But, in the tradition of dumping everything bad from the past in the Middle Ages, they show a trial for witchcraft as a stereotypical medieval happening. In fact, these were very rare in the Middle Ages, and only really got going in the Early Modern period. Interest in magic, alchemy, and astrology also all rose significantly at about that time.

The Middle Ages were largely an age of reason.

Comments

  1. Ken B5:30 PM

    YES. A misrepresented misjudged era.

    When I read Decameron in first year I learned all I thought I knew about the Middle Ages was wrong. One reason it became my favorite book.

    But the movie is hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Josiah Neeley10:43 AM

    The film crew is also probably an anachronism.

    ReplyDelete
  3. rob11:25 AM

    Were anarcho-syndicalist communes common in the middle ages or is that also an anachronism ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. gcallah11:50 AM

    Lads, I understand that there were anachronisms which they put in deliberately as a joke. I don't think the witch trials is one of those.

    ReplyDelete

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