More handpicked essays just for you.
Two characters from Arthur Miller's the Crucible
Discuss the crucible play by arthur miller
The crucible arthur miller sparknotes tragic heroes essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Micro themes: The Crucible The word "crucible" signifies a ceramic container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures or a place of severe test or trial. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, each element; whether it be a person, place or thing, is exposed to the form or is involved with a different crucible. A crucible, tests each individual across the village determining their breaking point. By one's actions, it shows their true character, and how much they are capable of. Throughout the piece, the entire community of Salem has been effected by a crucible. This tension is quickly created when accusations and confessions are made throughout the drama. This can be seen, when Mr. Parris …show more content…
makes these accusations towards his niece, Abigail. Parris accuses her of dishonoring him, and ruining his reputation, as he begins to make a series of more accusations towards his fellow members. This soon sparks some heat between the other men in the room and Giles Corey, John Proctor and Thomas Putnam soon join in and they all begin creating a chorus of indictments, even before Reverend Hale arrives in the civilization. The whole system of the witch trials is based upon accusations and false confessions which soon result in justice for the later court proceedings. These accusations soon become so farfetched that event the most innocent become accused such as, Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse. This tension soon rises throughout Salem, when people's own selfishness gets in the way of who they really are. This leads them to quickly accuse others in hopes of keeping their reputations and saving themselves. Those individuals who are accused must face the difficult task of death, spending time in jail, lying in front of others or to God, loosing themselves or even admitting to false accusations in hopes of saving their names. Through each person's trial, they require some faith in themselves, which is represented by the character John Proctor. Through his final hours, he spends his life in his own personal crucible. Procter declares to a confession of his own, when he admits to an affair with Abigail, which is triumphed over the witchcraft accusations against him. By Procter's courageous decision, it closes the play when he chooses to die rather to admit to a sin he did not commit. He has overcome his crucible and has changed his name resulting in a final victory over his true identity. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller examines the theme of fear and demonstrates how it is used to silence the opposition and force others into accepting to false testimony. As seen in the witch trials, fear is used as a source of power to control ones enemies. In this play Abigail and the other young girls use this as a weapon to their advantage to avoid their own apprehensions of punishment. It is because of fear, that leads us to put our blame upon others. Each individual has their own supply of fears due to a person's character and situation. Miller uses hysteria to widen the implication of fear by creating the character of Abigail. She is seen as a very controlling character who has the authority to manipulate the other girls in the village and out of fear, the other girls obey her orders. She is able to try and turn the town into her own personal game, to supply her own benefits. In the story we see this portrayed through the affair with Abigail and John Proctor. Out of fear of Elizabeth Proctor getting in the way, Abigail does the best to her abilities to try and get rid of her, providing a easier way to get to John. Fear, is the main motivating source for this story. The accuser, in these cases are often times holy. Although their actions may show their harshness, it is frequently because of human nature that drives them to place their mistakes upon others to resist the guilt. We are able to be quickly swept by fear when our panic button is pushed, which leads us to consequences we would not otherwise have chosen. In this circumstance, fear is able to overpower courage. In hopes of staying out of trouble and to fit the communities standards, a person may accept to flawed accusations in swift anticipation to get out of that consequence. Miller allows courage to be able to be overrun by fear, in representation of our human weaknesses. We allow the world and others to persuade our individualities in desire for acceptance or a life to live in this story. It is because of our fears that limits us for seeing our true character and reaching our highest potential. One of the most extraordinary of The Crucible, is Miller's choice for the language spoken in the dialogues of the characters.
Language is considered to be one of the most powerful ways to define a time, a place, a social standing, an occupation or even a character. In Miller's play, the language the characters speak is specifically chosen and is able to give us a feeling for the emotional intensity of each of the character's conflict towards one another. The language appointed, is able to show abstract ideas which emerge from that conflict by supplying us with the insights into all of the character's personalities and the values of their dialogue. This language or words chosen to be spoken between each other, leads to further rumor and gossip. Within the town of Salem, many accusations are made, calling people out as witches. Instead of standing up for their beliefs and what they truly value as a being, they quickly choose to believe this gossip because no one has the courage to demand the proof. In this story, proof is the most required, yet it is a limited supply in this town. These individuals don't choose to search and make the effort to find the proof, rather they would appreciate it to be given to them. The evidence is there, but it must be a desired search to be able to be found. The only proof found, is that of which to support a person's bias. Judge Danforth is a character represented as power and authority. He presides over the town of Salem's witch …show more content…
trials. He is a highly selfish character who strongly believes in his position of authority and will never admit to anyone that he could ever make a mistake. Danforth enters the town with a confirmation bias, witches. In the previous locations he has been in, his opinion has been altered and he was "witnessed" the true fault of witches. This resulted in being his mindset for the whole play. He acts well above, the rest of the town and his position and given power influences his attitude. His desires for a city on a hill, leads him for a strive of perfection and push for flawlessness. Words can be a powerful tool, but it is depended upon who's listening. The choice of one's language combined with power, is able to convict and accuse with no doubt. This is represented in the character of Danforth. Located within community, the villagers reply upon the high powers of law and justice to preserve them. When the protectors of the law misuse this power, it results in tragedy upon the civilization. The impolite actions seen by Judge Danforth, who is the voice over this authority of the town, leads to the calamity of social disruption in Salem, accompanied by the breakdown in the communal agreement. Because of his strong intelligence, and a form of fear he instils in the townspeople, his language is easily believable which leads to the many hangings of innocent people. In the story The Crucible, Miller seeks to illustrate the importance of one's name within the community of Salem.
