More handpicked essays just for you.
The Crucible Act 2: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The Crucible Act 2: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The Crucible Act 2: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Crucible
The Crucible is a morality play which wrote by famous American playwright—-Author Miller. A crucible is a container that can resist severe heat, or the bottom of an oven used to fuse or calcify metals. It also means a great trial or test. The title of Crucible is a epitome of the Salem Witchcraft. Arthur Miller uses a metaphor of crucible to portray a sorrowful witchcraft which took place in 17th century 's Salem, Massachusetts. Through the three smelting processes: boiling , heated ,and separation, he depicts the whole event from beginning to end. Finally , as the objective of smelting , the true integrity has been separated.
The heat of desire and fear
…show more content…
stimulates the boiling of witchcraft. “Caught in the scandalous act of dancing in the woods, the village girls seek shelter in the superstitions of Salem's establishment, a society of Puritans eager to blame the devil for every misfortune. Invoking the name of Lucifer catapults the girls into a kind of witness protection program. To escape punishment, they need only accuse other people of consorting with the devil — and because the girls' word alone is enough to condemn anyone, no one is safe” (Ringham, http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/04/20/the-crucible-guthrie). Because of the trepidation of being punished, the teen girls in salem village make up a story of devil and witches. The lie goes bigger and bigger, and involves many innocent people. Also, the greedy of Abigail and town's authorities abet the whole event beyond retrieve. The cause of Salem witch trials contains plenty of factors that are desire of love, positions, properties, and the fear of Puritanism. Furthermore, the Puritan background makes the villagers live under the shadow , they have innate willingness to live by religious fear and violence. Not only the greedy of human nature causes the tragedy , but also the ignorant tolerance of these behavior indulge its boiling. If people could over come the superstition and resist it at the very beginning, the famous Salem witch trials would never happen. The intense heat sends fake “good” ore to top , and brings the play to its climax . “We begin to see that what the court wants is the confessions of those who stand accused. It matters not if they are guilty or innocent. It is the authority of the court that cannot be questioned ”(Bannon,http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/crucibleteachnotes.html ) .The arrival of the Boston judges accelerates the play’s progress. However, their ignorant overwhelms the innocent people and force them confess the nonexistent guilt. Actually, the most irony part of play is that the judge Danforth who represents the highest justice force people into confession, and establishes a rule that people who confirm their crimes can be released, but people who claim their innocence from devil would be hang. In order not to be questioned by people, judge Danforth does not release the last twelve innocent people include the true saint , Rebecca Nurse. His blindness heat the crucible and separate him from truly integrity. In contrast, Reverend Hale is the person who is being separated by intense heat from crucible. According to his quote in play: “I denounce these proceeding , I quit this court .”(Miller,846) He can not bear tenebrous court, and declares to leave the court. At the beginning of Act 1, Reverend Perris invents Hale to come Salem to hunt the witches. Despite the confidence and sober at first, Hale becomes passionate and righteous. His biggest wish is to save the lives of innocent victims from tails. His awareness differs him from the fake “good”. True ores are finally smelted from suffering process .
“Finally, John Proctor is faced with the decision to tell the truth, plead his innocence of witchcraft and hang, or to tell a lie and live. Elizabeth Proctor, who tells the only lie of her life in an attempt to save her husband, escapes the hangman because she is pregnant. When John Proctor declares he will plead guilty, Rebecca Nurse, the town's midwife, is brought in from her prison cell to witness his declaration in hopes that she too will also plead guilty. She refuses and is shocked by Proctor's willingness to confess to a lie. When the Judges try to force Proctor to name others and post his confession in public, he refuses because he has confessed to them before God. He admits that his confession is a lie. He is taken to be hanged with the other accused. ”(Bannon,http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/crucibleteachnotes.html) Rebecca insists not confess. She holds her pure soul and die like a saint. Although she suffers, her personality remains. Her decision also influences John Proctor to deny the confession. “You have made your magic now , for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” (Miller,858)As the play goes on, audience can see the change of his personality from selfish to righteous. His scarification ends up the trail. His honest wife and children are his motivations; therefore, he shows the integrity. It is hard …show more content…
for him to make the decision. His testimony separates the truly good from darkness. It also testifies innocency of the people who are hung. The title crucible also illustrates the time of the McCarthy era in 1692.
