‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
DRAMA
Answers to questions on drama should address relevantly the
central concern(s)/theme(s) of the text and be supported by
reference to appropriate dramatic techniques such as: conflict,
characterisation, key scene(s), dialogue, climax, exposition,
dénouement, structure, plot, setting, aspects of staging (such as
lighting, music, stage set, stage directions . . .), soliloquy,
monologue . . .
Choose a play in which there is a scene which provides a clear
turning point in the drama.
Explain why it is the turning point and go on to discuss the
importance of the scene to your appreciation of the play as a
whole.
Plan
Below is an outline of my thought process prior to starting to write
the essay. In the exam you should plan to leave a few minutes to
read and re-read the question, highlight key question words and
think about how you will approach the task. You will have time to
do a brief bullet point plan/brainstorm.
A scene: Courtroom scene at the end of Act III where Proctor
reveals his affair in an effort to discredit Abigail.
why it is the turning point: P. decides to give up his good name
and reveal the affair. He is arrested and this leads to him finding
his goodness prior to his death. This all highlights the theme of
personal integrity.
‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
your appreciation of the play as a whole: Helps to show P. as a
complex character who has strengths as well as weaknesses/ helps
make his transformation credible and uplifting/ allows the
audience to understand the purification process.
 Use title symbol to illustrate why it is the turning point.
 Analyse the scene in relation to key themes: Proctor
admits adultery, Elizabeth lies to save Proctor, Abigail’s
manipulative powers are shown at their utmost, Proctor
stands up against authority,
 Link to the ending and overall meanings – turning point
sets events in motion to lead to the denouement.
‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller is a play that is set in 1692 during
the Salem witch trials. Miller had been somewhat preoccupied with
the events of this era for some time and in the 1950s, when he
came to write this play, he saw the potential of the events in Salem
as an allegory for McCarthyism. Indeed the play’s exploration of
the themes of the individual versus authority, fear, mass hysteria,
the corruption of justice and, chiefly, personal integrity are not
only concerned with these historical events, but are also concerns
of modern society. One key scene that allows the audience to
appreciate Miller’s treatment of such important themes in the play
as a whole is the courtroom scene at the end of Act III.
Understanding the title is important in showing why this particular
scene is regarded as the turning point of the play. It can be seen as
a metaphor for the journey that the character of Proctor undergoes.
Given that a crucible is literally a vessel used in science to melt a
substance down and reveal separate and purer substances, we can
recognise that the events of the play parallel this in that the court
acts as the vessel for Proctor’s purification. Like the impure
substances melted down in science, Proctor is flawed in that he has
sinned by committing adultery with Abigail Williams. The heating
process of the scientific world is mirrored in the play as the mass
‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
hysteria that sweeps Salem leads to moments of great tension and
heated exchanges. Most significant is the scene in Act III where
Proctor and Mary go to the court to accuse Abigail and the others
of lying. Proctor is aware that his sins are likely to be made public
at this point. Indeed the metaphor found in the title is continued
during this scene when Danforth responds to Proctor’s accusation
that the court is failing to seek out the truth:
‘We burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment.’
It can be considered ironic that Danforth is ‘melting down’
concealment, though not that which he intended. Unbeknown to
him at the time, he is failing to ‘melt down’ the girl’s lies, and
failing to get Proctor to confess to trafficking with spirits, yet, in
questioning him he is allowing his sins to be revealed which will
enable the goodness in him to be brought out. Thus, the title is an
effective metaphor for Proctor’s journey towards becoming a man
of integrity and it is the events of the courtroom scene at the end of
Act III that lead to the purification of Proctor; this can therefore be
recognised as the turning point in the play.
The first key reason why this scene may be recognised as the
turning point is because Mary Warren and Proctor inform the court
that the girl’s had been dancing in the woods and that the girls
‘never saw no spirits’ and it ‘were all pretence’. Indeed, the fact
that Proctor has now decided that he must speak out against
Abigail and give the court the information that he has kept since
his first meeting with her in Act I is evidence that Proctor has
begun his transformation.
However, tension is built and the corruption of justice is shown
when Danforth, fearing that the court will be overthrown,
manipulates the defendants and legal procedure to suit his purpose.
This is shown in that he allows Hathorne to ask Mary Warren to
pretend to faint. This she is of course unable to do as the physical
‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
manifestation of the afflictions had simply been pretence brought
on by the mass hysteria. In contrast, justice never questions the
behaviour of the girls who are actually lying. This is shown when
Danforth outlines what he has seen in his court:
‘I have seen marvels in this court.
I have seen people choked before
my eyes by spirits; I have seen
them stuck by pins and slashed
with daggers.’
The repetition of the word ‘seen’ here is ironic as of this long list
of incidents that have taken place Danforth as really only seen
pretence and manipulation of events. Furthermore, this long list
highlights the full range of deceits that have taken place which
serves to show the manipulative power of the girls.
Realising that the court is supporting Abigail, Proctor realisies that
he must discredit Abigail to have any chance of saving his wife
and friends and so reveals his affair:
‘I have known her, sir’
Making this admission is a key decision for Proctor as this is the
turning point for him in that he is admitting his sins publicly in
order to save others; this shows he has personal integrity. Proctor
recognises the significance of making this admission:
‘I have made a bell of my honour!
I have rung the doom of my good
Name – you will believe me, Mr Danforth!’
This metaphor is effective in conveying the extent of Proctor’s
sacrifice as… Add ANALYSIS/EVALUATION linked to the task.
‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
The scene also goes some one to signal the turning point in the
relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth. A key moment is when
Proctor loos to Elizabeth to confirm the truthfulness of his
evidence to the court:
‘In her life, sir, she have never lied!’
This turns out to be a moment of tension where Proctor’s fate is
sealed… Add ANALYSIS/EVALUATION linked to the task.
In addition, the theme of the power of mass hysteria is shown in
this key scene as the girls give their most dramatic performance of
being afflicted. It is clear to the audience that Abigail is
manipulating the court in order to tarnish Mary and Proctor’s
credibility. Abigail stares transfixed at the ceiling and pretends that
Mary is acting out against them:
‘Oh Mary this is a black art to
change your shape. No, I cannot, I
cannot stop my mouth; it’s god’s work I do.’
This shows the girls’ exploitation of the court’s lack of need for
clear evidence. Add ANALYSIS/EVALUATION linked to the
task. Add comment on the repetition of ‘Stop it Mary!’
Finally, the idea of the individual challenging authority and
corruption is shown when Proctor criticises the court following his
arrest:
‘A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer,
I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours Danorth!
Add ANALYSIS/EVALUATION linked to the task.
‘The Crucible’
key scene questions
All in all, this scene is the turning point for Proctor as it sets him
on the route to achieve personal integrity. Equally, his actions in
the dénouement of the play show that he is willing the challenge
authority and we are left with an ending that is ultimately hopeful
Conclusion.