A re-evaluation of the king's writings combined with a detailed study of these Jacobean plays provides sufficient evidence to support the main contentions of this thesis. First, it presents the proposition that the interest of James in witches and witchcraft has been misjudged and frequently either maligned or disregarded. Second, it demonstrates that the king's views on witchcraft comprise a philosophy which is consistent with the balance of his political and religious thought and action. Third, it develops the idea that certain reflections of the king's interest in witchcraft are significantly evident in specific plays written during his reign.