The Crucible
Arthur Miller
Overview
Miller
Quotes
Quotes
From
Play
Biography
&
Background
Exam
Questions
Summaries
Themes
OVERVIEW
The Crucible is a terrifying depiction of
how the accusations of a group of children
stirred up such fear in their small
community that it led to persecution and
hangings. Yet, what makes the story so
touching – and relevant -is that it deals
with universal themes.
Why is the play gripping drama?
Growing hysteria
Exciting courtroom scene
Focusing on Proctor’s plight
Asking universal questions about
human integrity
Puritanism
beliefs—absolute sovereignty of
god, total depravity of humans,
unconditional election, God’s
intentions are present in the
world, Satan’s presence in the
world.
The play is set in the spring of 1692. The
small town of Salem “had been established
hardly forty years before”. (1)
The society [at the start]was “an autocracy
by consent” (4) Initially, there strict faith
helped them to survive.
“… for good purposes… the people of Salem
developed a theocracy… whose function was
to keep the community together.” (4)
Background/Central Concerns
However, the people of Salem in 1692
were “not quite the dedicated folk
that arrived on the Mayflower” (4).
No longer was everyone willing to
adhere to the strict lifestyle that
had been set down by their
forefathers.
Language
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This is a modern play, written in the twentieth century, however, Miller
has skilfully created believable dialogue for his seventeenth-century
Puritans. It is convincingly old fashioned, without being hard to
understand. It is a language that carries echoes of the King James
Bible; but word by word, apart from a few archaic terms - such as
'harlot' and 'poppet' the vocabulary is essentially modern. Miller
achieves his effects by linking words in an unusual way, using double
negatives, changing verb tenses, and other devices of the same kind.
Here are some examples:
“He cannot discover no medicine for it in his books;”
“I know you have not opened with me;”
“Seeing I do live so closely with you, they dismissed it;”
“I am thirty-three time in court in my life;”
“He give me nine pound damages;”
“You wonder yet if rebellion's spoke?”
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Language cont…
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Within this shared language, Miller varies the way his characters
speak to suit their background and personality. Ministers and judges
naturally use more elaborate phrases than the villagers; Giles Corey is
blunt and even coarse: “A fart on Thomas Putnam, that is what I say
to that!” John Proctor, on the other hand, utters some of the most
poetic lines in the play, whether describing his delight in the
Massachusetts' countryside at the start of Act 2, or crying out in
despair at the end of Act 3.
Most characters use simile and metaphor.
“There be no blush about my name,” Abigail reassures her uncle. Judge
Danforth tells the children, “A very augur bit (a corkscrew-like tool)
will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved.”
Parris bewails the fact that,”My daughter and my niece I discovered
dancing like heathen in the forest.”
Abigail tauntingly says to, “Proctor I know how you ... sweated like a
stallion whenever I come near!”
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Why did the accusations of
witchcraft begin?
Girls caught dancing in the woods.
(can be seen as an act of rebellion
against the strict theocracy)
Faced serious punishment.
Once caught, looked for a scapegoat
~ Tituba ~ others.
Adults accepted this and fuelled it.
Plot Summaries
Main Menu
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Four
Act One
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One night in 1692, Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem village,
finds his daughter Betty and his niece Abigail dancing with friends
in the woods. His slave Tituba is there, casting spells over a fire.
Some of the girls are naked.
The play opens a few hours later with Betty lying on her bed, seemingly
unable to wake. Rumours of witchcraft are already spreading through
the village. Mr Parris fears for his reputation. The entry of various
villagers reveals a community split by guilty secrets, personal disputes
and quarrels over land rights. The first villagers to enter are the
Putnams and with them, the witch hunting hysteria enters the play.
They demand to know how high Betty flew and reveal that their own
daughter Ruth is unconscious. Mrs Putnam also reveals that she had
sent Ruth to Tituba to find out who had killed her seven dead babies
because, “Tituba knows how to speak to the dead.”
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Act One cont…
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When the Putnams and Parris leave. Abigail and Betty are left
with Mercy Lewis, the Putnam’s servant and Mary Warren, the
Proctor’s servant. It is soon obvious that Betty is only pretending
to be ill because she is so scared. “You drank blood, Abby,” she
cries. “You drank a charm to Kill John Proctor’s wife.” It is
also soon obvious that Abigail is very much in control of the other
girls. She tells them that unless they do as she says she will come
to them in the night and bring them “a pointy reckoning.” Abigail
tells them that she saw her own parents head’s smashed in by
Indians and that she can make them wish they, “never saw the
sun go down.”