"It is best known for its double-vision depiction of two periods in American history when hatred and hysteria coalesced to produce devastating consequences: Miller's own era, when the McCarthy hearings turned fear of communism into a shocking betrayal of individual freedom, and the 17th-century witch trials of Salem, Mass, when greed and vindictiveness fanned the flames of religious fervor until they almost destroyed an entire village" (Lavanture,http://www.steppenwolf.org/watchlisten/program-articles/detail.aspx?id=164 ).People accuse each other as committee, the only way to get rid of trail is to accuse others . People live in un-peaceful environment. They can not trust their neighbors and try not to have conflicts with others. Miller's works were considered as an attack on McCarthy, and his name was in the blacklist of federal government .his mission is to let the people aware of the truth and keep their
integrity. In conclusion, the cleanest soul is refine from the crucible. In our daily life, there are many things alike the witchcraft in Salem. The result of insist integrity may not be death, but hurt. According to the crucible , one’s integrity will last forever. Even if the cost is grievous, people should not confess. The society and life are like a big crucible , one should not lost his or her heart ,no matter how much heat there are. Works cited page Caught in the scandalous act of dancing in the woods, the village girls seek shelter in the superstitions of Salem's establishment, a society of Puritans eager to blame the devil for every misfortune. Invoking the name of Lucifer catapults the girls into a kind of witness protection program. To escape punishment, they need only accuse other people of consorting with the devil — and because the girls' word alone is enough to condemn anyone, no one is safe. Ringham, Eric . Apr 20,2015 : In Guthrie's 'Crucible,' the horror lies in human nature http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/04/20/the-crucible-guthrie We begin to see that what the court wants is the confessions of those who stand accused. It matters not if they are guilty or innocent. It is the authority of the court that cannot be questioned. Finally, John Proctor is faced with the decision to tell the truth, plead his innocence of witchcraft and hang, or to tell a lie and live. Elizabeth Proctor, who tells the only lie of her life in an attempt to save her husband, escapes the hangman because she is pregnant. When John Proctor declares he will plead guilty, Rebecca Nurse, the town's midwife, is brought in from her prison cell to witness his declaration in hopes that she too will also plead guilty. She refuses and is shocked by Proctor's willingness to confess to a lie. When the Judges try to force Proctor to name others and post his confession in public, he refuses because he has confessed to them before God. He admits that his confession is a lie. He is taken to be hanged with the other accused. Review: ‘The Crucible’ has plenty of heat but little heart By Barbara M. Bannon Special to The Tribune First Published Feb 20 2015 03:39PM • Last Updated Feb 20 2015 03:39 http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/crucibleteachnotes.html “I denounce these proceeding , I quit this court .” (Miller,846) “You have made your magic now , for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” (Miller,858) "It is best known for its double-vision depiction of two periods in American history when hatred and hysteria coalesced to produce devastating consequences: Miller's own era, when the McCarthy hearings turned fear of communism into a shocking betrayal of individual freedom, and the 17th-century witch trials of Salem, Mass, when greed and vindictiveness fanned the flames of religious fervor until they almost destroyed an entire village." Lavanture, Douglas Fear as governance: Arthur Millers the crucible as contemporary reflection 2007-2008, volume 1 http://www.steppenwolf.org/watchlisten/program-articles/detail.aspx?id=164
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller. This play centers around the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. In Act II, Abigail and her friends accuse several innocent people of witchcraft. Once they leave the court, Reverend Hale goes to John Proctor’s house to inform Elizabeth Proctor that people in the court have mentioned her name. Then officials of the court, Herrick and Cheever, arrive at the Proctor’s house. They claim to have a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest because the court declares she practices witchcraft. After, Herrick and Cheever take Elizabeth to jail. Injustice in Act II prevails because of the inability to see the truth. Reverend Hale and John Proctor illuminate the theme that closed-mindedness
The Crucible is a play that was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where witch trials were held in 1692. Miller is able to combine nonfiction and fiction in order to make this story dramatic and entertaining. A few decades after The Crucible play was published, a movie version was released. There are various differences between the book and the movie version. The movie added various scenes, elaborated on others, as well as omitted some scenes. The movie expressed Arthur Miller’s book in a very dramatic and exaggerated way. It made the reader have a better understanding of some points in the book and emphasized ideas more clearly, such as jealousy and hysteria.
