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Discuss the crucible play by arthur miller
Arthur Miller's hidden meaning behind the crucible
Discuss the crucible play by arthur miller
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Act 1 Scene 1:
In Act 1, Scene 1 of the Crucible, Arthur Miller’s theme is evident when Abigail worryingly puts all the blame on tituba because she knows that Tituba’s race puts her at a disadvantage, thus leading to tituba lying for her own safety. Passionately trying to seek answers Parris threateningly screams, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!”(Miller 24) Tituba fearfully replies, “ No--no, don’t hang Tituba. I tell him I don’t desire to work for him, sir.” (24). In the quote, Parris didn’t like that tituba didn’t tell him she dealt with the devil so he threatened to kill her. Historically whipping was a method to abuse or punish slaves for misbehaving. After the beatings if still alive the slaves will suffer mental and physical distress. This image of a brutal death
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In Act 2 Scene 2 Danforth was the epitome of a tyrant because he gave warrants to the people that signed a petition to help and he imprisoned Corey Giles in an attempt to get information on an informant. However Corey said he knew his rights and Danforth is not allowed to arrest during a hearing, but Danforth arbitrarily, “declare[ed] the court in session.” (60) This was to try to scare Corey by insinuating that now that this is an official session you will either tell me what I want to know or you will be arrested for going against me. This shows that the justice system in Salem is faulty and is not actually for the people, which means the people now have no one to turn to for help. Corey Giles background in law allowed him not to be scared Danforth, but instead challenge him with things common men wouldn’t know to argue. However, when challenged Danforth retaliated unfairly, thus causing him to proceed with an unreasonable power to arrest Corey for being against the
"'A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.'" Act 3, Scene 1 pg. 87 . The characters in the play are either portrayed as good or evil with no in between , which makes life even harder for them . Salem mislabeled people in town as good or evil , but they had very little or no evidence at all to support it . Salem labels Rebecca nurse as a witch and evil , when really she was innocent and took care of everyone's babies. Abigail was an evil character who was a liar, vindictive and careless , the people of Salem viewed her as good character .
The focus of Miller’s The Crucible is an appalling witch trial that morfs the once-peaceful town of Salem into a cutthroat slaughterhouse. As a lucrative playwright and a not-so-subtle allegory author, Miller is a seasoned wordsmith who addresses people akin to himself, and is not secretive about that information. The Crucible best serves its purpose as a learning device and a social statement, especially at the time of its publishing. Miller‘s piece showcases the appeals in an easy-to-identify manner that is perfect for middle or high school students who are new to the appeals, or for English majors who have no problem pinpointing them, making this play ideal for a classroom setting.
The authority figures on the side of the prosecution also abuse their power in The Crucible. Danforth, the judge, steps in and solidifies that he has the final say in any and all convictions. “The village expects to see [seven people] die this morning” and Danforth seeks to do exactly what the village wants to gain their favor (Miller 129). He will convict whoever he wants and not stop the hangings simply because “postponement now speaks a floundering on [his] part” (Miller 129).
In the novella of The Crucible by Arthur Miller vengeance is walking Salem in causing several conflicts throughout the Salem village. Many of the conflicts are due with getting back at one another with the need for revenge. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 81). This quote is trying to prove the point the proctor has a very good understanding of what is happening in how the little girls are rebelling and acting out. They are accusing several women of being witches. “Why, Abigail Williams charge her” (Miller 77). The quote is trying to show how many of the girls are calling out the wives in the Salem village.
Context: This part of the text is included at the beginning of the drama, telling the audience about Salem and its people. The author explains how a theocracy would lead to a tragedy like the Salem witch-hunts. This is the initial setting and is based on the principle that some people should be included and some excluded from society, according to their religious beliefs and their actions. This is basically the idea that religious passion, taken to extremes, results in tragedy. Miller is saying that even today extremes end up bad- communism, like strict puritans, was restrictive and extreme. It only made people suffer.