John Proctor, who has had an affair with Abigail but now is
ashamed of his behaviour. Abigail tells John that the girls were
only playing. She speaks seductively to John who will have nothing
to do with her. She then calls his wife, who sacked Abigail from
service in the Proctor’s home seven months earlier, “a cold
snivelling woman.” John Proctor turns on her angrily, “Do you
look for whippin?” .
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Act One cont…
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As the congregation downstairs sing a psalm Betty wakes up again and
wails loudly. Reverend Parris rushes back with the Putnams, Rebecca
Nurse and Giles Corey. Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey are two of the
oldest people in the village. Rebecca is greatly respected as a saintlike woman. Giles is quite deaf and a bit eccentric, but a good man.
It becomes obvious fairly quickly that Rebecca, Giles and John Proctor
do not get on well with the Putnams, and that John and Giles have
little respect for Rev. Parris either. Parris complains that there is a
party in the town that wants to remove him from his pulpit. “Why,
then I must find it and join it,” says John Proctor, showing his
dislike of both Parris’s money grabbing nature and his enthusiasm for
preaching hellfire.
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Act One cont…
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Soon the Rev. John Hale, a specialist in witch hunting
arrives and examines Betty who has fainted again. He
then questions Abigail and Tituba. Tituba, afraid of
being hanged as a witch, professes faith in God and,
after much prompting from the Putnams and Reverand
Parris, confesses that two townswomen, Goody Good
and Goody Osburn, came to her with the Devil. Abigail
and then Betty claim they have been bewitched but now
turn to God. The act closes as all the girls ecstatically
chant the names of the townspeople whom they accuse
of consorting with the Devil.
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Act Two
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Act Two opens in John Proctor's house eight
days later. Deputy Governor Danforth has
arrived in Salem to supervise the court
proceedings against the townspeople accused
as witches. Fourteen people are imprisoned,
and there is talk of hanging.
John Proctor's wife Elizabeth encourages him
to go into town to testify against Abigail and
the girls. There is tension between the
Proctors because Elizabeth has not forgiven
John for his affair with Abigail.
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Act Two cont…
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The Proctor's servant Mary Warren arrives, and
although forbidden to go to town, she has been
attending the trial and is "crying out" with the other
girls against the accused witches. Just as John is about
to whip her, she shocks the Proctors by saying that she
defended Elizabeth when Abigail accused her. She
gives Elizabeth a doll she has made while at the
trial. As John and Elizabeth are arguing about what to
do, the Reverend Hale arrives to ask questions and to
test the "Christian character" of the house. He finds
that John can recite all of the commandments except,
ironically, the one forbidding adultery.
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Act Two cont…
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Next, two townsmen, Giles Corey and Francis
Nurse, arrive to seek John Proctor's help
because their wives have just been arrested
for witchcraft. As the men discuss the
events, the marshal arrives with a warrant for
Elizabeth's arrest. She has been accused by
Abigail of sending her spirit through the doll
to stab Abigail in the stomach with a needle.
Over John Proctor's violent protest, Elizabeth
is hauled off in chains.
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Act Three
Act three takes place in the Salem meeting house that
serves as the general court. In this act, we see the
helplessness of the innocent in the face of unjust legal
authority. Francis Nurse, Giles Corey, and John Proctor
present their cases to Deputy Governor Danforth and
Judge Hathorne. When Proctor presents a petition
signed by ninety-one people attesting to the good
character of the men's wives, Danforth issues warrants
for the questioning of those who signed. Corey charges
Putnam with inciting his daughter to accuse a townsman
of witchcraft in order to get the townsman's land.
Corey has a witness to support the charge but, fearing
that the witness will be arrested, refuses to name him.
Corey is, therefore, arrested for contempt of court.
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Act Three cont…
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Proctor presents his case and a deposition by Mary Warren that
she never saw Satan or any spirits and that the other girls are
lying to Danforth. However, when Abigail and the other girls are
brought before the court, Abigail denies the charges against her
with indignation and leads the girls in a frenzied act of being
bewitched by Mary. Proctor interrupts the charade by grabbing
Abigail and accusing her of being his whore. To test the truth of
this charge, Danforth brings in Elizabeth and questions her about
her husband's fidelity. Elizabeth lies to save her husband's
reputation, but in so doing undermines the charge against
Abigail. The girls renew their act of being possessed by the spirit
of Mary Warren. Overcome by their hysterical display, Mary gives
in and accuses Proctor of being a witch. Danforth accepts the
charge, and Proctor laughs in his face, blaming Danforth and
himself for being afraid to reveal the truth. Danforth acts to
preserve the reputation of his court more than to seek justice.
