The Witch: “Wouldst Thou Like To Live Deliciously” Explained (2024)

What does The Witch quote “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously” mean? Director Robert Eggers wowed horror audiences and critics alike when his first feature film The Witch was released in 2015. Set in early 17th century New England, the folk horror follows a family of English settlers ousted from their Puritan colony over a religious dispute who take up residence on the edge of a foreboding forest to eke out a living on a meager, isolated farmstead. Almost immediately, the family is plagued by a series of ominous events.

Newborn baby Samuel disappears while in the care of eldest daughter Thomasin (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), their crops fail and their nanny goat produces blood when it's milked, while twins Mercy and Jonas claim to have spoken with the family’s horned goat Black Phillip. Paranoia soon sets in and Thomasin’s parents William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine (Kate Dickie) accuse her of being a witch. Their suspicions grow when eldest son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) falls ill and dies while seemingly possessed, which brings the slow burn horror rushing towards its unsettling third act.

When "Wouldst Thou Like To Live Deliciously" Is Said In The Witch

As The Witch nears its conclusion, Thomasin is alone – the twins have been abducted by a witchy hag, her father has been fatally gored by Black Phillip, and she was forced to kill her unhinged mother in self-defense. With no one left, Thomasin decides to embrace the witchcraft she’s been accused of and goes to Black Phillip who – it turns out – is actually the Devil in disguise. He asks her "Wouldst thou like taste of butter? A pretty dress? Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?" Thomasin accepts the Devil’s offer, leaving her old life behind to join a witch’s coven.

The Meaning Of "Wouldst Thou Like To Live Deliciously"

The Witch’s “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously” quote had some horror fans confused. The things Black Phillip offers – namely butter and pretty dresses – are pleasures so simple they don’t seem a worthy enough trade for the previously devout Thomasin’s soul. Of course, at this point, Thomasin doesn’t have much choice; she can either align herself with Satan or face certain death in the wilderness and persecution at the hands of her former Puritan colony. The idea that Thomasin would give up her soul so easily seemed out of character, but it's important to remember that while these are 'simple' pleasures for the audience, they would be much more impactful luxuries for Thomasin.

What Robert Eggers Said About "Wouldst Thou Like To Live Deliciously"

According to director Robert Eggers, the fact Satan can tempt Thomasin with butter and dresses is rooted in the extensive historical research he conducted during the making of The Witch. A 2019 book released by distributors A24 titled The Witch Screenplay Book featured a conversation between Eggers and historian David D. Hall (whose specialty is 17th century New England religion and society) which delved into the inspiration for the “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously” quote. Eggers and Hall point to a few real-life cases of people accused of witchcraft (via Den of Geek).

"When I did test screenings of the film, a lot of filmmakers were saying, ‘I don’t know, this stuff seems kind of random. Maybe he can offer her things that make more sense thematically with the rest of the film.’ That was a pretty consistent note, so I kept trying to find something better. Those were things the devil actually promised."

Notably, they spoke about a young boy who, during the Salem witch trials, said Satan offered him a pair of shoes and the case of an apparently possessed servant named Elizabeth Knapp claimed the Devil had offered to do one of her chores. Shoes, butter, dresses, and respite from chores may be relatively simple wants but back in 17th century New England – to Puritans of a certain class and sex – they were luxuries, which is why Thomasin is so easily swayed at the end of The Witch by her "goat" Black Phillip’s offer to "live deliciously."