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Crucible
Arthur Miller's play The Crucible describes the witch hunts and hysteria of Salem, Massachusetts. At the onset of the play a group of young women dance in the forest, including Tituba, a black slave, Betty, who is the Reverend Parris's daughter, and Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams turns out to be the play's antagonist, a manipulative woman who helps bring about the downfall of the play's protagonist, John Proctor. Proctor and Abigail had an affair the previous year, and Abigail again tries to seduce Proctor who refuses her advances. Out of spite, Abigail participates in a massive deception, causing the entire town to suspect a group of people of witchcraft.
The play's protagonist is John Proctor, who struggles with the dark secret of his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams. Eventually Proctor is forced to choose between telling the truth and ruining his reputation; the truth will expose the witchcraft hysteria for what it is but it will also ruin Proctors good standing in the community. Therefore, the central conflict in the play consists of a man-against-himself scenario in which Proctor's own conscience haunts him. Proctor knows the hysteria is caused by lies and the deceit of Abigail Williams yet Proctor feels powerless to reveal the truth. While he resists coming completely clean and exposing his affair, he eventually tells the whole truth, but only after the town is in chaos.
The climax of The Crucible occurs toward the end of the play when Mary accuses Proctor of being a witch and he is summarily arrested. Prior to this the action builds as several girls in the play get caught up in the witch hysteria. Proctor's arrest at the hands of his servant Mary marks the downfall of his pride and his reputation. Proctor eventually offers a full confession but he honorably refuses to falsely label anyone as a witch.
Disillusioned but determined to spiritually redeem himself, Proctor tears up his confession. The resolution of the play occurs at this point, when Proctor makes peace with himself. Although the ending of The Crucible is tragic and Proctor is sent to the gallows, he establishes himself as a true hero. The play has several themes, including the theme of personal pride as well as of mob mentality taking over the better interests of community justice.
Crucible Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the last part of the 17th century. The play itself is based on the Salem witch trials that took place during that time. People who lived during that time period were very religious, and also very superstitious. The play revolves around power, jealousy, and superstition, all of which were very common during the Salem witch trials and the
Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller with layers of meaning and subtext. Miller's mission was to draw a direct analogy between the social and political themes of the 20th century with those of pre-Revolutionary America. Setting the play in Puritan New England, in the town of Salem, allows the playwright to explore the thematic connections between the witch trials and McCarthyism. Doing so seems seamless, as the audience perceives
Crucible Dramatic Tension in the Crucible One of the reasons that The Crucible is such a successful play is that the drama is established early. A consideration of the first 20 pages of the play will show that Arthur Miller creates dramatic tension in the first scene and establishes the themes, setting, and plots that will continue throughout the play. The play opens the day after the girls were seen dancing in the
He was labeled for a belief that he did not openly admitted subsisting to; he was labeled based on the fact that he refused to testify against an ideology. It is not surprising, then, that the primary message of "The Crucible" resonated his thoughts and feelings about the McCarthy administration's containment policy against Communism. The arguments he presented in the play showed how Miller viewed the government's offensive action against
However, using today's less rigid religious standards make the outcome of the trials seem ridiculous and completely unjust. Today, most people do not consider witchcraft a reality, and so, basing a court decision on the confession of bewitched young women seems almost ludicrous. As critic Bloom maintains, "Today's audience cannot take the possibility of witchcraft seriously; the implication for us is that no enlightened citizen of any age would
In Act III of the play, Miller describes the vestry of the Salem Meeting House, lit only by candles, which makes it possible that such a vessel as an earthen lamp could be present in this room. Lastly, the title could refer to a severe test or trial. For instance, when the girls are placed on trial before their Puritan elders, they experience much trauma and tribulation; also, the character