The Rev. Hale, now convinced of the evil of the court, denounces
the proceedings and walks out as Danforth calls to him.
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Act Four
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The final act opens in a Salem jail cell where Sarah Good and Tituba
await hanging. They are happily deluded by the belief that they will
be taken to Barbados by the devil.
The Salem trial is ending. Rumours of a rebellion against witchcraft
trials in a nearby town ignite fear that the people of Salem will riot
if upstanding citizens are hanged.
Hale, disillusioned and humbled, pleads with the prisoners to save
their lives by making false confessions. He asks Danforth to pardon
the accused, but Danforth refuses saying twelve have already hung
for the same crime. When Hale asks Elizabeth to counsel Proctor
to lie and save himself, she balks but agrees to see him. Alone with
Proctor, Elizabeth forgives him for being unfaithful and blames
herself for not being able to love him enough. She cannot counsel
him to lie and instead tells him to make his own decision and to be
his own judge.
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Act Four cont…
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Proctor, refusing to be a martyr, confesses to
being a witch, but stops at indicting others by
claiming that he has seen them with the Devil.
When Proctor tears up his confession,
Elizabeth rushes to him and they embrace. As
Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are led to their
deaths, Hale begs Elizabeth to plead with
Proctor to save himself, but Elizabeth cries,
"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take
it from him!“.
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Handy Quotations
Main Menu
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Four
Act One - Quotes
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“Long-held hatred of neighbours could now be openly expressed, and
vengeance taken. (intro)
“But they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched. (Abigail)
There is a faction that is sworn to
drive me from my pulpit. (Parris)
“He had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites”
(stage directions on Proctor)
“He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the
time but against his own vision of decent conduct”
(stage directions on Proctor)
“Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem, has
come to regard himself as a kind of fraud.” (as
above)
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Act One - Quotes
“Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word … and I will
come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a
pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (Abigail)
“I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in
my heart … You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love
me yet!” (Abigail)
“Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut
off my hand before I’ll reach for you again. (Proctor)
“ I have trouble enough without I come to five mile hear him speak hellfire
and damnation. (Proctor on Parris)
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Act One - Quotes
“Mr Parris you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to this
house” (Proctor)
“I am your third preacher in seven years” (Parris)
Mr Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed
intellectual. (stage directions on Hale)
“ He was a crank and a nuisance, but withal a deeply innocent
and brave man.” (stage directions on Giles)
“You will confess yourself or I will take you out
and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (Parris)
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Act Two - Quotes
"It’s winter in here yet.” (Proctor to Elizabeth)
“It is a proper court they have there now… there be fourteen
people in jail now" (Elizabeth)
“Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where she
walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel” (Elizabeth)
“You must go to Salem, John. You must tell them it is a
fraud" (Elizabeth)
“I’ll think on it”” (Proctor’s reply to above quote)
“You forget nothin’ and forgive nothin” (Proctor)
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Act Two - Quotes
"Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!"
(Proctor )
“She wants me dead, John, you know it! (Elizabeth
on Abigail)
"Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent or Abigail?
Is the accuser always holy now? (Proctor )
"Remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought
him beautiful in Heaven." (Hale)
“I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing, Elizabeth.”
(Proctor)
“My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your
mouth but that goodness will not die for me.” (Proctor)
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Act Three - Quotes
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"Do you know, Mr Proctor, that the entire contention of the state in
these trials is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children?"
(Danforth)
“We a burn a hot fire here. It burns down all concealment.”
(Danforth)
"I have made a bell of my honour! I have rung the doom of my good name."
(Proctor)
“I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face,
and yours Danforth.” (Proctor)
“You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!”
(Proctor)
“I denounce these proceedings.” (Hale)
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Act Four - Quotes
“When I speak God’s law, I will not crack it’s voice with whimpering.”
