The Crucible
By Arthur Miller
Puritanism
• Who? A group of
Protestants
• When? 1600’s
• What? Fled England because of
persecutions for their religious
beliefs
Puritanism
• They wanted to “purify” the Church
of England by simplifying the services and abolishing
the presence of statues and stained glass windows in
the church structures.
• The separatists viewed the practices of
the church as being beyond modification
and sought to separate from it to begin
anew.
• The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628
were non-separatists who hoped to purify
the church.
Basic Tenets of
Puritanism
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The Supremacy of Divine Will
The Depravity of Man
The Doctrine of the Elect
Free Grace
Predestination
Theocratic Government
Supremacy of Divine Will
• All natural phenomena are explained as
being the will of God.
• All unnatural occurrences are attributed to
witches, who are believed to be the agents
of the devil.
The Depravity of Man
• Because Adam
disobeyed God, all
humans are
naturally depraved.
(corrupt)
• All congregations
are damned and
entirely sinful in
nature.
The Doctrine of the Elect
• After Adam sinned a second covenant was
made with Christ.
• But only a few, “elect” would benefit.
• No one knows who is the elect .
Free Grace
• Only the elect receive free grace
(forgiveness). Forgiveness cannot be
attained by good behavior because the
elect are arbitrarily chosen.
Predestination
• God chooses who will be damned and who
will not.
• God’s plan cannot be altered, and the
Puritans have no way of knowing God’s
plan for them.
Theocratic Government
• The government is controlled by and made
up of ministers and church members.
Positives of Puritanism
• Affected virtually all American thought and
literature.
• Believed that hard work brings success (American
attitude)
• Revered education/the
best weapon against
Satan is school
attendance
• Established Harvard
University in 1636
Main Ideas in the Play
• Opportunism
• Mob Mentality
• Community Unity versus Exclusion
• Order versus Individual Freedom
Themes in the Play
• Justice versus
Retribution (revenge)
• Godliness versus
Worldliness
• Ignorance versus
Wisdom
• Love
• Fear
• Greed
Irony
•
Definition: An “unexpected twist” in a story
- 3 Types of Irony:
1. Verbal: Someone says one thing but means
another
2. Situational: When a reader expects one
thing to happen and the opposite occurs
3. Dramatic: When the character in a play
thinks one thing is true, but the audience
knows better. The audience has inside
information that a character does not.
- This information usually comes in the
form of an aside or a soliloquy.
Types of Characters
• Flat: Has very few personality traits. He/she can
be summed up by single word or phrase.
– Example: loyal sidekick, nosey neighbor, nerd
• Round: Has more dimensions to their
personality. He/she is complex just as real people
are.
• Static: One how does not change much
throughout the course of the story.
• Dynamic: Changes in some important way as a
result of the story’s action.
Questions to Ponder
• Is this play a tragedy?
• Is there a tragic hero?
• What moral weaknesses do you see?
Classic Definition Of
Tragedy
• Definition: A story in which a heroic character dies
or comes to some other unhappy end. The character’s
downfall generally occurs because of some
combination of fate, an error in judgment, or a
personality failure known as a tragic flaw.
• Has a tragic hero
• Usually gains wisdom by the end of the story
What Makes a Tragic
Hero?
Four Characteristics of a Tragic Hero
(According to Aristotle’s Poetics)
1. POSITION: The hero is royal or noble with great power, usually
a king. He is a good, respected man who acts out of good
intentions. He has much to lose
2.
TRAGIC FLAW: (hamartia). In spite of his good intentions,
the hero makes a tragic error which causes his reversal. The error
usually stems from a character flaw, usually pride. (HUBRIS)
3. REVERSAL: (catastrophe). Because of his tragic error, the
hero suffers a downfall from his happy, envied position to suffering
and misery.
4. RECOGNITION: (catharsis). The hero realizes that his own
flaw or error has caused his reversal. This recognition always occurs
too late for the hero to prevent or escape his reversal.
Famous Tragic Heroes
Cast of Characters
• John Proctor:
Farmer who is married
to Elizabeth Proctor;
has an affair with
Abigail Williams; tries
to learn from his
mistakes; struggles to
expose the truth of the
“crying out”
Elizabeth Proctor
• Wife of John;
sickly woman;
turns Abigail out
of their house
which causes
Abigail to seek
revenge; knows of
the affair with
Abigail and as a
result, acts coldly
toward her
husband
Abigail Williams
• 17 year old niece of
Rev. Parris who has
an affair with John
Proctor; gets caught
dancing in the
woods and leads the
“crying out”
Girls Who Point the Finger
• Abigail Williams: See previous slide
• Mary Warren: 18 year old servant in the Proctor
household; weak girl who struggles with telling
the truth or joining the other girls in their
treachery
• Betty Parris: Daughter of Rev. Parris
• Ruth Putnam: Daughter of Thomas and Ann
Putnam
• Mercy Lewis: Putnam’s servant; fat, sly,
merciless girl
• Susanna Walcott: One of the girls found
dancing in the woods
Girls Who Point the Finger
Those Who Represent
Authority
• Reverend Parris: Weak, paranoid minister of Salem; daughter
and niece found dancing in the woods
• Deputy Governor Danforth: Presides over the trials
• Judge Hathorn: Helps with court proceedings
• Reverend John Hale: Expert on witchcraft from Beverly
• Thomas Putnam: Wealthy landowner; vindictive and bitter;
daughter caught dancing in the woods
• Anne Putnam: Believes there is a paranormal reason her babies
are stillborn; sends daughter to woods to conjure their spirits
• Marshal Herrick: Guards the jail cells; usually drunk
• Ezekiel Cheever: Clerk of the court who serves arrest warrants to
the people charged with witchcraft
Those Who Represent Authority
The Accused
• Tituba: Rev. Parris’ slave from Barbados; with the girls in
the woods and attempted to conjure the spirits of Anne
Putnam’s babies; first to be accused
• Giles Corey: Combative and comical old resident of Salem;
accidentally turns the court’s attention to his wife; is pressed
to death
• Martha Corey: Giles’ wife accused of witchcraft because she
reads
• Rebecca Nurse: Most noble and well-respected citizens in
Salem; midwife to Anne Putnam and blamed for the death of
her babies; voice of reason in the play
• Sarah Good: Homeless woman accused of witchcraft;
eventually confesses to save herself
• Sarah Osborne: Accused of witchcraft
• Elizabeth Proctor
• John Proctor
The Accused
Human Frailties
Vice
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Lust
Pride
Greed
Revenge
Ignorance
Self-Indulgence
Dishonesty
Character Who Has It
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John Proctor
Reverend Hale
Reverend Parris
Mrs. Putnam
Giles Corey
The girls
Abigail, the girls, John
Proctor
Pay Attention to Each
Character’s Motivation
• Motivation: A
reason for someone’s
behavior
– Example:
psychological, sexual,
financial, theological, or
political