The witch scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the most memorable and iconic moments in the film. The scene takes place when King Arthur and his knights stumble upon a village and are accused of being witch hunters. They are taken to a castle where a woman named Fiona is tied up and accused of being a witch. In the scene, Arthur and his knights engage in a humorous dialogue with the villagers, trying to prove that Fiona is not a witch. The villagers present various absurd arguments, such as the fact that Fiona turned me into a newt. Arthur responds with skepticism, saying, "A newt?" The scene continues with more humorous exchanges and absurd accusations, all with a satirical twist.

Video: Monty Python and the Holy Instrument

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Trotter's American Literature, Period 8

Compare the "She's a Witch!" (Transcript) scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail with The Crucible. What does it make you think about regarding the play's text, characters, theme, relationships, and court? Complete your response by 2:30p.m. on Fri., Nov. 14th.

31 Comments:

Monty Python's scene of the witch is supposed to be satirical, and yet it describes the doings of the Salem Witch Trials fairly well. The Trials were extraordinarily biased and rather arbitrary. Logic and rationality was hardly used in the process. This is similar to the knight saying that the woman would be a witch if she weighed as much as a duck and was therefore made of wood, and would burn. This is ridiculous, and yet the hysteria and fear make it acceptable to do so.

In the scene "She's a witch!' from Monty Python's Holy Grail, they make irrational suggestions about what characteristics make someone a witch, and they decide that the woman accused of being a witch is a witch if she weighs the same as a duck. She, for some reason, weighed the same as a duck so they decide to burn her because she is a witch. Their logic is skewed, just like in the crucible. There is no actual proof that the woman is actually a witch in Monty Python, just like in the Crucible when there is no actual proof but people are still prosecuted as witches and actually hanged/suffocated. They literally dressed the woman up as a "witch," and in the Crucible the people accused in Salem are figuratively dressed up as witched by saying that there are spirits around them and framing Mrs. Proctor with the poppet.

This clip from Monty Python's Holy Grail relates to The Crucible in many ways. It shows the mass hysteria of and around witches.The clip makes fun of the faulty logic that they used to persecute witches. This relates to The Crucible because, while their logic was not a blatantly bad, it was still bad. They had no real proof that the people that they accused were actual witches. In the clip, it was obvious that they wanted to burn her, regardless of whether they were correct. In The Crucible, many townspeople did the same thing. They wanted certain people to hang, regardless if they truly were a witch. They simply wanted to hang people that they did not like, and they used witchcraft in order to put blame on them.

The scene depicted in ¨Monty Pythons The Holy Grail,¨shows how biased and unscientific the witch trials actually were and also how with one accusation you could be tried as witch and be killed with no real evidence. The Satirical way in which Monty Python makes fun of the witch trials shows how stupid the trials actually were and how they were nothing more than a gimmick to help the public feel safe from the Devil and Lucifer.

Monty Python scene connects to the cruicible by showing just how unreasonable they were and that they had blamed people for the stupidest little thing they have done. The things they made up to prove that a person does witch craft are stupid but if you really think about it it really does make sense because back then they did not have very good education so it all made sense in their heads.

Monty Python scene connects to the cruicible by showing just how unreasonable they were and that they had blamed people for the stupidest little thing they have done. The things they made up to prove that a person does witch craft are stupid but if you really think about it it really does make sense because back then they did not have very good education so it all made sense in their heads.

The scene from Monty Python makes the characters in the Crucible seem very,very dumb. In Monty Python all the characters involved in the witch scene are absurdly stupid. But upon comparison with the Crucible they are doing almost the exact same thing. Though the characters in the Crucible seem and act more educated and civilized they are still convicting and killing because of witchcraft.

The clip that we watched in class reminds me a lot of the crucible because in the crucible the girls exaggerated significantly what they saw and what they were feeling and also the court used flawed logic to come up with their final ruling. In the clip the crowd dresses the woman up like a which and uses completely flawed scientific methods to come up with their final ruling.

