“Storytelling is about two things; it’s about character and plot.” This was a statement made by arguably one of the world’s most important storytellers—Emmy and Academy Award winner, George Lucas. If character and plot are crucial to good storytelling, then Vista should not include either version of Act 2 Scene 2 in the upcoming production of The Crucible. Both renditions of this scene (Arthur Miller's original play and Nicholas Hytner's film adaptation) focus on the character of Abigail Williams in a manner that is harmful to the character and to the plot development. Most of the information introduced is redundant, and the new insight into the character of Abigail could be potentially confusing to the audience. The production will be much stronger …show more content…
Abigail passionately expresses to John how he made her feel as if he “walked [her] through [a fire], and all [her] ignorance was burned away” (Miller 141). Miller’s emphasis on Abigail’s intensely volatile emotions continues to highlight her possible mental instability. The heated language Miller uses makes it a dramatic centerpiece, which puts the focus on her character’s significance and personal turmoil rather than on the overarching narrative. In the film's version of this scene, Winona Ryder forcibly and inappropriately jumps onto Daniel Day-Lewis (00:01:41-00:01:50). Hytner’s focus on Abigail’s lingering desire for John feels redundant and unnecessary. By this point, the film has already conveyed her affection through the prior scene in which Winona Ryder kisses Daniel Day-Lewis and he subsequently rejects her. Both versions of this scene expand on the character of Abigail, minimizing the play’s central theme. Removing this scene would place the audience's focus squarely where it needs to be: on the play's central theme of how societal views can incite mass hysteria and turn people against one
action described is precisely what occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, when the young girls of the town began to show symptoms eerily reminiscent of torment from a witch. Abigail Williams, niece to Mr. Parris, the town’s pastor, had started the hysteria when she accused her servant, Tituba, of bewitching her and several other girls. Abigail also happened to have an affair with a handsome farm owner named John Proctor, for whom she would do anything to be with. She began to sporadically accuse people of
Character Analysis of Abigail Williams in The Crucible “All is fair in love and war” is a saying that has been present for centuries. It suggests that nothing is out of bounds when involving these two vital parts of a person’s mind, and in a war between love and hate, anything is acceptable or fair. The character Abigail Williams from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible gives a whole new meaning to the well-known phrase. By making Abigail a selfish yet mature character, she proves to be more complex, and
Abigail Williams Character Analysis "Truly evil people don't just hurt others, they take pride in the pain they cause and then try to blame their victims." For hundreds of years, evil people blamed their victims and accused them for things that they never did. In the play “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, innocent people in Salem were accused of being witches. Not only were they accused, but burned at the stake, or stoned, in order to appease their accusers. The morale of the story is that people
The Crucible Related to Puritanism During the late 1600’s, Salem, Massachusetts, there was a period of time where a society, known as the Puritans, created a hysteria of witchcraft and other satanic like fears. During this “witch trials” panic, just fewer than twenty people were killed due to the accusations of them being associated with witchcraft. These trials were unjust and there was no real way to determine whether the person was innocent or not, due to the defendant having to either confess
While reading The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, it had presented itself was many possible themes, but the theme that best fits was reputation. In salem one’s reputation is incredibly important, it is how they are presented to the world. John Proctor, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris where the ones that that were most concerned with their reputation in Salem. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams and did everything he could possibly do to keep it a secret, which left an impact on his relationship
Comparing The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Drinking Companion, Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn My drama class was split into four groups and each group was given a selected scene or part from The Crucible to rehearse and act for one piece of coursework. My group was given the end of act four and the ending of the play. I was to play Proctor and had to think hard about how to portray him in the section, as it was a crucial part in the play.* We were given Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn, a play
In any community, the people rely on the power of law and justice to protect them. When the guardians of the law and order misuse their power it brings tragedy upon the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the inappropriate actions of the character of Judge Danforth, the voice of authority of the community leads to the tragedy of social disruption of the town accompanied by breakdown in communal solidarity. Firstly, throughout the play Judge Danforth acts with pride and arrogance. At the commencement
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller in the Early 1950’s. It was written during the “Red scare, when McCarthyism was established. Many anti-communists wanted to prevent communism from spreading just like in The Crucible many wanted to get rid of witchcraft. Many would accuse others of witchcraft in order to not be accused just like many would accuse people of communism. In The Crucible witchcraft would be punishable by death. Many were scared to be accused; therefore many would
the Crucible The reputation of a person is very important to their standing in the community, and especially in a religious community. In the play the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows the importance of social standing by religious beliefs and contemporary social dynamics. Therefore, the play was based off of a historical context, witchcraft, some characters represent as a scapegoat while others act as an antithesis of being a witch to meet the society’s standards. The play, the Crucible was
Abigail Williams has a low reputation in the small village, and can be easily accused for witchcraft, yet she finds a way to avoid this.Abigail uses peoples reputation to her advantage, and accuses many others of witchcraft, taking the attention away from her. During the trials How does Abigail Williams and Danforth demonstrate the value of a “good” reputation in a puritan society? How does it relate to McCarthyism? And how did Abigail use it to her advantage? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail
The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are
The crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is about the Salem witch trials and how people react to hysteria created from the fear of witches. In the play, after hysteria breaks out, the Salem government starts persecute and hang people it believes are witches. This prompts people to start to accusing people of witchcraft. Some people who accuse others of committing witchcraft are Abigail Williams and Thomas Putnam. They do not accuse people of witchcraft to stop witchcraft, but for personal gain or
have been presented over time. Many of them have similar qualities that have made them such strong women. Many women have had great influence over their men and others. In literature and film, there were always female characters that have changed the protagonists’ lives.The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the film The Crucible by Arthur Miller present strong female characters who directly affect the hero’s ultimate redemption presented in the characters of Lady Macbeth, Abigail, and Goody
How might someone put an end to mass hysteria in a situation like the one that unfolds in “The Crucible?” Someone could put an end to the mass hysteria in “The Crucible" by speaking up against the hysteria and being influenced by the community that resides there. Which character or characters in “The Crucible” would be most capable of ending the hysteria? the characters in “The Crucible” that would be most capable of ending the hysteria in Salem are John Proctor, Reverend Hale and Abigail Williams
important to consider how the texts are similar or different. When it comes to classical literature, there are often more similarities than one might think. This is evidenced by the abundant similarities in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Miller’s The Crucible. Despite these many similarities, there are still many differences. The two works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are both highly similar; however, they also bear many differences. One common theme of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter