The Crucible Coursework Essay The Crucible was written in 1952 by the playwright Arthur Miller. It is an allegory of the McCarthy ‘witch-hunts’ which occurred during the 1950’s. It was effectively the arrest and questioning of those suspected of communist views or that sympathised with communists. The USA was very suspicious of communists due to the Cold War between itself and the USSR. Joe McCarthy, leader of the governmental organisation, the Anti-Democracy Policy, headed the hunts. Arthur Miller was himself arrested by McCarthy. Miller was very irritated by this and decided that he wanted to protest by writing a satirical play. To have his play shown on Broadway he had to write an allegory based on his treatment and the insanity of the ‘witch-hunts’. The play is set in a fictional town named Salem in Massachusetts, USA in 1692, a period of American history when people were strict Christians. In Acts I, II and III we see a portrayal of local farmer John Proctor as he becomes involved in the injustices and realises the stupidity of the witch-hunts of Salem. In Act I we are introduced to Reverend Samuel Parris, a corrupted clergyman. He is insecure, bitter and paranoid about witchcraft infecting his parish, giving him a bad reputation. We learn that he has seen several girls dancing naked and casting spells in the nearby woods, including his daughter, Betty, niece, Abigail Williams and his housemaid, Tituba. Parris’ perversion could be seen as the ‘perversion’ of the autocratic 1950’s America. We also briefly establish John Proctor’s relationship with Abigail. An orphan, Abigail worked for him and his wife, Elizabeth as a housemaid until Elizabeth discovers that they were having an affair, ... ... middle of paper ... ...cating that Proctor’s conscience has been eased. Danforth looks defeated here, showing us that Proctor’s truth and ability to stay strong has quashed the judge. Proctor is then sent to be hanged, and arrives in a cart carrying Goody Nurse, an innocent woman also condemned to death. In the shot both he and Goody Nurse are standing implying that they are closer to Heaven than the crowds below that have come to see them executed. We see a close-up of Elizabeth and at this point the music becomes powerful, showing her strong character. As they begin to recite the Lord’s Prayer we see that the accused are true Christians, though by not being allowed to finish the prayer, we see that justice has now been overcome. Through his own interpretation, the director presents the film in a way that remains true to the original themes and ideas of Miller’s play.
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.
In the Town of Salem Massachusetts, 1692, a group of adolescents are caught dancing in the forest. Among the adolescents in The Crucible, Abigail Williams and Mary Warren. The girls are horrified that they have been caught dancing, a sinful act, therefore they devise a story to evade punishment: they claim to have been bewitched. The first person who they accuse of witchcraft is a the black maid, Tituba. This results in her jail sentence as well as fearful suspicion throughout the town. Arthur Miller demonstrates the impact of lying as the girls recognise and manipulate their power in the town. Lead by Abigail, they go further, claiming countless others guilty and dooming them to exile. Miller demonstrates that there power is so great that even when Mary attempts to stand against her friends, she is quickly overwhelmed and once again plays along with their trickery. As the girls’ conspiracy continues, controversy arise over their truthfulness; people choose sides often lying themselves to support their side, further altering the lives of all involved.
The Crucible – Characters and Changes & nbsp; Change is good for the future. " We hear the catchy phrase everywhere. From company slogans to motivational speeches, our world seems to impose this idea that change is always a good thing. Assuming that the change is for the better, it is probably a true statement in most cases. The root of this idea seems to come from the notion that we are dissatisfied with the state that we are in, so, in order to create a more enjoyable environment, we adjust.
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
Pretend you are Arthur Miller, who just finished writing his play on the Salem witch trials called “The Crucible”. Wait, why did you pick the name crucible out of all the names in the world for your play. What does that word mean, well Webster's dictionary defines a “crucible” as being, “a container in which metals are heated, involving a change." and "a severe test or trial.” Now knowing what it means, why do you know why you picked the word crucible for your the play?
I, Elizabeth Proctor, am innocent. I have faced countless ridicule, discrimination, and hatred over an act that was never performed by me, near me, or around me. No one I have ever known has been a witch, and there’s no more of a reason for me to be considered one too. Sure, I have made mistakes in my life, but nothing as to which would be basis for the grounds upon me being accused of witchcraft. This is simply preposterous! I have lived a good Christian life and been god-fearing, what more do you vile accusers expect of me? I have been a good wife to a cheating husband and now will be a mother to one. Even with a delayed hanging until my baby is born, of what good will my child be, being raised without a loving mother? How will my baby be
The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright, Arthur Miller. In the play lies told by the characters add numerous conflicts, ultimately leading to the self-destruction of Salem. A lie that is tied between John Proctor and Abigail plays a big role throughout most of Johns decisions in the play. John had an affair with Abigail, the reader learns about this affair in a conversation between the two characters in act 1, “Give me a word, John. A soft word.” “No, no, Abby. That’s done with.” In this quote the reader can understand that both John and Abigail have lied about their relationship throughout acts 1 and 2.
“Well, all the plays that I was trying to write were plays that would grab an audience by the throat and not release them, rather than presenting an emotion which you could observe and walk away from.” by Arthur Miller. All great works provide a way to reach in and grab the audience through the reoccurring themes like, greed, jealousy, reputation and hypocrisy. Arthur Miller had one of those great works and it was called “The Crucible”. The play was based off of the witch trials that happened in Salem in the year of 1962. Some of the characters were actual characters involved in the witch trials. Arthur Miller wrote this play during the time of the “Red Scare”. Miller wrote The Crucible because he wanted to turn the The Salem Witch Trials into
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.
Today’s society is extremely different from the society of the past. Today’s society is more in favor of physically visualizing something happen than actually reading and mentally visualizing. The movie, The Crucible, does a better job in portraying characters than Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. The movie does a better job because it better helps visualize the whole ongoing conflict. This visualization allows for more emotion towards each individual character and also allows the movie to seem more dramatic than it actually is.
Is there any idea worth more than a human life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor decides that he has nothing left to live for, and therefore becomes a martyr. The question for him or one in his position would be whether or not there exist causes worth dying for and if his position is one such case. There is no principle worth more than a person’s life and therefore principles worth dying for, only principles worth living for.
He was also viewed as a superior leader along with his goodness of moral character. These are two of the traits that represent Proctor as a tragic hero in The Crucible. In act two John Proctor shows his goodness of a character by protecting his wife and fighting against her accusation of witchcraft. He even goes as far as ruining his reputation and admitting to the court of his affair with Abigail Williams. By doing this Proctor is risking the possibility to hang. Throughout act one of the play the readers are given the initiative that John Proctor still has lust feelings towards Abigail Williams every time they encounter each other. He shows goodness and loyalty to his wife by confronting Abigail Williams and proclaims that he no longer feels the way he had for her. In act two John Proctor asks Abigail Williams to admit to the court that she and the other girls are faking. John is expressing his goodness to prevent his wife from hanging. John Proctor is a well respected farmer in Salem, and attends church almost regularly. He holds a superior name in Salem, and with if the affair with Abigail Williams were to be known he would lose his reputation and possibly his life. The town would have never have accused John or Goody Proctor of witchery. The Proctors were considered privileged in Salem, they owned and farmed many acres of land. Also the Proctor’s crops were well which gave him superiority
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.
GCSE English Coursework: The Crucible The Crucible. Arthur Miller, ‘The Crucible’ is a play based upon the events of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The story is about a religiously motivated town. The story is about a group of girls’ who are led by Abigail, who blamed witchcraft for their troubles.
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.