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The scene from Monty Python makes the characters in the Crucible seem very,very dumb. In Monty Python all the characters involved in the witch scene are absurdly stupid. But upon comparison with the Crucible they are doing almost the exact same thing. Though the characters in the Crucible seem and act more educated and civilized they are still convicting and killing because of witchcraft.

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The She's a Witch scene from Monty Python can compare to the Crucible by how they are both very cruel and somewhat humiliating to the victims of each. In Monty Python they out z nose on the witch and a mole, while in The Crucible they hang them in front of their whole town. Also, they are not accepting and both react the same way to the abnormal or unknown in their very structured and closed minded communities.

The satirical witch hunt from Monty Python is similar to The Crucible because they both illustrate how a society feeds upon radical ideas. In Monty Python, a few people believe that a woman is a witch so they get a mob of people to believe them. The group of people is excited and fueled off of the energy, and they fail to analyze the logistics of wether or not she is in fact a witch. This aspect can be seen in The Crucible because the society is so afraid of witchcraft that they fail to realize that there is no hard evidence of witchcraft at all.

Monty Python's scene of the witch trail is highly satirized but has some deep connections to the crucible. In the clip the mob of people trying to condemn The woman as a witch are illogical and irrational. Just like in the Crucible, when the town people are going along with the girls even though they know that the girls are lying. The similarities between the scene in Monty Python and the Crucible are astonishing. The only true difference is that one of these was meant to be funny and the other was not.

The witch hunt scene in Monty Python is satirical in showing how people determined witches in the Salem Witch Trials. This scene shows that people did not really use logic when accusing someone of witchcraft and came up with ridiculous ways to tell if someone was a witch.

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It makes me think about how ridiculous the people in both stories are. In Monty Python they were making a big joke about it. Everyone in it was very unintelligent. Also it shows that the witches did't have very much of a chance to prove their innocence. They had to say they were guilty in the Crucible or else they would die. Most of the people in both stories had no logic in proving that people were guilty of witchcraft. The people that were accused, didn't have a fair trial. After watching the Monty Python clip, I am determined that the people in the Crucible were unintelligent and very unfair.

Both in scene of the witch and the Salem witch trials in The Crucible are paralleled by the crowd in the video and the court officials in the play being unwilling to accept what they don't expect. In the play, the court officials expect all of the accused to be guilty, so they don't even think of innocence as a possibility. We see the same in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail excerpt, although it takes longer to come to a conclusion, they eventually come to the conclusion that was really the only option in their minds to begin with.

Monty Python and the crucible share similar characters and ideas. In the clip of Monty Python, the town wants to accuse a lady as being a witch. The leader and some citizens try to make reason of her being a witch and naming qualities of a witch to determine if she is one. They claim that if she is the weight of a duck than she is a witch, but in fact they are unaware of common science and the principle of density. This is very similar to the crucible because many of the townsman just make accusations that are not true. This leads to chaos and people being killed for something that is false and ridiculous.

Monty Pythons scene of She's a witch shows how both of the communitys are similar. Everyone belived in the same religion and only certain people had power while most of the citizens wanted all the power. It also shows how they both accuse girls of being a witch in both plays. Both the Crucible and the film wanted to put blame on people to execute them in the end.

The scene of the witch in Monty Python strongly compares to the Crucible because of the lack of knowledge used in the situation and the crowd is quite dumb and quick to make assumptions off of observations. This compares to The Crucible because the court and the people of Salem were extremely quick to assume about a person being a witch. The evidence used in Monty python was quite satirical because the declared that the person was a witch if wood would burn which it obviously would. The lack of logic and knowledge effects how people rationalize about things.

The comparisons between the satire and good hearted way of Monty Python, and The Crucible are more present then they appear. In the Crucible, we experience the atrocities of the criminal enterprises of wrongful execution and punishment first hand, where in the satire we are faced with the same issuses but in a way that exposes the ridiculous nature that much of the accusations in The Crucible were placed in. Logic is thrown out of the window in both scenarios and is really the cause for such brutal crime. How can you prove an invisble crime?