The Crucible is a play in which Arthur Miller parallels events of the Salem witch trials of 1692 to the problems that were plaguing his own society. The statement that most readers today bring out of the play is that history has a way of repeating itself. Miller's play was an extreme hit upon release and won a Tony award. The play is so popular today that many teachers in secondary schools use it to base their lesson around when teaching their students about 1692 Salem and there are multimedia activities based on Salem through The Crucible's view. Miller is often asked to speak at events where similar "witch hunts" occur, acting as a sort of expert on the subject of Puritan Salem and acts of hysteria.
A crucible is a severe test of patients or belief, a trial. The play The Crucible is a journey through the trials of many townspeople caused by the superstitious belief in witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller progresses and evolves the outlooks and views of the townspeople of Salem and shows how events, people, and catastrophes cause the characters to change their views on whether the people prosecuted were guilty or innocent of witchcraft. Reverend John Hale changes his view, more and more drastically as the play advances, as a result of the events that he underwent and the experiences he had. Soon he had a total belief in the innocence of all those convicted and hung in Salem.
A crucible is an extremely difficult experience or situation in which different social forces cause a change in a person. With this in mind, Arthur Miller uses this term to title one of his most famous novels The Crucible. The Crucible portrays events and change in people during The 1692 Salem Witch trials. Essentially, fear motivates the characters to change or become dynamic in order to protect themselves. Dynamic characters influenced by events in The Crucible include John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Reverend Hale.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in American history surrounding the Salem witch trials of the seventeenth century, yet is as much a product of the time in which Arthur Miller wrote it, the early 1950s, as it is description of Puritan society. At that particular time in the 1950s, when Arthur Miller wrote the play the American Senator McCarthy who chaired the ‘House Un-American Activities Committee’ was very conscious of communism and feared its influence in America. It stopped authors’ writings being published in fear of them being socialist sympathisers. Miller was fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and that human beings were capable of such madness. In the 1950s the audience would have seen the play as a parallel between the McCarthy trials and the Salem Trials.
A crucible is a severe test or trial; at one point in their lives everyone is going to be faced with a crucible. When this severe test comes people are often put under a lot of pressure and do unexpected things. During the 1690's many people were put under a test when they were accused of witchcraft and put on trial for it. The test that some people had to undergo can be demonstrated in, The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The characters Paris, Hale and Proctor were all put under pressure and revealed their true colors when they acted under the stress of the situation; Parris entered a power struggle, Proctor stood up for what was right, and Hale’s actions turned into regret.
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
The Crucible is a novel based on the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, written by Arthur Miller. The Crucible demonstrates forbidden temptation between John Proctor and Abigail Williams, honor and dishonor in the town of Salem, ruthless revenge, and the strive for high social status. The narrative style of this play is standard 1950s everyday language. The Crucible is set in a theocratic society of Puritanism in 1692.
The title of the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is appropriate because it refers to various themes that are critically explored throughout the play. A crucible by definition, is a metal or ceramic container or pot in which substances or objects may be melted in. Also, a second definition of a crucible is severe tests or trials. Both these definitions can be applied to the title, The Crucible. The title has a metaphorical meaning which connects it to the play’s conflicts. Some conflicts that are in the play is, witchcraft, hysteria, theocracy, land disputes, blackmailing, and the dangers of scapegoating.
What does the word crucible, mean to you? In fact, crucible has multiple meanings. A play called The Crucible, tells of the Salem witch trials that took place in 1692. Many innocent people died during the trials or admitted to accusations that they truly never committed, just to save their lives. The witch trials were a devastating time for the people of Salem. The play fits the multiple definitions all too well. This essay helps prove that all three of the definitions clearly make the title The Crucible, the perfect name for the play. A pot made of porcelain that can be heated to high temperatures, but not break, a severe test, and a place or situation that influences change or development are the three definitions of the word crucible that fit perfectly with the plot of the play, the major themes, concepts, and characters, making it the ideal title.
Miller also puns on the other meaning of 'a crucible' which is: 'a severe test or trial'; to tie in with the events that take pace in the play- the trials of the accused witches and the extent of the consequences (death by hanging.)
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
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 admit practicing witchcraft in order to save their lives. The Crucible is considered a good play because it is based on real life events during the Salem witch Trials and shows how fear played a role in the individual’s life just like during the “Red” scare.
Arthur Miller cleverly picked the title "The Crucible" for his play about the Salem witch hunts of the 1660's because of the word's many meanings. Throughout the play, Miller has characters face severe tests that make them question their own self. A crucible is also an earthen pot that is used for melting metals. In a way the town of Salem was a crucible as people were brought before the court and blasted with allegations from others as being witches. They were either forced to give in and live a lie or be hanged.