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Name________________________________
Littell
English___________ Block_______________
Date_________________________________
The Crucible Reading Packet
Directions: Complete the following informational items and analysis of the play as we read. At
the end of each act, flip through and fill-in the appropriate columns. This packet should be
complete by the following class after finishing the play.
I. The Crucible Introduction & Context
A. The Crucible is a study on how intolerance and hysteria can intersect and tear a
community apart.
Keep these two ideas in mind as you read, listen, and view The Crucible.
B. Who would have been the instigator of witchcraft?
C. Old grudges and jealousies spilled out into the open, fueling the atmosphere of hysteria.
Within a few weeks, dozens of people were in jail on charges of witchcraft. By the time
the fever had run its course, in late August 1692, nineteen people (and two dogs) had
been convicted and hanged for witchcraft.
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II. The Crucible Characters and Creating Symbolism
Directions: Using the chart below, list the character’s qualities at the beginning and then list
how the character changed his qualities at the conclusion. Then choose an image, which you
feel is symbolic of that character. You will need to defend this at a later date.
Character
John Proctor
Elizabeth Proctor
Reverend Hale
Rebecca Nurse
Giles Corey
Qualities – Beginning
Qualities – Conclusion
Symbol
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III. The Crucible Themes
Themes provide the reader with some significant insight into life or human nature and can
generally be paraphrased I a sentence or two.
Directions: Choose five of the following themes. As you read, find scenes from each act that
portray that theme. Write down key words of the scene and cite the page numbers in each box.
See the chart on the following page.
1. False charges harm the accuser as much as the accused.
2. Those who claim to speak for God are often furthering their own ambitions.
3. People are willing to believe outrageous lies when those lies serve their interests.
4. The evils of jealousy, greed, and ambition can be more powerfully destructive than any
supernatural evils.
5. Those who are the most judgmental are those with the most to hide.
6. Resistance to injustice carries its own reward.
7. Faced with extraordinary situations, even the most ordinary people are capable of great
deeds.
8. A thing is not true simply because a large number of people believe in it.
9. Passive acceptance of injustice may be the greatest evil of all.
10. When one conceals one’s sins, one leaves one’s self vulnerable to one’s enemies.
11. Law and justice are not the same thing.
12. It is better to sacrifice one’s life than one’s principles.
13. Unselfish love can redeem people.
14. Those who seem outwardly holy may be inwardly evil.
15. Placed in the right circumstances, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
16. Jealousy can destroy lives.
17. It is better to die honorably than live dishonorably.
18. Men can insulate themselves from truth and rationality by a chauvinistic confidence in
their own judgment.
19. Long-suffering may instruct that moral integrity, human dignity, and spiritual freedom are
of more virtue than life without them.
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Theme Chosen
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Four
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IV. The Crucible Conflict
External Conflict: List three external conflicts. Choose two of them and write one sentence
outlining the conflict. Also summarize one scene that highlights this conflict. Cite its page
number.
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
Conflict #
Summarize
Scene
Citation
(from above)
Internal Conflict (internal debates): Write down different questions that each of these
characters wrestles with. Find at least two per character.
John Proctor
V. The Crucible Stage Directions
Elizabeth Proctor
Reverend Hale
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All conventional dramas contain some kind of stage directions. Arthur Miller’s stage directions,
however, have a symbolic significance that extends beyond the practical.
In The Crucible, the ways in which Miller describes the placement of props and comments on
the movement of individual characters are particularly complex. Miller also uses the stage
directions to insert long commentaries on historical, political, and social background. These are
unusual because they are not spoken or shown on stage through props or sets.
Why would Miller include these commentaries then for a drama?
Directions: Fill in an example of the characters and what stage directions Miller gives each of
them.
CHARACTER
STAGE DIRECTIONS
Act One
Reverend Parris
Abigail Williams
Reverend Hale
John Proctor
Giles Corey
Elizabeth Proctor
Act Two
Act Three
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VI. The Crucible Motivations
Each of the characters is motivated to either accuse or defend others and themselves
throughout the play. Complete the chart below, explaining the real reasons for each character’s
actions. Include a descriptive phrase in your own words and a quote including page number
taken directly from the play.
Motivation
Descriptive Phrase
Memorable Quote
Reverend Parris
Abigail Williams
Reverend Hale
John Proctor
Giles Corey
Putnams
VII. End Question: Answer in complete sentences. This should go onto the back and be a
minimum of two paragraphs.
In what ways has John Proctor found “his goodness”? What does that mean to him, to his
wife, and to you? (yes, in the to you portion, you may use first person pronouns)