Shakespearian Magic | Merlin's Second Incarnation

Did Shakespeare believe in magic? 

Rather unlikely.

However in renaissance England the belief that witches and wizards lived amongst us was real, which is a solid explanation of the sudden appearance of Merlin the wizard. 

In the original text/incarnation of Merlin it's never actually mentioned that he is a wizard or has any magic of any kind. It never occurred to people to ask how he was doing these amazing things until the renaissance because until that point the average person never really questioned the elders (elders being priests, older generations etc..). But the idea of Stonehenge being brought to England by magic was just too believable to question plus they didn't really have any other logical explanation. In fact that is a running theme within Merlin, he's always the answer when there is no answer.

John Dee: Mathematician, astrologer and magician.

John Dee was a mathematician, astrologer and magician known for standing alongside Queen Elizabeth I whilst demonstrating magic (but not official magic because that was punishable by death). She trusted him to the point of having Dee choose her coronation date after consulting the starts to make sure that the day was not going to give her and the country misfortune. 

John Dee was seen by many as one of the many incarnations of Merlin. 

Trusted by royalty but practicing magic of the Celtic religion. He also matches the new-age desciption of Merlin complete with the long white beard. 

It was also the age of the 'magical spectacle' in which characters like Shakespeare's Ariel was coming to stage and producing grand literary illusions. People weren't really scared of magic anymore they were entertained by it, but at the same time they didn't want to repeal the death sentence... so they just lightend it. Now people practicing magic would only be sentenced to death if they had injured someone, if you had just been caught using it then you would simply have a lifetime prison sentence. Which was nice of them. 

In regards to this project I see this stage as the true magical revolution, gone are the trees and suffering here you have magic and astrology. Out of this world understanding and amazement at magic, with just a hint of holding back. 

It was also in this era that some fairly standard imagery came into the idea of magic and superstitions in general;

Witches in the Elizabethan era

1. Using a broom to fly
2. Withes being old/haggard without a man to protect them
3. Women who live alone are withes
4. Known to keep animals, known as their familiar 
5. Brew potions over a cauldron (Wise women could mix herbs into different potions)

Whilst none of these directly address John Dee (because he was a man and women were the only ones seen to be evil enough to practice magic), it does give us an idea of how he went unseen for so long. 

1. Didn't fly.... in general.
2. Wasn't an old woman
3. He had a family, was married multiple times (not alone). 
4. Not known to keep animals.
5. Didn't create 'potions' he did however speak to angels/read the stars

So he wasn't a woman basically but that's an argument for another day. All in all this incarnation was a step above the other magicians of his time, meaning he got away with it. John Dee is the incarnation that started the idea of magic but didn't see it to it's full literary potential due to the fact that he was a real, documented person. 

I hope to take forward the higher quality of this incarnation, conducting magic but in a way that was widely accepted as truth in a world otherwise prosecuting people for attempting it. Merlin trying to help but still trapped within a social structure.