( Danforth)
“I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”
(Proctor)
“I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint” (Proctor)
“I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this
lie that were not rotten before” (Proctor)
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have
another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself
to lies. (Proctor)
“He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”
(Elizabeth)
Background
Arthur Miller
The Cold War
Main Menu
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was raised in a prosperous Jewish family in New York City.
During the Depression, the family faced financial ruin and Miller worked in
various manual labor jobs. He graduated from the University of Michigan in
1938 where he began to distinguish himself as a playwright.
Due to an old football injury, Miller was ineligible for military service during
World War II. He toured army camps and gathered material for a screenplay,
The Story of GI Joe which was based on a book by the famous war
correspondent, Ernie Pyle. In 1944, The Man Who Had All the Luck, his first
Broadway production, was not a commercial success, but suggested a
theme that would occupy Miller in his more important works – the fate of the
individual in society. Death of a Salesman won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 and
established Miller's reputation as a great American dramatist. It portrays the
tragedy of the common man who loses his integrity due to social and
economic pressures. The Crucible in 1953 explored this theme in the context
of the 1692 Salem witch trials. Miller wrote this play during the McCarthy
period when many of his friends were being attacked for their proCommunist beliefs.
Arthur Miller cont…
It is ironic that Miller himself was called before the House Un-American
Activities Committee in 1956, and like his protagonist in The Crucible
refused to implicate others involved in activities condemned at the time by
society.
In 1956 Miller married Marilyn Monroe. They divorced in 1961 after filming
The Misfits, which he wrote for her. The character of Maggie in Miller's After
the Fall in 1964 in part reflects the emotional troubles Marilyn faced during
their marriage. This play also examines the theme of the individual's loss of
integrity in the face of social hysteria and hypocrisy.
In addition to writing plays with strong social commentary, Miller has been
politically active. In 1965 he was elected president of PEN (Poets,
Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists), an international literary
organization that he guided toward a platform of world peace and
understanding, providing artists and writers a forum for expressing their
views and fighting governmental repression worldwide.
Arthur Miller cont…
Miller has continued to write powerful and successful plays during the last
three decades. His focus on the individual in society has evolved to an
understanding of social institutions as reflections of the good and evil
residing in human nature. His autobiography Timebends (1987) gives insight
into Miller's personal life and the experiences which have shaped his work.
Miller's major plays have been produced internationally and adapted for
radio, television, and motion pictures. In 1993 he received the National
Medal of the Arts from President Clinton.
Miller died in February 2005.
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The Cold War and
Senator McCarthy
After the end of World War II, America became locked in political rivalry with
Communist Russia (the USSR). This was the so-called Cold War. The threat
of nuclear weapons hung over the two superpowers' struggle for dominance.
In June 1950, when Russia's ally, Communist China, began to expand into
South-East Asia, America embarked on the Korean War. This conflict had an
enormous effect on the political climate at home. Fear that Communists
were infiltrating Government led to the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the
most prominent figure in a committee that scrutinized possible suspects. His
investigations were aimed particularly at university teachers, trade unionists,
and artists of all kinds- anyone suspected of left-wing sympathies. Those
called before the Un-American Activities Committee were asked to prove
their innocence by naming others. Some witnesses caved in; others lost their
jobs. There were many suicides.
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The Cold War and
Senator McCarthy cont…
It was against this background that Miller wrote The Crucible. The Salem
witch trials had fascinated him long before he saw their possibility as an
allegory for McCarthyism. The play opened in January 1953, and won two
prestigious awards, but the critics were distracted by the obvious parallel
with contemporary events.
In 1956 Miller found himself in the same dilemma as his hero, John Proctor.
He was refused a passport to visit Brussels for a production of his play. The
Committee called on him to testify. When Miller refused to mention names,
he was fined and given a suspended prison sentence. The Supreme Court
acquitted him a year and a half later. By then the McCarthy hysteria had died
away, and Senator McCarthy himself was dead.
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The Crucible
Arthur Miller
Main Menu
The
individual
v. authority
Fear
Integrity
Themes
The
corruption
of justice
Mass
hysteria
Click on the theme you wish to explore
The individual v. authority
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In The Crucible, John and Rebecca are not standing up for
individual rights in the modern sense. The Salem villagers all believe
in witches and the infallibility of the Bible. What the victims oppose
is the abuse of power. This is relevant to any age or culture.