An individuals name is a parallel to one's reputation, as it is represented as a permanent picture of one's true self and identity in the town. A person's name becomes significantly important during a time when false accusations and "finger pointing" are easily brought to other's ends. Earlier in this story, the character John Procter, is able to observe the preservation of his reputation as a necessity above everything else. To Proctor, a name is able to last a lifetime. He has a strong belief and is willing to stand against anything that would change or challenge the purity of his own name. This can be seen in the fourth and final act when Proctor is not even close to be inclined to offer vital information towards the court representatives. This is a powerful event because it is when Proctor truly realizes that a name is only as pure as the soul it represents. In his final hours he is faced with the difficult decision of choosing his soul over his name, in the end, resulting only one taking priority. A name can be seen as a representation of one's history. By the way a person decides to behave and act reflects upon their name. Each individual leaves a different effect upon each other which can either leave a good or bad feeling. How a person is seen through the eyes of other's can mean the world to someone in a result of them dying for their name.
If their name is worth dying for, depends completely upon the individual. One's reputation reflects upon who there are as a human being, and who they will always be remembered as. A reputation also is able to make up who a person is as a whole, and who they are able to become. A person's reputation can be persuaded on language and fear having multiple people see them in different ways. An individual's name is one of the most central parts of this play. Their name is a precious part of them that can never be taken away and is demonstrated throughout the town. This can be seen when John Proctor cried, "Because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life. Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!!" This quote is one of the most important in the story of The Crucible. It demonstrates how reputation was such an extreme importance in the town of Salem, where both private and public mortality was considered the same.
¨I have known her, sir. I have known her.¨ A crucible is a test or severe trial, and no trial is more severe than that of a man’s soul. The entire story of Salem is ridden with tests of character and the humanity of the citizens as they respond to the mass hysteria created by someone crying witch. Every single character in this play is given a trial through which they must come to achieve their greater purpose, and these trials expose the skeletons in their closets and the blackness of their sins. However, the similar message is presented in different ways by the cinematic portrayal and Miller’s original play. Lies, unsubstantiated accusations, jealousy, and self-righteousness are the main factors fueling the flame of deceit and hatred. John
John Proctor has pride in his beliefs and in himself. He is always trying to stand up for those innocent people who are being accused of witchcraft and being hung. He has good morals and keeps on telling the truth to the people who are lying. These are the reasons why he has built himself up a good name. When people think of John Proctor, they will think of his good deeds and morals. This could be a main reason why he just cannot give up his name. “[With a cry of his soul.] Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I like and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(The Crucible Act IV) In this example John had confessed his sin and the Judges want to hang his sin on the church doors for everyone to see. John knows that people like and think highly of him so he knows that that cannot happen! There are two other characters in this story that also have pride in themselves and cannot have their names taken away
Danforth and Hale are involved in an argument over the Salem witch trials now that the court is now in session. Danforth gets angered and fiercely tries to imply (without proof) that the “fear” in the county is being caused by the witches and nothing more. According to Danforth, the goal of the witches is to overthrow the belief of Christ in Salem. Danforth’s use of words was a combination of all rhetorical devices. Logos was used to structure his argument, the vivid language led to the use of pathos, and lastly ethos was associated with his authority and confidence in yelling out the true “problem” in Salem. Danforth clearly states that he thinks the daughter was the “villain” and in his mind he is the hero for realizing that the use of witchcraft
"A vessel of a very refractory material used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat." "A severe test." "A place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development." All of these definitions lead up to one word. Crucible. Author Miller incorporates this word in his play, The Crucible. The aforementioned definitions play a large part in The Crucible's symbolism, characters, and plot.
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.
Crucible- a severe test, a hard trial or also could be define as a pot for melting metals. A severe trail could be as other then a physical it also could be mentally a severe trial like person verses self. In The Crucible, Miller reflects the theme that pressure can force people from there can force their morals. The characters in The Crucible have morals that they must up hold to be accepted into the town and church. It is a struggle to keep these values when there are moral hazards like desires, greed, hate, and obsession.
with what you feel are the main themes of the play that you want to
What does the word crucible mean? The word crucible means a severe test or trial. Throughout the novel, The Crucible, many of the characters go through their own crucible. These trials have a major or minor impact on the characters life throughout the novel. These trials all come together creating the story based on the calamity in America around 1952, which inspired Arthur Miller to write this well known novel. In the novel, there are many different examples from various characters about life lessons and choices. Although the book and play are very similar they do share many differences.
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is set in Salem village where an atmosphere of enmity and mistrust has been created through the conflicts and disagreements many villagers experience throughout the play. Many of these are caused by or, similar to the conflict between Parris and Proctor, are inflated by the many accusations of witchcraft occurring in the village.
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.
...g! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” The notion that reputation is the most important thing, that having a clean name is what matters most, that it is more important than even life itself, is given to the reader. The idea that John Proctor has given up his soul, his moral principles, his honesty, just to keep his good name is one that is hard to understand in our time but, by this speech, the reader realises the importance accorded to reputation and status.
The Crucible is a play which brings to our attention many timeless issues. The nature of good and evil, power and its corruption, honour and integrity and our tendency to create scapegoats for all manner of problems are all brought up through the course of the play - sometimes in very dramatic fashion.
The Crucible is a play with many underlying messages and themes. One of which is the idea of power. Power is a very important term in this play in that whoever holds the power, holds the fates of others. The hysteria within Salem has directly effected society. Everything has turned upside down and has gotten distorted. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth.
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.