Lj2 - Week 04 - Sweeney Todd and Torture in the Middle Ages

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 2

London's Horrible History

(and folklore)

Today's menu

Sweeney Todd (probably fictional)

&

Torture in the Middle Ages (definitely real)

Sweeney Todd 

- Based on the story series 'A String of Pearls

or

Based on the butcher and barber ILe De La Cité case. 

In Paris, 1387,the police went into the basement of a butchers and made a horrifying discovery. Bodies pile up along with body parts in cakes and other pastries. The butcher was immediately arrested and under interrogation revealed he had made a gruesome deal with the barber next door. The barber kills a customer and delivers the body to the butcher. The barber, who had disappeared after the butcher was arrested, was found in a farm house on the edge of Paris. Both men were found guilty of mass murder executed and their bodies burnt inside their respective places of business. The police and the local Catholic priest believe burning the bodies in the shops would exorcise their evil spirits. 

- The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd

Name: Benjamin Barker

Nicknames:

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Age: 32

Occupation: barber, serial killer

Trademark appearance:

white shirt & black waist-coat with a set of

stainless steel straight razors

Profile

Favourite hangouts: Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop Basement, 186 Fleet Street London

Likes: Razors, pies, trapdoors, basements

 

Dislikes: Figures of the law, vegetarians, skinny people

 

Looking for: Meaty gentlemen

Torture in the Middle Ages

Torture in the Middle Ages

- Various forms of torture were used for over 2000 years.

 

- Torture was used as a way of punishing victims or to find out     information and getting someone to confess to a crime.

Pillory

 - public humiliation

* Daniel Defoe (seditious libal)

(a writing that says that he persuades others to oppose their government)

writer of Robinson Crusoe. sentenced to pillory because of seditious libal. 

During pillory, instead of rotten vegetables, dead animals... he was thrown flowers...

Instrument of Torture

Homework Exercise

Imagine that you have been asked to write a job advertisement for a medieval torturer. Write about 150-200 words in English. You can turn this into a poster (with pictures and such). Make sure you include the following information:

- what the torturer's main responsibilities will   be.

- who he will be working with.

- what kind of personality might suit the role.

- previous experience required.