Until the eighteenth century, religion played a large part in the
running of most European states or colonies. In particular, those
affected by the Protestant Reformation conformed to some form
of theocratic ('god-ruled') system. Laws were based on the
authority of the Bible, and the Church used them to control every
aspect of people's lives. The modern idea that religious belief is a
matter of private conscience would have been considered
blasphemous. Nevertheless, even in seventeenth century New
England, a more tolerant and diversified society was emerging. This
movement towards change stirred up great social tensions.
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The individual v. authority cont…
The Reformation had made people more responsible for their own
salvation.
In Act 1 (pp. 33-5, ‘I have trouble enough ... He says there's a party),
John Proctor shows his resentment when Parris criticizes his
infrequent church 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 (p. 35). Reverend Hale later reprimands him for
daring to question Parris's God-given authority (p. 63).
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The individual v. authority cont…
Act Two demonstrates the helplessness of people who try to
stand up for their rights in a theocratic state. Once the witch
hunt 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. Rebecca refuses to damn her soul with a lie;
Giles values his land more than his life, and willingly accepts a
horrible death.
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Fear
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Fear is a dominant emotion in The Crucible. 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.
The unique feature that drew Miller to Salem was the fear that
erupted there in 1692. Puritans believed that the Devil was constantly
working to tempt human beings away from God. At the end of the play,
Tituba is waiting for Satan to transport her to the singin'and dancinin
Barbados (p. 108). All other references to witchcraft are connected
with fear, suspicion, and the collapse of normal social values. The
stricken community can no longer defend itself or protect vulnerable
individuals.
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Fear cont…
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There are two types of accusation in the play. The first comes from
characters seeking revenge or exploiting the panic for personal gain.
Others pass on the blame for their misfortunes, but they are not
necessarily malicious. Irrational fear deludes them into believing
whatever they are told. (No one ever stops to ask why Rebecca should
want to harm Mrs Putnam's babies.) Think of examples of these types
of behaviour.
In both the McCarthy trials and the Salem witch-hunt, victims could
escape punishment if they denounced others.
Tituba is the first to be interrogated. Mr Putnam's threat of hanging
produces the desired answer, and thereafter the demoralized slave
repeats any names suggested to her. Miller builds a prolonged scene
around this minor character to show exactly how the prosecutors
went about their business. Tituba represents all that were terrified
into naming the 'witches'.
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Fear cont…
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The pressures of irrational fear are most vividly illustrated in
their effects on Mary Warren. Mary is terrified from the
moment she steps inside the court, but she bears up well under
cross-examination. Encouraged by Proctor, she refuses to
withdraw her claim that the girls are fraudulent, even when
bullied by Judge Hathorne. Yet she begins to crumple as soon as
Abigail sets the girls loose on her. Within minutes, Mary is caught
up in their hysteria and she disintegrates. In her final moments
on stage, she rushes for protection to the very person
responsible for her ordeal.
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The Corruption of Justice
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A fair trial in Salem is made impossible by the close links between
church and State. Those who interpret God's laws do not imagine
themselves capable of human error. As a clergyman in a theocratic
society (one where the church writes the laws), Mr Hale is allowed to
speak on behalf of the state, although he has no legal training.
Reverend Hale discovers the first witch - Tituba - without any judicial
enquiry at all. It is through him that Abigail and her followers become
linked to the court as official witch-finders. “The entire contention of
the state ... is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the
children,” Danforth tells Proctor. Yet the haphazard nature of the
accusations leaves them wide open to abuse by people like Thomas
Putnam.
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Corruption of Justice cont..
During the trials, Danforth manipulates both defendants and legal
procedure to suit his purpose. He never attempts to look at
probabilities, or weigh the defendants' motives. He allows Hathorne to
score points based on sheer verbal trickery – “How do you know, then,
that you are not a witch?” Danforth does the same himself when he
entraps Elizabeth into lying to save her husband's reputation. He also
uses leading questions to get the answers that suit him (though not
always successfully).
The greatest injustice in the whole conduct of the witch trials is
that the inquisitors offer a reprieve to those that confess, provided
they name other suspects. Proctor points out the obvious consequences
to Hale, but the minister refuses to face the truth. So the witch-hunt
swells to an enormous size and infects other parts of the province. The
nightmare only ends when the whole community is on the brink of revolt.
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Mass Hysteria
Mass hysteria does not have to involve hysterical behaviour in the
ordinary sense. The phrase describes what happens when the same
strong emotion grips a large group of people. Most of us have
experienced it in milder forms. When we cheer on our favourite team,
feeling part of the crowd intensifies our emotion.