The scene, "She's a Witch" from Monty Python's Holy Grail, Satirically portrays a witch hunt, not unlike the Salem Witch Trials or The Crucible. The placing of the fake nose, clothing, and other characteristics of a witch on the woman in "She's a Witch", can be compared to how in The Crucible, the townspeople falsely attribute characteristics of being a witch on other people, when realistically, they are most likely not witches.

The witch scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an obvious exaggeration, yet remains truthful to the pure hysteria within the Salem community. In both cases, common sense was abandoned for fear of the unknown. Regardless of what is rational, people are willing to push aside reason to achieve an answer. Whether this answer is correct or not, they do not care, for having false information makes people more secure than having no information at all.

Don't try to make people think hard about Monty Python, it's ruining my favorite movie. Just because there was a witch trial in Monty Python it doesn't mean that they're trying to make people think about the similarities and differences between the Salem Witch trials and the movie, it's just a funny scene because it shows how stupid people were. There even was more logic in the scene from Monty Python than in real life, but it wasn't meant to say anything "deep" about the witch trials or relate it to anything else, it was made purely for comedy.

In the Monty Python's scene from Holy Grail said "She's a witch!", the people in village thought she is a witch by the look on the woman but they actually doesn't know what logic is about. The soldier want to test the people of village to see if they have any knowledge about a witch and why they think she is a witch.

The video clip from Monty Python relates to The Crucible in many ways including; the text, characters, themes, relationships, and the court. The overall situation in both stories regarding the fear of witches is similar. Comparisons can be made with the characters because everyone’s innocence is always questioned. The themes of both stories can be seen as a fight for survival, people would do anything to prove their innocence. Relations are shattered, neighbors turn on each other, and the evidence to prove innocence is vital for survival. The courts are supposed to bring justice, but instead bring corruption and chaos. Hysteria is present.

This part of the Movie reminds me of how you didn't really need proof to accuse someone of being a witch. You can find away to blame anyone just like they did in the movie with comparing the woman to a duck and weighing her. Both in the crucible and in this part of the movie I found myself wondering why anyone follow the logic behind these big decisions.

The scene from Monty Python relates to the Crucible because the people of the towns both make false accusations about others in order to protect themselves. They made their decisions about whether someone was a witch or not very quick and they didn't have any actual evidence to prove it. This goes to show how paranoid people can be. The people of the towns are wiling to make up lies about others instead of acknowledging the fact that everyone is different. I also noticed both of the "courts" were very corrupt and refused to listen to everyone's point of views.

In the scene "She's a Witch" from Monty Python's Holy Grail a bunch of townsfolk are gathered around a woman accusing her of witchcraft. Much like Abigail in The Crucible the townsfolk are creating false ideals to frame the woman. There is a parallel between the two about manipulating a crowd. Just like in the court room in The Crucible, Abigail makes the entire court room believe in her stories. In Monty Python's, The man is satirically leading a crowd to understand why the women is a witch.

In the scene "Shes a witch" from Monty Python's Holy Grail, a group decision was made with irrational suggestions about what makes someone a witch. Common sense was as it is not, not so common. They deem it that the woman is a witch because she weighs the same as a duck. Suprisingly, she did weigh the same as the duck. Once this is determined, she was burned. The logic in this is not realistic, and weird. This relates back to the Crucible because there was no way to prove that someone was or wasn't a witch in a rational way. SO random theories were made to "prove" someone was a witch.

She’s a witch…burn her. Casting off the remnants.

The scene in Monty Python’s ‘Quest for the Holy Grail’ that has me in stitches is the scene with the witch and the peasants wanting to burn her for her sins. Thing is, she isn’t a witch; the peasant villagers have stitched her up a good ‘un. The gallant Sir Bedevere uses some twisted and warped logic in order to ‘prove’ that she’s a witch and therefore the peasants can “burn her”.

