The Crucible
by
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller (author)
 Born 1915 in New York.
 Miller saw stark similarities
between the Salem witch trials
and the McCarthy Hearings.
 Miller wrote the play as a
response to “The Red Scare”
during the 1950’s which
attempted to oust communists
from government positions
and public jobs.
 Miller refused to cooperate in
the investigations of the
House Un-American
Activities Committee.
 As a result of not cooperating
with the committee, he was
accused of being unpatriotic,
was “blacklisted” from
potential job opportunities,
and his career suffered
severely for years afterward.
Senator Joseph McCarthy
 Senator Joseph McCarthy of
Wisconsin headed the House
Un-American Activities
Committee (HUAC).
 He was almost single-handedly
responsible for accusing many
of Communism during the “Red
Scare” of the 1950’s.
 He was later brought down
when this accusations were
proved to be false.
The Setting
Salem, Massachusetts (1692)
 Site of mass hysteria due
to accusations of
witchcraft.
 Puritan community which
attempted to “purify” the
Church of England by
stripping away much of
the ritual, ceremony,
pomp, and paraphernalia
of traditional church
services.
Puritan Society
 Salem residents descended
from the Puritans, a
zealously religious group
that landed in America on
the Mayflower.
 With no Constitution to
govern them, they chose
instead a Theocracy which
was based on the Ten
Commandments and other
biblical, Christian
teachings.
The Characters
Reverend Parris
 Minister for Salem.
 He is a paranoid man who is hungry for power.
 He is more concerned about
his own reputation than his
daughter’s and his niece’s
souls when the first rumors of
witchcraft first surface.
 He quickly learns to take
advantage of the witchhunt
craze for his own personal
gains.
Abigail Williams
 Abigail is Rev. Parris’s
niece, and was once
the servant of the
Proctor household.
 Elizabeth Proctor fired
her after she found
out Abigail was
having an affair with
her husband.
Tituba
 Tituba is Rev. Parris’s black slave from Barbados.
She agrees to perform voodoo at the request of
Abigail and Ruth’s mother. Parris catches her and
the girls during a session which sparks the entire
witch hunt craze.
John Proctor
 John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband,
had an affair with Abigail when she
was a servant in his house. He
hates hypocrisy, but his hidden sin
causes him a great deal of moral
anguish.
 He hesitates to expose Abigail as a
fraud because he knows his own
conscience is unclean. He does not
try to expose her as a liar until it is
too late. He is accused of witchcraft
and convicted.
Elizabeth Proctor
 Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, is
accused by Abigail of witchcraft
because Abigail wants John Proctor
all to herself.
 She is convicted of the crime of
which she is accused, but her
execution is delayed because she is
pregnant. By the time she has her
baby, the craze has died down and
her life is spared.
Thomas Putnam
 Eldest son of richest man in village.
 Vindictive, forceful, bitter
 He felt that his family’s name had been
“smirched” by the village and wanted revenge.
 The Putnams fan the flame of belief that
witchcraft has taken hold in Salem.
Ann Putnam
 Thomas Putnam’s wife.
 She has given birth to eight children, but only
Ruth Putnam survived; the other seven
children died before they were a day old.
 She is convinced they were murdered by
supernatural means, so she sends Ruth to
request that Tituba conjure their spirits in
order to discover who murdered them---later
claiming that witches had done it.
Francis Nurse
 Wealthy and influential man in Salem.
 He is well respected and many people ask him to
arbitrate their disputes.
 He is involved in a bitter land dispute with the
Putnam family. He also keeps Thomas Putnam’s
brother-in-law from from being elected to the
office of minister.
 As a result of these disputes, his wife is later
accused of witchcraft.
Rebecca Nurse
Rebecca Nurse is the wife
of Francis Nurse. She is a
moral woman, and she
runs several charities.
Her husband’s enemies accuse
her of witchcraft. She dies on
the gallows because she refuses
to confess to crimes she did
not commit.
Giles Corey
 Elderly but feisty farmer in Salem.
 His offhand comments about his wife’s reading habits
lead to her arrest and execution for witchcraft.
 He attempts to clear his wife’s name results in his own
persecution by Hawthorne and Danforth.
 He refuses to plead guilty
even after he is subjected
to torture.
Martha Corey
 Martha Corey is Giles
Corey’s third wife.
 Her reading habits lead
to her arrest and
conviction for witchcraft.
 She dies on the gallows
because she refuses to
confess to crimes she did
not commit.
Sarah Good
 Old beggar woman
who is accused of
witchcraft.
 Here is her grave site.
Notice that it says
nothing about her
except that she was
hanged.
The Judges
 Herrick - The marshal for
Salem
 Hathorne - Judge who
presides over the witch trials.
 Danforth - The Deputy
Governor of Massachusetts.
He presides over the witch
trials and is just as concerned
about maintaining his image
as he is about exposing sin.
The Mood
Mystery & Suspense
 Historically, and in the play, this period was full of
uncertainty about the Puritan society. A new push
for more individual freedoms, scared conservative
followers to commit extreme acts to maintain the
traditions of their religious beliefs.
Retribution
 Many who were accused of
witchcraft were detained
in devices such as this,
often for extended periods
of time.
 Those that warranted
lighter punishment in this
time, were usually
whipped or beaten.
Public Execution
 Often times, the entire
town came out to view the
“witches” trial and their
execution by hanging.
 The victims not only had
to endure a horrible
death, they also had to
listen to the slanderous
cries of their friends and
neighbors.
The Theme
What It Is All About
 The play’s main conflict
centers around the
rights of an individual
versus those in
authority.
 The central theme of the
play deals with an
individual’s search for
self-awareness and selfrealization through
commitment.
What It Was All About
 The play was also a classic look at the battle
between good and evil. The evil being the
distorted perceptions and actions of those
who believe their judgement is right.
Salem Witch Trials