There is another side to the phenomenon. When fear and prejudice
spread through a community, they become self-reinforcing and their
effect on individuals is enormously magnified. In The Crucible, the
behaviour of both adolescents and adults is a powerful demonstration of
this reality. Everything happens against a background of ongoing
quarrels that have never been settled. In Act 1, several random
circumstances combine to provoke the disaster. The girls' reaction when
their expedition to the forest is found out leads to the suspicion of
witchcraft; Mr Hale is eager to try out his skills; Mrs Putnam has never
stopped grieving for her dead babies, and uses the crisis to find a
scapegoat.
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Mass Hysteria cont…
The people of Salem are possessed, not by demons but by mass hysteria.
By the end of Act 1, the adults have succumbed to their fear that the
Devil and his witches are trying to destroy Salem. The only two strong
enough to resist - Rebecca and John Proctor have left the stage. This is
the first of the play's biting ironies: the people who are possessed are
not the innocent victims, but the accusers (and later, the judges), who
all fall prey to the hysteria created by Abigail.
Once the hysteria is established, it triggers almost every incident in
the play. We know that common sense has lost when we hear about the
arrest of so widely respected a person as Rebecca Nurse.
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Mass Hysteria cont…
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The girls' unpredictable behaviour is both a symbol of the hysteria
infecting society and a dramatization of that hysteria in action. So,
too, is the gullibility of the adults who swallow the girls' accusations.
Notice how skilfully Miller leads up to his two scenes of 'possession',
the first engineered by Abigail to save her own skin, and the second a
full-blown demonstration of mass hysteria in action.
At the end of Act 1, we see Abigail whipping Betty Parris into a state of
hysteria as she begins a campaign to save her own skin and, later, to
destroy Elizabeth Proctor. In Act 2 we hear about the girls' increasing
power, but only through description. Wherever Abigail walks, “the
crowd will part like the sea for Israel … and if [her followers]
scream and howl and fall to the floor - the person's clapped in the
jail for bewitchin' them.” At some point - Miller does not say when the girls' fraud takes them over and they can no longer help their
behaviour. The playwright skilfully holds back the second scene of
possession until the moment of maximum impact the terrifying climax to
Act 3.
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Mass Hysteria cont…
In Act 3 Mary tells Danforth “It were only sport in the beginning,
sir.” It is clear that after a while she was carried along by mass
hysteria and no longer fully in control of herself.
Miller leaves open the question of how many girls were similarly
affected and when this happened. Abigail alone knows exactly what she
is doing; she controls the court officials as tightly as she controls her
followers. She is confident enough to threaten Judge Danforth. “Think
you to be so mighty that the power of hell may not turn your wits.”
Danforth thunders at Mary, “You will confess yourself or you will hang”,
but Abigail instinctively moves on to something far more sinister. Mary
ceases to exist in human form when Abigail 'sees' her in the yellow bird
perched on a roof beam. She avoids all rational questioning by whipping
the girls into a frenzy of fear and hysteria.
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Integrity
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John Proctor's progress to self-awareness represents a major
theme running throughout Miller's work. In Miller's thinking,
moral honesty cannot be separated from a commitment to society.
In Act 4, the hero cries out, 'God in Heaven, what is John
Proctor?'(p. 120) He finds his answer during his final moments on
earth. As in several other Miller plays, the central figure must
come to terms with the consequences of past actions. In The
Crucible's opening scenes, Proctor takes little interest in the
outbreak of hysteria at Salem. He is a busy farmer living five miles
from the meeting house, and his irritation with Parris has kept him
away from church services. Perhaps we should also give him credit
for trying to keep away from Abigail, even if his efforts are not
successful.
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Integrity cont…
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We see him next in his domestic surroundings, ashamed of his
adultery but also resentful that his wife will not accept his
sincere repentance. His refusal to meddle in village affairs follows
from a very natural reluctance to publicise his adultery. At this
stage, John's practical reasons for standing aloof also give him a
pretext for evading social responsibility.
When the witch-hunters invade his home and arrest his wife, he is
forced to become involved. In the court scenes, John rises above
his own fears and resentment to argue as well as he can for common
sense and reason. We see his growing social involvement when he
turns down the chance to save Elizabeth by abandoning his friends
and their wives. Yet his plan of action still depends on making
someone else take responsibility - Mary Warren. Only when this
hope collapses does he tell the full truth, regardless of
consequences.