When fear is struck in desperate minds, they are capable of taking action disregarding the lives of others as well as the basic rules of civilization. The play written by Arthur Miller, The Crucible, is a desirable example of society’s boundaries of “removing” innocent people who bring concern or unease into their lives, this hysteria is astonishingly relatable to the discrimination of Japanese- Americans/Canadians during and post WWII. As Nelson Mandela once said: “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” [FOOTNOTE] This quote
"Them that will not confess will hang. While I speak with God 's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and ocean of salt tears could not the resolution of the statutes." (Miller 129). Judge Danforth is not afraid to kill those that stand in his way. He is very similar to Abigail in that he will have innocent people killed to prove a point or to get what he wants. Its his way or the highway. If you do not cooperate, you will die. He abuses his power to get people to talk and give names. He is also very similar to Parris in his concern for power. Danforth holds all the power in the courtroom and basically forces you to talk and confess. If you don 't cooperate, then you will suffer the consequences. Ergo, it is a win-win situation for the accuser. "You are the high court, you word is good enough!" (Miller 143). Proctor later denounced himself for saying this, but the phrase is completely true. This quote is a reference to Danforth 's abuse of power throughout the witch trials. The high court deeply resembles the courts during the McCarthyism era. They held all the power and had the people 's lives in their hands. Danforth was prideful and believed himself to be a honest man. So whatever he thought was right, was declared as right. If they said you were guilty of being a witch, and hanged you, then no one in Salem did anything about it. They couldn 't say or do anything because the high court was always right. Many innocent people died because Danforth couldn 't admit he was wrong. If he did admit to being wrong, then the high court would lose power and it would of hurt his
In this act there is also a striking example of what is known as the holding back of climax. The judges are in the utter belief that they are right and it is Danforth who is especially proud of his authority. “Surely you do not question my justice,” from Danforth signifies that under his rule, he has no opposition to take into consideration. He is essentially on a quest to prove that witchcraft is rife in Salem. When Parris asks Danforth to postpone the hangings that are due that day before the “sun is up,” Danforth replies that “this way unconfessed and claiming innocence, doubts are multiplied.”
A major theme in both the article and the play is fear over reason. Miller wrote his play to demonstrate instances when fear overcomes reason. In the article he states that, “…its [The Crucible’s] paranoid center is still pumping out the same darkly attractive waning that it did in the fifties” (Miller 5). This warning is that of the dangers of fear over reason, and the consequences that go with it. In the novel, fear over reason is displayed when Tituba confesses to witchcraft rather than be hanged. Tituba says, “No, no don’t hang Tituba! I tell him I don’t desire to work for him, sir” (Miller 44). She confesses to a lie and she succumbs to the fear of being killed, and all reason escapes her. Miller’s article also gives proof of fear over reason driving Miller to write his play, “…it may simply be a fascination with the outbreak of paranoia that suffuses the play--the blind panic that, in our age, often seems to sit at the dim edges of consciousness” (Miller 5). Throughout the play, Miller suggests his theme of fear over reason, and this is reiterated in the arti...
Firstly, throughout the play Judge Danforth acts with pride and arrogance. At the commencement of act III Judge Danforth voices his view on the ongoing phase of the witchcraft trials by stating that “Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 85). Here Danforth establishes an ultimatum to Giles Corey when he comes to defend his wife Martha Corey from the accusation of being a witch. Danforth sarcastically questions Giles Corey whether he has the authority to make any decision on the ongoing matter and thereby silences him. He makes it clear that no one else can determine what and how the court should act. In addition, the tone with which he delivers this dialogue is filled with arrogance as displayed by the movie “The crucible”. Overall, the picture profile of Judge Danforth created while saying these lines reveals his pride and haughtiness. Another instance where Judge Danforth reveals this attitude of his is when he snubs Francis Nurse for questioning his judgment and wisdom during the trials. In return Danforth replies “ And do you know that near four hundred are in jail... upon my signature”(Miller 87) and “ seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?” (Miller 87). These lines show that Judge Danforth is proud of his actions and his power as a judg...
Thomas Putnam plays a major role in the Salem witch hunt in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Inheriting a handsome amount of property makes Putnam a wealthy person; however, it doesn't seem to satisfy his ambition. After the town terribly rejected Putnam's brother-in-law, Bayley, Putnam's bitterness has increased. Finally his prodigious involvement in the relentless accusations places him in the center of the spot light, making him a salient character in both the play and the indignant period of the American history.
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
Danforth’s has too much confidence on his ability to distinguish the truth. His strong puritan beliefs blinds him from reality and considers people who goes against him as suspects. This demonstrated when he says, “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” (94). This quotation proves that his decisions on court is mostly bias and he is against anything that violates his puritan beliefs. In addition, he also uses his authority as a Deputy Governor to maintain his reputation. He does not want to accept his mistakes and try to correct it because he does not want his reputation to be tainted. He displays this character by saying, “you misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.” (129). Danforth is too concerned about his reputation and he is afraid to that he will lose it if he admits that he has made wrong judgements. His bias opinion on what is right plays a vital on the mass hysteria that happened in
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
The most pervasive effect of power is the deprivation of judgment. Judge Danforth is blinded by his power as it causes him to be unjust in the proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials. He is also blinded by his reputation and brags about his power by claiming “Seventy-two condemned to hang by my signature” (Miller 1133). Similarly, his power and influence prevent him from hearing a defense in the witch trials, even when offered a proper defense by Giles Corey, Danforth calls for Giles’ arrest for being in contempt of the court. Additionally, Judge Danforth further showed his incompetence by refusing to postpone the hangings of John and Rebecca by outright denying Reverend Parris’ request.