Similar to the logic that is applied to players like Stephen Warnock, Jason Pearce, Alex Mowatt and Rodolph Austin.

Depending on ‘who’ we but/loan/loan-to-buy or which way the wind is blowing it seems that these players become instant upgrades over incumbents. Liam Cooper means that Jason Pearce becomes instantly rubbish and needs replacing. Charlie Taylor shows good touches when replacing the injured Stephen Warnock and therefore Warnock needs dropping as he’s “not got the legs” anymore. Mowatt is too fat and needs to be dropped to make way for Sloth. Rodolph Austin is too inconsistent and therefore a liability etc etc ad nauseum

It might just be me being sentimental or nostalgic or even plain cynical but why is it open season on EVERY Leeds player’s tiniest mistake?

Stephen Warnock’s contribution 2014/15

Stephen Warnock seems to come in for stick on social media for being ‘past it’ and on his ‘last legs’; yet he’s been Leeds’ most consistent defender thus far this season. Why should the inexperienced and untried Charlie Taylor be drafted in as a ready-made replacement?

Rodolph Austin’s contribution 2014/15

What about Rodolph Austin? Slagged off by some as “too slow” or “too inconsistent”; yet he was the Championship’s top-ranked midfielder in certain defensive contributions last season and he’s not had a bad start this season. Why does Austin have to drop to the bench or even sod off out of the club as some have said?

Jason Pearce’s contribution 2014/15

Jason Pearce comes in for some particularly venemous barbs from probably almost all facets of social media that I encounter. It’s quite disconcerting some of the abuse aimed at Pearce; I’d certainly not like to type it here. Who’s to say that young Italian import, Dario del Fabro is the answer and a cure for all supposed ills.

Look, I’m not saying that Warnock is a Paulo Maldini, Austin isn’t a Geremi and Pearce isn’t Lucas Radebe but, and here’s the rub, they’re ALL Leeds United players and we really should be behind the WHOLE team. We shouldn’t be baying for blood like the villagers in ‘The Quest for the Holy Grail’ as we aim to burn these ‘Leeds remnants’ at the football stake.

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Monty python and the holy grail witch scene

The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
Grail'?

There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
awfully like him.

The first shot is when the crowd of peasants are rushing towards
Bedivere with the witch in tow. The Eric Idle peasant holding the sickle
calls out, 'We've found a witch', and shortly afterwards, the Michael
Palin peasant puts his face in the camera and says, 'We've got a witch'.
Almost imemdiately after that, we see a white-haired man in the crowd
with shaving cream on his face.

The second shot is immediately after the witch has been placed onto the
scales. There is a quick shot of the same white-heaired man with shaving
cream on his face, framed between a youth with a hat and a man with a beard.

The shots are otherwise unimportant, and seem to be there precisely in
order to serve as vehicles for a cameo. They look like Milligan, even
underneath the shaving cream.

I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

Post by Newsgroups
Hi group,
The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
Grail'?
There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
awfully like him.
The first shot is when the crowd of peasants are rushing towards
Bedivere with the witch in tow. The Eric Idle peasant holding the sickle
calls out, 'We've found a witch', and shortly afterwards, the Michael
Palin peasant puts his face in the camera and says, 'We've got a witch'.
Almost immediately after that, we see a white-haired man in the crowd
with shaving cream on his face.
The second shot is immediately after the witch has been placed onto the
scales. There is a quick shot of the same white-heaired man with shaving
cream on his face, framed between a youth with a hat and a man with a beard.
The shots are otherwise unimportant, and seem to be there precisely in
order to serve as vehicles for a cameo. They look like Milligan, even
underneath the shaving cream.
I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

Hmmm, hadn't heard of this before but I did a cursory look around the MPATHG
site (and his own) on IMDB.com and found nothing to connect him with "Grail".