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Integrity cont…
Act 4 concentrates almost wholly on this theme. John faces a final
temptation to retreat into dishonesty and save his life. His new
found closeness with Elizabeth increases his agony. At first he
uses his own guilt to escape the gallows, but under Danforth's
relentless pressure he arrives at a clear view of what his choice
must be. He manages to accept and forgive his own imperfections.
Discovering his identity, John can at last take charge of his life,
neither rejecting social involvement nor handing over his
conscience to someone else.
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Irony is often used in The Crucible to emphasize the
irrationality of the witch-hunt. That John Proctor's lifeaffirming choice should lead to death is the greatest irony of
the play.
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Integrity cont…
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Two other characters, Reverend Hale and Elizabeth, take a
similar path to self-awareness. Elizabeth perceives that her
own physical coldness was partly responsible for the affair
between Abigail and her husband. However, this is a dramatic
device to allow John Proctor to come to terms with himself. We
have no clue as to how Elizabeth will deal with her knowledge
after John's death.
In the final Act, Hale is full of remorse for supporting the
witch-hunt. Preaching a doctrine that is the exact opposite of
his former beliefs, he urges the prisoners to lie in order to save
themselves. This desperate attempt to appease his conscience
brings him no comfort. He is a man broken by guilt.
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Arthur Miller Quotes
The quotes on the following pages could
be used in your essay. If you learn
one or two, you might be able to use
one of them at the beginning or end
of your essay.
Themes in Miller’s Work
Many of Miller’s plays concern what he
called “the most valid and fertile
subject for…drama [which is] the
attempt to show man struggling to
be at one with society.” His works
do show that “men do need the
respect of their neighbours.”
Individual v Society
“The witch-hunt was a perverse
manifestation of the panic
which set in among all classes
when the balance began to turn
toward greater individual
freedom.”
Arthur Miller
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Exam Questions
Essay Choices for The Crucible
2001
Choose a play in which a character makes a brave decision.
Briefly explain the circumstances which led up to the decision and then
discuss how it affects your views of the character.
Choose from a play a scene in which one character makes an
accusation against another character.
Explain the dramatic importance of the scene and discuss how it
affects your sympathy for either or both of the characters.
Choose from a play a scene in which you felt totally involved.
Show how the skill of the dramatist caused you to be so involved.
2002
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Exam Questions
2001
Essay Choices for The Crucible
2002
Choose a play in which a character struggles with his conscience.
Outline briefly the reasons for the character’s dilemma and go on to discuss how
successfully the dramatist engages your sympathy for her or him.
Choose from a play a scene in which the conflict between two characters is at
its most intense.
Outline briefly the reasons for the conflict and then by examining the scene in
detail, show how it gave you a deeper appreciation of the play as a whole.
Choose a play in which the main character is at odds with one or more than one of
the people around him or her.
Show how the dramatist makes you aware of the character’s situation and discuss to
what extent this led to a greater understanding of the concerns of the play.
2003
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Exam Questions
2002
Essay Choices for The Crucible
2003
Example
Choose a play in which there is a scene which provides a clear turning
point in the drama.
Explain why it is a turning point and go on to discuss the importance of
the scene to your appreciation of the play as a whole.
Choose a play in which there is a breakdown in family relationship(s).
Explain the reason for the breakdown and discuss the extent to which it
is important to the play as a whole.
2004
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Exam Questions
2003
Essay Choices for The Crucible
2004
Choose a play in which the dramatist explores the idea of rebellion against
authority.
Explain briefly the circumstances which give rise to the rebellion and discuss
how successfully you think the dramatist explores the idea.
Choose a play in which there is a scene involving intense emotion.
Show how the dramatist makes you aware of the intensity of the emotion in
the scene and discuss the importance of the scene to the drama as a whole.
2005
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Exam Questions
2004
Essay Choices for The Crucible
2005
Choose a play in which a character is seeking the truth, avoiding the
truth or hiding the truth.
Explain to what extent the character achieves this aim and discuss how
the dramatist uses the situation to reveal important aspects of the
character’s role in the play as a whole.
Choose a play which features one of the following themes: appearance
versus reality; good versus evil; dreams versus reality; youth versus age.
Choose a play in which the mood is mainly dark or pessimistic.
Show how the dramatist creates this mood and discuss how appropriate
it is to the main idea(s) of the play.