THE CRUCIBLE
CONTEXT
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Geographical
Social
Economic
Political
Authorial
TITLE
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In reference to the
content and
themes of the
play.
THEMES
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Consider what the
plays say about
society…
Are these themes
timeless?
What is being said
about human
nature?
The Individual Vs
Authority
Miller’s concept of the
parallel between
1950s America and
seventeenthcentury Salem emerges
most clearly in
the Themes of his plays.
In both cases,
Government assumed the
right to control citizens’
beliefs as well as their
actions; in both, the
consequences were the
same.
In Act I, ‘I have trouble
enough… He says there’s a
party’ John Proctor
shows his resentment
when Parris criticizes his
infrequent church
BRILLIANT LIES
attendance. He is absent
for practical reasons—
Elizabeth’s illness, his
own work, and no doubt
the ten-mile walk. He
feels Parris does not
deserve respect. Rebecca,
more obedient, knows
that Parris is unworthy,
but is still shocked by
John’s remarks.
Reverend Hale later
reprimands him for
daring to question
Parris’s God-given
authority.
Act II demonstrates the
helplessness of people
who try to stand up for
their rights, literally in a
theocratic state and
metaphorically in
society. Once the witchhunt has started, the
potential for conflict
escalates. Anyone who
doubts the so-called
evidence is questioning
God’s will. The judges’
handling of the trial
relates more to
corruption of justice.
They cling so inflexibly to
their point of view that
law-abiding characters
like Rebecca and Francis
Nurse are pushed into
defiance. Even Hale, an
establishment figure,
finds he is unable to
ignore his conscience. He
finally denounces the
court. Those whose
honesty is stronger than
their fear of death
inevitably destroy
themselves. Society and
beliefs are stronger than
the individual. Rebecca
refuses to damn her soul
with a lie; Giles values his
land more than his life,
and willingly accepts a
horrible death.
The Corruption of
Justice
Reverend Hale discovers
the first ‘witch’ – Tituba –
without any judicial
enquiry at all. The first
barrier against an
unbiased examination of
evidence is literally the
close association of
Church and State.
Metaphorically though it
is societal ideologies that
condemn thought that
does not conform to the
zeitgeist of the time.
The Effects of Fear
Mr. Parris is afraid that
his rebellious
Parishioners will use
Betty’s strange illness to
oust him from his
position; Abigail fears
that Reverend Hale will
find out what she did in
the forest; so she
embarks on an elaborate
hoax that almost
destroys the village.
Ashamed to confess his
affair with Abigail, John
Proctor speaks up too
late. This is only to say
that the villagers
of Salem are like people
everywhere – they have
secrets to hide and worry
about their reputations.
SYMBOLISM
The entire play The
Crucible can therefore be
seen as a symbol of the
hysterical antiCommunism of the early
1950s, though it should
not be seen as only a
symbol. The themes it
defines and explores are
timeless and applicable
beyond the time and
place in which they were
written or set.
Kettle
When Reverend Parris
discovers his niece,
Abigail, and daughter,
Betty, dancing in the
woods with several other
girls and the slave
Tituba, Tituba is standing
over a boiling kettle. This
insinuates a traditional
vision of witchcraft, and
Abigail is later
questioned what was in
the kettle and if any
creatures were put in it.
Abigail admits that a frog
leapt in, but of its own
accord.
Barbados
The slave of Reverend
Parris, Tituba, comes
from the island of
Barbados. She is a
symbol of ‘otherness’ and
societal fear of
difference. This is why
she is the first accused of
being a witch.
Books
In Act I, Giles Corey
questions Reverend Hale,
"Mr. Hale, I have always
wanted to ask a learned
man - what signifies the
readin' of strange
books?" (Act I, p. 40).
Giles continues to explain
his wife has a strange
habit of reading, but does
not reveal what books
she reads. Later in the
play, this fact will be
used against Martha
Corey as basis of
accusations of witchcraft.
Knowledge is a symbol of
something to be feared. It
is not the ‘truth’ that is
sought – it is the
appearance of ‘truth’ and
a desire to control
society.
Setting
The court – symbolic of
society – it is
representative of the
desire to appear to be
rather than to be.