Now I'm gonna have to watch it /again/, you've got me curious.

"Non illegitimi carborundum est"

Post by Newsgroups
Hi group,
The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
Grail'?
There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
awfully like him.
I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?
Douglas

I think this article seems to point to it being so.

Post by Newsgroups
Hi group,
The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
Grail'?
There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
awfully like him.
I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

I think this article seems to point to it being so.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1386241/Spike-Milligan.html?mobile=true

I did some more - and extensive - research and come up with a few clues, some
yea, some nay, take your pick.

From this one would say no (from
http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~mhjarron/spike/welcome.htm, under the "Cinema"
category, 1/3 the way down the page):

"[NB - Many Spike filmographies include "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" -
Spike did not appear
in this, but "The Case of the Mukkinese Battlehorn" was re-released as a
supporting short]"

But wait, there's this (from http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=44737,
an obit page about Spike, citation very close to the bottom of the page):

"For those of us who didn't really follow the Goon Show, due to lack of age or
lack of Britishness, I might point out that Spike is probably known by more
people worldwide for his French Knight in Monty Python & The Holy Grail. Let's
not overlook his best-known performance."

French knight? News to me. Anyone else?

Lest we be further confused, according to this "Grail" quiz
(http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz.cfm?qid=104883. Play it, it's fun!) - and
mind you, it's not necessarily definitive - he does not. The first question
asks "Which of the actors does *NOT* star in the movie?".

According to the author/editor, the correct answer /is/ Spike Milligan.

Awright, I'm exhausted and hungry. Pizza awaits. and then, a HERRING!

"Non illegitimi carborundum est"

Arthur responds with skepticism, saying, "A newt?" The scene continues with more humorous exchanges and absurd accusations, all with a satirical twist. The main idea highlighted in this scene is the absurdity and irrationality of witch trials and the blind belief in accusations without any evidence. The scene uses humor to critique the superstitions and hysteria of the time period and to question the logic behind the witch trials.

It also serves as a commentary on how people can be easily manipulated and misled by false accusations and mass hysteria. The witch scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a prime example of the film's satirical and comedic style. It showcases the group's ability to blend historical and cultural references with absurd and slapstick humor. The scene not only provides laughs but also challenges societal norms and beliefs, making it one of the most memorable moments in the film..

Reviews for "The Witch Scene as a Symbol of Monty Python's Unique Style and Humor"

1. John - 2 stars

As a fan of Monty Python, I was really disappointed with the witch scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It felt like a lazy attempt at humor with no real substance. The whole sequence dragged on for too long, and the jokes felt forced and uninspired. I was expecting clever and witty comedy from Monty Python, but this scene fell flat and left me wanting more. Overall, I think this scene was a miss and didn't live up to the standard set by the rest of the film.

2. Emily - 1 star

I found the witch scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" to be extremely unfunny and uncomfortable. The portrayal of women in this scene was problematic and outdated. The jokes centered around the stereotype of women being witches and used it for cheap laughs. It felt disrespectful and dismissive towards women. I expected better from Monty Python, but this scene was a letdown and left a sour taste in my mouth.

3. Mark - 2 stars

While I appreciate the absurd humor of Monty Python, I felt that the witch scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" crossed the line into being nonsensical and confusing. The storyline surrounding the witch and her trial was convoluted and lacked any clear punchlines. It felt like the writers were trying too hard to be random and ended up sacrificing coherence in the process. I found it difficult to connect with this scene and it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film.

4. Sarah - 2.5 stars

The witch scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" had its moments, but overall, it just didn't hit the mark for me. The jokes fell flat, and the pacing felt off. It dragged on for too long without delivering any substantial laughs. While I appreciate the creativity and uniqueness of Monty Python's comedy, this particular scene missed the mark and didn't leave a lasting impression. It was just mediocre compared to the rest of the film.

Monty Python's Witch Scene: A Closer Look at Gender Stereotypes and Tropes