The Crucible is an incredibly influential play no only in the fact that it displays many important themes, but it also portrays how a theocracy impacts societal actions. The Salem witch trials were the culmination of the problems with theocracy. The actions of society, not only are impacted by their personal thoughts, but also in religious undertones affect them. Act two in the play portrays not only all of these themes, but also some important events leading towards the witchcraft hysteria. Act two in the play portrays how theocracy ultimately leads to chaos. Act 2 brings to light how the claims of witchcraft are boiled down to your faith in god. In act 2, Abigail first brings forth her witchcraft allegations in order to bring revenge on …show more content…
I feel that the most important part of the dialogue is the last quotation by Hale showing this idea of theology not being allowed to have cracks in it. This is not only is general theology, but also is a metaphor for their Quaker society. John Proctor is seen as a crack in their society because he can only say nine of the Ten Commandments. Judging by his tone, however, he knows the tenth commandment, but since he broke it he is unwilling to say it. However, Hale doesn’t know this and just believes that he doesn’t follow the Theocratic rule. Proctors’ actions in this dialogue are pivotal to the understanding of the reasoning behind the Salem Witch Trials because it shows how much of an emphasis was on religion. They were unwilling to accept those who did not fit with the societal norm and instead of accepting those people; the people instantly assumed that they were witches just because of the societal norm. This led to a large amount of people being accused because they were outcasts. This is very hypocritical because the Bible speaks of tolerance and Salem is executing people who are …show more content…
“My wife will never die for me!” (2:76). John Proctor exclaims this at the end of the act right after Elizabeth has been taken after being accused of witchcraft. She was accused because of her tie to John Proctor and because of the poppet that Mary Warren made for her. John Proctor’s tone in this scene seems to be of rage that this society would accuse a woman of this crime. His statement also has a very sexist undertone. Not only is he saying that he doesn’t want his wife to be killed, he is offended that a woman is the one in jail and he has to fight for her. This goes against the masculine role in this society and time period. Not only is John Proctor’s wife going to trial, but he is also losing his masculinity because he is trying to fight for her and not the other way
In Act II, Proctor's conflict with authority increases as the court comes to arrests his wife. He already does not like the court and for them to come to his own home and take his wife to jail is just out of the question! To help the reader understand the condition of Salem at the beginning of Act II, Kinsella explains that "Salem is in the grip of mounting hysteria" (1267). Kinsella is correct the town first starts out with Betty not waking up, then Abigail Williams acusing practically everyone in Salem about being witches and it moves up from there eventually leading to Proctors fait.
The Crucible is paralleled directly to the Salem Witch Trials and indirectly to the McCarthy hearings of the 1950’s. The story of The Crucible takes place against the background of the Salem Witch, trials but the themes lie much deeper. The main themes expressed in The Crucible relate to the events that occurred at both the Salem Witch Trials and during the McCarthy era. At the Salem Witch Trials, one hundred fifty people were accused of practicing witchcraft and nineteen of those were convicted and executed. The evidence against these people was hardly substantial. At the McCarthy hearings, thousands of people were “blacklisted.” Anyone who tried to oppose the accusations was also viewed as a Communist. No one was convicted due to the more advanced legal system; still, that did not erase the fear that was instilled by the allegations.
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
The Crucible is a play with many underlying messages and themes. One of which is the idea of power. Power is a very important term in this play in that whoever holds the power, holds the fates of others. The hysteria within Salem has directly effected society. Everything has turned upside down and has gotten distorted. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth.
Here you are, this is all I have and your welcome to it, she puts the prayer shawl in his bag
In the Crucible, we are introduced to the main protagonist John Proctor; the way that Arthur Miller presents him by rebelling against the authority in Salem. Out of the entire town he is the only person that speaks out, realising that the authority is unfair and unjust; he is not like everyone else in the town who keeps quiet to themselves. There are many situations where we the readers can see very clear examples of him rebelling against the authority that controlled Salem. One example of Proctor rebelling against authority in Salem was when he did not go to church on a Sabbath day and instead decided to pray in his own home ‘Mr Proctor, your house is not a church; your theology must tell you that’. That is one clear example of him rebelling
The crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is about the Salem witch trials and how people react to hysteria created from the fear of witches. In the play, after hysteria breaks out, the Salem government starts persecute and hang people it believes are witches. This prompts people to start to accusing people of witchcraft. Some people who accuse others of committing witchcraft are Abigail Williams and Thomas Putnam. They do not accuse people of witchcraft to stop witchcraft, but for personal gain or to hurt others. Thomas Putnam, one of the many characters who takes advantage of the witch trials, is able to use the fear of witches to bend the court to his will. Hysteria causes people to believe claims that are clearly false. This allows Putnam to persecute his enemies. He and many other are able to get away with this because hysteria driven persecutions are not run like regular courts and the fact that witchcraft is an invisible crime allows evidence to be made up. The theme of The Crucible is when any persecution is driven by fear and people can and will manipulate the system so they can gain and hurt another.