The homes – symbolic of
how societal rules and
beliefs pervade all
aspects of society.
ABIGAIL
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Characters are
stereo-types and
represent an
aspect of society
PROCTOR
Abigail Williams is the
vehicle that drives the
play.
Abigail is the antithesis
of Elizabeth. She rebels
against all societal
constructs of propriety.
Dramatic irony for the
audience because as she
appears in the play as a
character of upstanding
morality.
Abigail is symbolic of the
individual who discards
all social norms and this
is what leads to her
downfall.
His best possession is his
good name and the
respect and integrity
associated with it. Once
he acknowledges his
affair with Abigail,
Proctor effectively
brands himself an
adulterer and loses his
good name. He
represents the
importance of reputation
in society.
His indiscretion
ironically demonstrates
his goodness
At the end of the play,
Proctor refuses to
slander himself by
allowing the court to nail
his false confession to the
church door. This action
further exemplifies
Proctor's integrity.
SETTING
In reading or watching
the play, the strongest
viewpoint is relayed
through the character of
John Proctor. It is
Proctor's voice with
whom the audience is
directed to sympathize
with, and whose inner
struggles cause the
greatest tension.
However, due to the
naturalistic nature of
Miller's writing, he
includes no monologues
to the audience or
obvious exposition. The
history of the characters,
setting and plot are
related through dialogue
alone.
THE OPENING OF THE
PLAY ARE EXTENSIVELY
DESCRIBED THROUGH
THE AUTHOR’S NOTES.
The setting is therefore
central in symbolising
the society being
reflected. As the setting
is raw, so is the
behaviour of human
beings.
The effects of this raw
colonial setting can be
seen in Abigail's
description of her
parents' murder: "I saw
Indians smash my dear
parents' heads on the
pillow next to mine" (Act
I, p. 20).
The Literal setting is
established as Salem,
Massachusetts, and the
characters depicted in
the play were Puritans.
The Massachusetts
government was
dominated by
conservative Puritan
secular leaders prior to
the 1680s.
As the author notes in
the text, "It was,
however, an autocracy by
consent, for they were
united from top to
bottom by a commonly
held ideology whose
perpetuation was the
reason and justification
for all their sufferings"
(Act I, p. 6).
This metaphorically
implies that society is its
own worst enemy – we
support beliefs in society
despite their detrimental
impact.
LANGUAGE AND
MEANING
Arthur Miller's language
in The Crucible is suited
to its characters, time
and place. More formal
than contemporary
speech, the dialogue
spoken by the characters
reflects the formality
within Puritan society
during the 1600s in the
American colonies.
Likewise, there are
distinctions between the
way upper class
characters, such as
Deputy Governor
Danforth and Judge
Hawthorne, speak versus
their lower-class
constituents.
Miller employs
metaphor, simile and
symbolism through his
dialogue, in examples
such as in Abigail's lines
to Proctor: "I know how
you clutched my back
behind your house and
sweated like a stallion
whenever I come near!
Or did I dream that?"
(Act I, p. 22), and "I have
a sense for heat, John,
and yours has drawn me
to my window, and I
have seen you looking
up, burning in your
loneliness. Do you tell me
you've never looked up
at my window?" (Act I, p.
23).
STRUCTURE
The Crucible is an
allegorical play set in
four acts. Allegory is a
literary device which
communicates its
message by means of
symbolic figures, actions
or metaphor. As such, the
drama may be seen as an
extended metaphor
representing the era of
McCarthyism and the
"witch hunts" that it
entailed during the
1950s.
The Crucible follows the
structure of classical
tragedies, exemplified
both in the clear
distinctions of hero and
villain, and in the
structure of the play
itself. The exposition
takes place in the
beginning of Act I, where
the events of Reverend
Parris discovering the
girls dancing in the
woods are described
through dialogue. The
rising action begins with
the first accusations of
witchcraft, and builds to
a climax in Act III, when
Proctor attempts to save
Elizabeth in court. The
falling action of the
drama is illustrated as
Mary is overcome by
Abigail's power in the
court, and the
denouement takes place
in the jail cell at the end
of the play.