Author: Arthur Miller
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What fuels a MOB?
You have 3 minutes to discuss with your
partner about what makes people act as a
mod? And what are some of the results of
mob action?
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Is considered by many the greatest American
dramatist of the 20th century.
His play Death of a Salesman won him a
Pulitzer Prize in 1949
The Crucible was set during the Salem,
Massachusetts, witch trials of 1692
He wrote the Crucible to warn against mass
hysteria and to plead for freedom and
tolerance
Fun Fact: Miller was once married to Marilyn
Monroe
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Drama: is literature in play form. It is meant to be
preformed and seen
Stage Directions: used not only to describe
setting and characters but also provide historical
background in the form of expository miniessays
Dialogue: the lifeblood of the drams, which
moved the plot forward and reveals character
traits
Types of Characters: heroes, villains, and foils
used to heighten the tension of the drama
Plot: driven by conflict and builds throughout
each act.
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In this play, Arthur Miller traces the hysteria
in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, as several
girls begin to accuse their neighbors of
associating with the Devil. Suspicion and ill
will spread as the townspeople bring up
current disputes and past grudges, implicate
one another in the charge of witchcraft, and
witness court proceedings against those so
charged. By the time the witch trials end,
Salem has been forever stained.
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The first part of this plays is a mini essay.
This mini-essay is to inform you about the
general background and life in Salem in
1692.
When we complete reading the mini-essay
decide for yourself if you believe that it was
informative or should have been left out.
Write your response in your day book you
need to have some kind of reasoning behind
it. In other words this is NOT a yes or no
question.
You have 4 minutes.
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Having read Parris’s conversations with Abigail
(lines 57-151), envision Parris’s movement
around the stage, tone of voice, and so on.
Collaborate with your partner and create a
detailed set of stage directions that present your
ideas in the form of instructions to the actor.
Things to consider:
◦ How does Parris’s tone change when he talks about his
enemies?
◦ When Parris talks about Abigail’s “name in the town”,
does he move closer to her, or farther away?
This should be written down in your day book (everyone
needs to have it written)
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Reread the descriptions of Mrs. Putnam that
appears un the stage directions in lines 152153.
In your day book write a description or draw
an illustration of what you believe Mrs.
Putnam looks like (7 minutes)
Now write a brief character sketch about Mrs.
Putnam's life and personality based on
Miller’s stage directions (For example, why
might she have a “twisted soul”? What cause
would she have to be “death-ridden” and
“haunted by dreams”? (5 minutes)
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“In Proctor’s presence,” Miller writes “a fool felt
his foolishness instantly – and Proctor is always
marked for calumny therefore.”
Have you been involved in any experience in
which you think that “a Proctor” has been
present?
In your day book answer the following questions:
◦ What is “a Proctor”
◦ What traits does a person need to make a fool feel his
foolishness instantly?
◦ Why is this kind of person “marked for calumny” (in
other words, lied about in an effort to destroy his
reputation)?
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In your day book you are going to create two
list: one stating reasons why the audience is
meant to think that the girls are bewitched,
and the other giving evidence that contradicts
this view. (7 minutes)
Now compare answers with your partner and
add points if your have left any out.
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Analyze Metaphor: reread Parris’s comment
in lines 804-805.
You are going to write a brief paragraph that
explains the metaphor at Parris uses and then
paraphrases the line. (7 minutes)
Now you are going to create your own
metaphor to convey the same idea.
Lines 905-937 are very important to the plot
because it sheds light on Abigail’s motives. In
your daybook answer the following questions
1. What does Abigail say Tituba made her do?
2. Why does Abigail accuse Tituba of witchcraft
3. Why would Abigail single out Tituba instead
of one of the other girls?
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Act one opens with Reverend Parris praying
for his sick daughter, Betty. An essay explains
the historical setting: then Parris reveals that
the illness is thought to be due to
bewitchment. Among the townspeople who
discuss the matter is John Proctor, who has
had a affair with Parris’s niece, Abigail.
Reverend Hale comes to purge the town of
witched; but in the conversations that follow,
innocent people are accused of witchcraft.
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On page 163 answer the following questions:
◦ 1-4, 6-8. (In your day book)
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In your daybook answer the following
questions:
◦ How did Elizabeth find out about his affair with
Abigail?