We’ve all heard at one point that the book or play was better than the movie, but that’s not always the case. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was an outstanding play that won the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Tony for best play. The movie on the other hand was phenomenal production that won more awards than the play such as the BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award, Empire Award, and SEFCA Award. The movie even had 24 nominations, far more than the play had. The play also didn’t give the full effect such as the movie did. The movie gave a more realistic view and aspect to it all in ways the play couldn’t. Characters especially had a lot to do with how we interpreted it.
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller. This play centers around the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. In Act II, Abigail and her friends accuse several innocent people of witchcraft. Once they leave the court, Reverend Hale goes to John Proctor’s house to inform Elizabeth Proctor that people in the court have mentioned her name. Then officials of the court, Herrick and Cheever, arrive at the Proctor’s house. They claim to have a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest because the court declares she practices witchcraft. After, Herrick and Cheever take Elizabeth to jail. Injustice in Act II prevails because of the inability to see the truth. Reverend Hale and John Proctor illuminate the theme that closed-mindedness
Marriage is nothing easy. Committing yourself to one person for the rest of your life is something that a lot of people dream of, and yeah it might seem amazing at first, but sometimes things change, like cheating on their partner for various reasons: losing feelings, bored of their spouse, or maybe the person simply made a mistake. Couples try to move passed the incident, but can they really forgive their partner for breaking the life-long promise their partner made on their wedding day? Does staying with their partner make them look pathetic? Or is it a sign of truly loving the person for their mistakes? Hardly any couples can make it get through a situation like this. An example of this would be a well known couple in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible John and Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout the play, Elizabeth is heartbroken by John’s adultery actions. They have this tension between them, and Elizabeth struggles to forgive him; however, when it was time to tell the court about his adultery, she lied, which
In The Crucible, the mass hysteria surrounding the witch trials caused paranoia amongst the people of Salem. Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in America. The community’s sense of justice was blinded by the mass hysteria and for some, a desire for vengeance and personal gain. The Putnams
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.
Salem was a town where status was everything, filled with mass proportions in devout Puritan belief, that created a terrible mix that eventually led to the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria. The Crucible, a play based on the events of the Salem Witch Trials, included several scenes filled with irony that involved John Proctor, proving crucial to the overall story. Ironic events throughout the story that were crucial to the outcome were: when John Proctor failed to name the ten commandments to Reverend Hale, when he told the truth about his affair with Abigail which had a reverse effect of what he wanted, and when John Proctor ultimately redeemed himself by solidifying his future; death. The Crucible was an exceptional play that shined light on the
We start the act in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. As the act begins, we meet Reverend Parris who is in prayer in front of his daughter’s bed. His daughter, Betty Parris, is in a coma like state. She is unable to move and is unresponsive. Rumor is going around the village that Betty has fallen victim to witchcraft, which is an act that is penalty of death. To solidify the accusations, Parris sends for Reverend John Hale of Beverly, who specializes in the study of witchcraft. his niece, Abigail enters the scene and is questioned by Parris. He is wary of her and her words because he had discovered that her, Betty, his slave Tituba along with other girls danced in the forest late the night before. Abigail is quick to deny it. She states that Betty had only fainted from the shock of her father finding them instead of the presence of witchcraft. Mr and Mrs. Putnam enter the scene telling Parris that their daughter too has fallen under this state similar to Betty. Mrs. Putnam further explains that she had seven children that each died the day of their birth. Because she was
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller in the Early 1950’s. It was written during the “Red scare, when McCarthyism was established. Many anti-communists wanted to prevent communism from spreading just like in The Crucible many wanted to get rid of witchcraft. Many would accuse others of witchcraft in order to not be accused just like many would accuse people of communism. In The Crucible witchcraft would be punishable by death. Many were scared to be accused; therefore many would admit practicing witchcraft in order to save their lives. The Crucible is considered a good play because it is based on real life events during the Salem witch Trials and shows how fear played a role in the individual’s life just like during the “Red” scare.