The Crucible
Act One
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Plot summary exercise
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Setting the scene
Re-read the stage directions given before the play starts.
Miller takes great care to set the scene before the play opens.
He gives detailed information about the stage furniture, and
also about the look of the room where the action takes place.
He also tells the reader/director about the lighting that should
be used.
Furniture
Lighting
chair
bed
chest
small
table
narrow window
with leaded panes
burning
candle
morning
sunlight
What effect will the lighting and sparse
furnishings have on the audience?
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Setting the scene
This is a picture taken from a production of The Crucible. Try
to identify all the different things that Miller describes.
Is there anything missing from the stage?
What lighting is being used?
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Setting the scene
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Puritan costume
This is a picture of Abigail, taken from a production of the play.
Notice how the director has used a very sharply contrasting
black and white costume, whereas in reality the clothes would
have become quite dirty and worn. Why do you think the
director might have done this?
demure
The black and white
posture, hair
could symbolize the
tied neatly back
Puritans’ sharply
defined moral code,
and their rigid definition
of good and evil.
What else can
you say about
her costume?
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white bonnet,
shawl and apron
plain black dress
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Puritan costume
The Puritans wore very plain clothes, a fact that reflects their
society very clearly. As we have already seen, they followed a
very strict moral code, and this extended to the way that they
dressed. What is wrong with the Puritan costume below?
Make-up was
not allowed.
Red would not
have been worn
as it is too bright.
She would probably
have been wearing
a bonnet.
Jewellery was
not allowed.
High-heeled shoes
would not have
been allowed.
Can you see any other accuracies
or inaccuracies in the costume?
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The characters
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The characters
We meet a great many characters in the first act, some of
whom are very important to the story, others less so. It is
vital to study the major characters in detail. However, some
of the minor people are crucial to the story as well.
Tituba is the first to be accused
and is an easy target because
Tituba
she is a slave of very low status.
Ann
Putnam
She is a figure of high status in the town and
makes her daughter Ruth ask Tituba to
'conjure up the dead' in the first place.
Francis
He embodies everything positive about their
society; his kindness and bravery stand in
stark contrast to the other characters.
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Parris
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Tituba
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Abigail
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Rebecca
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Hale
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Abigail and John Proctor
Abigail and Proctor’s conversation is an important part of the
play as it gives the audience information on their affair and
also on their characters. Read the exchange again that
begins 'Gah! I’d almost forgot how strong you are, John
Proctor!' and finishes 'John, pity me, pity me!'
Give me a word,
John. A soft word.
(Her concentrated desire
destroys his smile.)
No, no, Abby.
That’s done with.
What do we learn about Abigail and Proctor? Find
two quotations that define each of their characters.
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Dramatic structure explained
The Crucible is divided into four acts but contains no scene
demarcations. There are, however, flash points or ‘peaks’ of
dramatic tension throughout the play. These are generally
followed by moments of calm, or ‘troughs’. As the play
progresses, these become more extreme.
One peak of dramatic
tension is when Abigail,
Tituba and Betty confess.
Tension
levels
High
Time
Low
An example of a trough
is when Parris and
Proctor are bickering
about money.
Think What
abouteffect
what you
do you
have
think
read
this
so type
far. Can
of you
identify
dramatic
any other
structure
moments
has on
of tension
the audience?
and calm?
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Witchcraft
There is no suggestion in the play that Miller believes
in witchcraft. In fact, he seems to feel that religion is
as dangerous and full of superstition as the so-called
‘black arts’. For more background on Arthur Miller’s
opinions and thoughts, as well as information on the
characters as they were in real life, look at the detailed
background that he intersperses with the play during Act One.
'…The necessity of the Devil may become
evident as a weapon, a weapon designed
and used time and time again in every
age to whip men into a surrender to a
particular church or church-state.'
What else does this quotation tell you about
Miller’s attitude to religion and the Devil?
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Power
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Quotations
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Directing Abigail
Imagine you are the director of The Crucible. The actress
playing Abigail is in your charge. What will you need to tell her?
What do I
need to wear?
How should I
hold myself
and move?
What are my
key lines and
scenes?
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How should
my key lines
be delivered?
How should I
talk to the other
characters?
What props
do I need?
What else do I
need?
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Abigail
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Vocabulary
Learn the meanings of three more words in Act One.
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Act One questions
1. From your reading of Act One, what would seem to
be the major themes of the play?
2. Should a director choose to add to the play,
recreating the scene where the girls dance in the
forest? If yes, how and why should this be done?
3. How could the stage set contribute to the sense of
claustrophobia apparent in this first act?
4. What seems to you to be the high point of tension, or
climax, of this act? How might you stage this to
develop the tension?
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