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Contrasting the crucible from the salem witch trials
Thoughts and reflections on witchcraft now and before
Contrasting the crucible from the salem witch trials
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Analysis Of The Crucible And A Scene by Arthur Miller The Crucible was first produced in 1953 during the McCarthy political 'witch-hunt'. The Crucible is governed around, the corrupted degeneration of society during this sombre period. Arthur Miller saw many parallels in this period with the 'witch hunt' in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Most significantly the naïve yet extremely unjust accusations, the forced confessions and ultimately the growth of such a diminutive event into mass hysteria. These witchcraft trials were classic examples of mass hysteria, resulting in the hanging of countless reputable People on the, charges of transactions with the devil. The people who convicted them were as upright as themselves. These convictions were largely based on the evidence of young girls who had been caught dancing in the moonlight and laid their dissipated behaviour to the influence of Satan. Innocent people are accused and convicted of witchcraft on the most absurd testimony, the testimony of those who themselves meddled in witchcraft and are therefore doubly to be distrusted. Descent citizens who sign petitions attesting to the good character of the accused friends and neighbours are thrown into prison as suspects. Anyone who tries to introduce into court the voice of reason, is very likely to be held in contempt. No one is acquitted. The only way out for the accused is to make false confessions and themselves join the accusers. The villagers, who make the accusations, primarily do this to accomplish hidden agendas rather than actually to rid Salem of the 'Devil'. These hidden agendas were; to gain land, either to reinforce friend... ... middle of paper ... ...nd declining tensions &strain on this scene. The pace provides the underlying structure on which, the tension operates. The pressure gains momentum as each segment of the conversation develops; this tension will then reach a peak. This forces the characters to pause. It is during this pause in which the tension will begin to decrease. A new segment will then begin to develop and so on. These waves of tension have made this scene so dramatically successful, the audience sub-consciously follows these waves, and that produces tension in them selves. In the context of the play, as a whole, this scene is vital, as it is the only scene, with such well strung pace and pressure. This scene, very strongly, introduces the exact personalities and states of mind of John and Elizabeth Proctor, (two of the main characters) are in.
In the Ian Mckellen version of the play I think the scene is made much
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.
Life as a human is dictated by an inborn hunger or purpose, and people, in general, will act on this hunger for their own personal gain in their individual ways. This hunger, be it for wealth, land, love, power, revenge, or pride, can, and will be the undoing or failing of all mankind as Miller so clearly points out in his play 'The Crucible';. This essay will explore the motives of characters within the play and even the motives of Arthur Miller himself and therefore show how conflict stems from certain recognisable human failings including those mentioned above, fear, and hysteria.
down, and tries to make out that she is the innocent victim in all the
scene ii, ll.46-50). This quote from the play also shows the importance of night and
Nine critical approaches are utilized when analyzing a piece of literature in order to appeal to a variety of critics. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible can be interpreted from numerous approaches, but one lens that is unmistakable throughout is the psychological criticism. From a psychological standpoint, one gains access to the mindset of both the author and the characters within. In addition to this, the reader also acquires a greater understanding of the motivations, behaviors, and mental state that each character possesses. Through psychological criticism, one can obtain information on a character’s motivation, the likelihood of their actions, and which behaviors are consciously made.
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.
A group of teenage girls were secretly dancing in the woods with a black slave, named Tituba. When they were discovered of what they were doing, the girls started accusing certain individuals in the village of dealing with witchcraft. Within a blink of an eye, the entire village is controlled by a devil that exists within the fear of each person. A drama of suspense and impact, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, explores through the individuals' vengeance, fear, reputation, and quest for power.
attempt to test and teach Rich, and is significant throughout the play as it represents the commencement of Rich's corruptibilty, which eventually escalates into
Many literary works have been produced that symbolize other periods of time or certain events that have occurred throughout history. One example is the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. There is little symbolism within The Crucible, however, the play can be seen as symbolic of the paranoia about Communism that pervaded American in the 1950’s. Several similarities exist between Miller’s depiction of the seventeenth-century witch trials and the time of the Red Scare. The House of the Un-American Activities Committee’s rooting of suspected communisms during the Red Scare and the court’s actions in The Crucible are very similar. Both were narrow-minded, displayed excessive enthusiasm and disregard for the individuals that characterized the government’s effort to stamp out a perceived social illness.
Analysis of The Crucible by Arthur Miller ‘You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ Assess the developments in John Proctor’s character that validate this statement. How does Miller create a sense of tension and suspense in the build up to this climatic moment in Act 4? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible he has used many dramatic devices in order to create tension and build up to the climaxes of the story.
Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, takes place during 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. The setting is important because it takes place during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. The play begins with the town’s girls, led by Abigail Williams, gathering in the forest and starting to dance around a fire, chanting. Reverend Parris catches them dancing, sending the girls into a panic and causing two of the girls to go into a coma-like state. The townspeople spread rumors that there are witches lurking throughout the the town that have put the girls under their spells. This causes Reverend Parris to send for Reverend Hale, an expert in witchcraft and the devil's work, who hopes to rid the town of all witchcraft. John Proctor, a local farmer, asks Abigail to stop accusing innocent people and start telling the truth about what happened in the forest. Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor's wife, excused Abigail from their house because she found out about an affair between Abigail and John. She lies to the court when she is asked about John’s affair to save him from any punishment. In doing so, they were both sent to jail for witchcraft because they knew she had lied. Abigail and the girls continued to lie about people in the town being witches, causing many innocent people to be killed, including John Proctor. Miller shows the dangers of scapegoating when lies that are regarded as the truth, and can kill innocent characters.
The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty? After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded, a total of 20 people were hanged, all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
A crucible refers to a harsh test, and in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, each person is challenged in a severe test of his or her character or morals. Many more people fail than pass, but three notable characters stand out. Reverend John Hale, Elizabeth Proctor, and John Proctor all significantly change over the course of the play.
this is important because it is a climax to the play so far and the