◦ What does proctor think about himself?
◦ What does he mean by the phrase “roared you
down” (line 170)? How might his relationship with
Elizabeth be different at the moment if he had
“roared [her] down” earlier?
◦ What are the criticisms of Elizabeth?
◦ What do you think it would take for the Proctors to
resolve their conflicts?
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With your partner reread Mary’s account of
what happened in court (lines 246-256) and
consider this question: What reason other
than Goody Good’s “witchcraft” might have
caused Mary to experience the symptoms that
she describes in lines 249-256?
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Reread lines 752-758
Discuss with your partner how Proctor’s
demand for proof in the arrest of his wife
goes completely ignored by Cheever, who
instead looks for evidence against her (the
poppet).
In your daybook write a paragraph in which
you analyze how Proctor’s ineffective cry for
proof reflects and furthers the mood of The
Crucible
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What impact can rumors have on a
community?
What happens when rumors get out of
control?
You have 4 minutes to answer these two
questions in your day book. Be prepared to
share with the class.
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As act two begins, John and Elizabeth Proctor
express concern about the growth of the
witchcraft scare. Then they argue: Elizabeth
urges her husband to expose Abigail as a
fraud, and the two revisit his affair with her.
Mary Warren brings news of further arrest
and the possible implications of Elizabeth.
Reverend Hale arrives and interviews the
couple, and when the marshal arrests
Elizabeth, Proctor condemns the desire for
vengeance that is driving events, and he vows
to save his wife.
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On page 179 answer the following questions
in your day book.
◦ 1-3, 4,6,7 and 9
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“We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all
concealment” – Judge Danforth (lines 180181)
In your day book write down:
◦ What the statement means in its immediate context
◦ How the statement relates to the title of the play
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Reread Hale’s questions in lines 326-327: “Is
every defense an attack upon the court?”
◦ Discuss with your partner: What might happen to a
nation – to a government and to its citizens – when
the answer to Hale’s question is “YES”.
◦ Be ready to share!
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Considering Giles’s responses to Danforth in
lines 411-430. In your daybook write a brief
paragraph explaining how this scene
connects to the themes of The Crucible and
to Miller’s own views.
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In your day book answer the following
questions:
◦ What techniques does Abigail use to redirect the
attention of the court?
◦ Why does she deflect interest in herself?
◦ Analyze Abigail’s motives in a short 4 sentence
response
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In Act Three, Proctor brings Mary Warren to
the court, where Giles Corey and Francis
Nurse also are trying to defend their wives.
There, Mary confesses that Abigail and the
other girls are frauds. When Abigail accuses
Mary of bewitching her, Mary turns from
proctor and rejoins the girls. Proctor admits
his infidelity, but Elizabeth denies it to save
his reputation. The girls make hysterical
accusations against Proctor; when he is
arrested, Reverend Hale quits in disgust.
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On Page 199 answer the following questions
in your day book:
◦ 1-3, 4, 6-8
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By this point, several views about the fate of
the convicted Salemites have been voiced.
In your day book identify the views of
Danforth, Hale, and Parris.
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Reread lines 575-582
In your day book write down a brief
explanation of how Proctor’s answer or ‘”I
did” to Danforth’s question “Did you see the
Devil?” can be interpreted as irony.
Do you really believe that Proctor meant to be
ironic?
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Identify Elizabeth Proctor’s tone in the
following moments:
◦ Her interview with Danforth, Parris, and Hale (lines
319-386)
◦ Her private conversation with her husband (lines
410-518)
◦ Her words when he agrees to confess (lines 541542, 552-554)
◦ Her comments just before he is led off to be
executed (lines 781-783
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Act Four takes place in the Salem jail. Several
“witches” have be executed; now Proctor and
Rebecca are to hang, for they refuse to
confess to crimes that they say they have not
committed. Hale, Parris, and Elizabeth speak
with Proctor. Proctor signs a false confession,
to save his life for his family’s sake, but then
he tears up to save his reputation. Elizabeth
watches with pride and stoic grief as he is
lead to the gallows.
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On page 213 answer the following questions
in your day book:
◦ 1-5,8 and 9