Name:___________________________________________________________
Mrs. Daniel Block ______________________________________________
English 11H
Date:____________________________________________________________
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Background Notes & Historical Context
Puritans-A Quick Review
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Came to Massachusetts Bay Colony seeking freedom from
__________________________________________________________________ in Europe.
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Believed in devoting one’s life to God.
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Believed in ________________________________________________________, education, and
spiritual wealth over material wealth.
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The Puritans also believed the Devil was a very real presence and was always
lurking and seeking ways to lure victims to him.
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Life was also very dangerous. Most colonies were on the
__________________________________________________________________________, and wars with
______________________________________________________________________ were common.
Salem 1692 & The Salem Witch Trials
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In the winter of 1692 __________________________________________, the young daughter of
Salem’s new minister Samuel Parris, became strangely ill. She experienced
hallucinations, seizures, fever, and other odd symptoms.
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When the local doctor could find no reason for Betty’s illness, and when other young
girls began exhibiting strange symptoms, the townspeople began to suspect
____________________________________________________.
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In late February the group of afflicted girls, including
_____________________________________________________,
___________________________________________________, and
__________________________________________ began accusing women in the town of
witchcraft, starting with Reverend Parris’s slave
_____________________________________________________.
The Trials Themselves
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Judges would admit “______________________________________________”, or testimony of
people who claimed to be “visited by a suspect’s specter” (Linder).
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_____________________________________________, who often lacked any formal
______________________________________________, were looked to for guidance.
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“Evidence that would be excluded from modern courtrooms___________________________________, _______________________________________________, stories,
___________________________________________________, surmises-was also generally admitted.”
(Linder).
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Many accused witches would give ________________________________________________________
in order to avoid a death sentence.
The Salem Witch Trials-The Final Outcome
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People began to doubt the veracity of the trials and wonder how so many ________________________________________________ could be guilty of such crimes.
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By the end of the Salem Witch Trials in August of 1692,
________________________________“witches” were hanged, one man was pressed to death,
and two dogs were executed as suspected accomplices.
Contemporary Connections-The Crucible and McCarthyism
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The author of The Crucible, __________________________________________________, wrote the
play in part as a reaction to “________________________________________________” and the fear
of _________________________________________________________________________________.
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In the wake of this fear of communisms spread, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed
“more than two hundred “card-carrying” communists had infiltrated the United
States government” (“Arthur Miller, McCarthyism”).
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Those accused of being “communist sympathizers” were brought before the
________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Just like in Salem in 1692, the accused were encouraged to name others to avoid
punishment, thus fueling the hysteria and paranoia.
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The ______________________________________________________________________ was especially
hard hit, with many people losing work, freedoms, and being jailed, often based on
“unsubstantiated accusation” (“Arthur Miller, McCarthyism”).
The Crucible-Background on the Play
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Set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, so many of the people historically
involved are represented in the play (____________________________________________________).
A crucible has two main meanings:
• A container of metal employed for ________________________________________________________________________________________
• A severe, searching __________________________________________________________________
The Crucible-Major Characters
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____________________________________________________________________
• Stern man who hates _____________________________________________ (look for the
____________________________________________________ here)
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Extremely worried about his _________________________________________________ and
public persona at first
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Considered the ____________________________________________________ of the play, and
undergoes a great change from start to finish
_____________________________________________________________________________________
• As an __________________________________________________ and
_________________________________________________, she occupies one of the lowest
rungs of Puritan society.
• She becomes the manipulative, vindictive leader of the group of girls who
lead the trials. She is meant to be the ____________________________________________
of the play.
• She is Reverend Parris’s ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
• A scholar, he is very smart and intellectual, but also rather
_______________________________________.
• Like Proctor, he will undergo a ___________________________________________________
from the start of the play to the end.
• Reverend Hale is brought in to Salem to help find witches and bring them to
justice.
The Crucible-Additional Characters
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________________________________________________________________________-John Proctor’s wife
________________________________________________________________________-Salem’s minister;
many don’t like him, as he is power-hungry and _________________________________________.
________________________________________________________________________-The main judge at
the trials; he feels he is in the right in seeking to root out all witchcraft from Salem.
_________________________________________________-Parris’s slave that he brought with him
from Barbados.
The accused, all people taken from ________________________________________________________
The girls who are part of Abigail’s group and who lead the accusations
The Crucible-Major Themes
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________
• The ___________________________________________________ society of 1692 Salem
essentially outlawed any deviation from social norms
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At one point Danforth says, “You must understand, sir, that a person is either
with this court or against it, there be no road in between”, thus implying that
one is either on board with the trials, and thus on God’s side, or against, and
thus with Satan.
The Power of ___________________________________________and
________________________________________
• The more confessions people give, and the more dramatic the girls’
performances, the more hysterical the town becomes
•
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This hysteria allows ______________________________ and
__________________________________to bubble up
__________________________________________________________________________________
Elements of Drama
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_______________________________________: A play that involves the
____________________________________ of the main character
_______________________________________: The play’s central character; usually experiences
a ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________: Character/force that opposes the main character
_______________________________________: A conflict a characters experiences within
him/herself (_____________________________________________________)
_______________________________________: A conflict a character experiences with an
outside force (________________________________, ______________________________,
___________________________)
_______________________________________: Two character who serve as a sharp contrast to
each other
_______________________________________: Give information about setting/props/details of
a character
_______________________________________: Conversation between characters
_______________________________________: A long speech given by one character to another
_______________________________________: When a characters speaks his
____________________________________________ out loud, unaware of the audience
_______________________________________: Short speech to the audience/character beyond
the hearing of others on stage
The Crucible as Tragedy
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_______________________________________________: A character who, through some
_________________________________________________________________, experiences a downfall
and/or death. (Think Macbeth).
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________________________________________________: the flaw inherent in the tragic hero’s
character that leads to his/her demise. (For example, Macbeth’s ambition to be king,
and his weak-mindedness in the face of pressure and suggestion from others)