The most skilful composers will be able to effectively represent the deception which can arise from the ulterior motives behind politics. The indication that political motivations may be ambiguous but control is the ultimate goal, is represented in Author Miller’s play The Crucible and Richard Eyre’s 2006 film, ‘Notes on a Scandal’. Both textual forms are able to demonstrate relationships which revolve around political influences for the motivations of power and control over a desired companion. This, in turn, displays an authoritative status that often comes into concern over the wellbeing of others. Knowledge of the truth has the ability to bind relationships into a manipulative and controlling state with the power to disassemble an individual …show more content…
or even a society. Political motivations in The Crucible are driven by status and reputation throughout Salem in which the main antagonists portray themselves in certain lights in order to gain social power and control.
However these motivations are justified through religious self-righteousness. A form of this corruption is particularly evident in Reverend Parris, the main minister of the village, as his supposedly holy character is stained with a greed for money, reputation and control of the court; “There is either obedience or the church will burn like hell is burning!” Exclamatory dramatic language is seen in the scene of their quarrels over the minister deserving a house to be donated by the community. This emphasises his god-like power as a minister which enables him to control the fate of the church and the fate of the people. “I have Sought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me”, demonstrates a tone of voice which is high in modality to dramatize the importance of status to Paris as he distresses over losing his control in the village. Author miller represents Paris’ continues selfish concerns from the beginning of the play, ever since the possibility of witchcraft came about as he states to Abigail, “Now tell me true, Abigail. And I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministry’s at stake, my ministry and perhaps your cousins life”. Furthermore, the main antagonist Abigail’s threats in Act 1, as Betty became ill and witchcraft was suspected …show more content…
by the townspeople and by Paris, Abigail found a way to protect herself by immediately turning to the control of the girls through fear of her supernatural wrath as she states; “I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”. As Abigail continues to play the role of the victim with the incentive of victimising others, the community was further drove to fear of her control as Hale states towards the end of the trials; “the stink of rotting crops hang everywhere, and no men knows when the harlots cry will end his life”. John’s accurate claim to Hale earlier in the play, as he still refuses to believe the truthfulness of the situation states; “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clear as God’s finger’s?” Author emphasises the absurdity of Abigail’s control and power through the character of John Proctor and the use of rhetorical question which demonstrates his assertiveness in Abigail’s the two dimensional persona. By staging the casualty “she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear” Abigail feeds off the manipulation and control of her successful politics. Abigail and Paris demonstrated an all-encompassing necessity to govern the court and its people at their command by any means necessary. Richard Eyre’s 2006 film Notes on A Scandal is a dramatic adaptation of the 2003 novel ‘Notes on a Scandal’ by Zoe Heller which was created for the purpose of portraying the temptations of feeling superior through controlling and manipulating relationships. It is a drama film which revolves around a veteran high school teacher, Barbara Covett, befriending a younger art teacher, Sheba Hart. With intentions that go well beyond just being friends, Barbara ends up controlling Sheba’s fate once she finds out about her affair with a year ten student, Steven Collony. Barbara had clear motivations that went way beyond a friendship as she intended to create a love affair with Sheba in a perfectly synchronised fantasy evident in the use of high modality as she states to Sheba in the most climatic argument of the film; “I know you! You don’t belong in the world! You belong here!” The voiceover of Barbara’s diary entries encapsulates the audience in her obsession as she establishes for herself a significant status over Sheba evident when she order’s Sheba to end the affair; “End it now! Don’t think. Do!” Her authority enabled her to have the ability to politically control Sheba using her secrets against her. Barbara’s political motivations represent that of Abigail Williams in the light of her obsession to obtain control over John proctor and the catastrophic effect their sinful secret’s had. Barbara’s political motivations are further exposed through the voiceover, as she states “My fury blinded me to this opportunity. Forever in my debt. I could gain everything by doing nothing.” Barbara’s control is founded upon the confidences of Sheba as she states “we are bound by the secrets we share” Her power is established as she states “By the time I took my seat in the gods, the opera was well into its final act” Sheba unknowingly became the victim of Barbara Covett as seen in the shot of Sheba Hart and her husband Richard Hart arguing over the affair scandal. By contrast, the lack of control severely disadvantages an individual, throwing into relief the importance of political control in the motivations of others.
John Proctor’s tragic hero attempts to redeem himself through his individuality and non-conformist attitudes but this resulted also in his death. The thematic representation of the play takes the audience on an extremely tense and frustrating cycle of events that is ultimately pointless and destructive as Danforth claims; “We burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment”. Tension is emphasised in the dramatic techniques such as lighting devices. In Act 1; the darkness represents mystery and dishonesty, as the play progresses into Act 2, there is a weak light symbolising the rise of politics. By Act 3 bright lights stream through the windows, representing confessions and revelations. However, Act 4, begins in darkness then ends in bright light, representing that while Proctor’s resistance of political corruption resulted in his death, he is able to claim a moral victory and this gives the audience a sense of tragic catharsis as they journey with this tragic hero. Such theatrical techniques and representations emphasise the succession of tension throughout the play and the widespread effect of individual politics. The significant characterisation of John Proctor comes into effect as he is made the hero with the fatal flaw of lechery, “It is a whores vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your
hands, I know you must see it now”. His logical and reasonable attitude is represented in his statement “there are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang, have you never thought of that?” Although facing the truth left John’s fate vulnerable to the verdict of a corrupt court, it also emerged a process of suffering to find self-worth as his wife famously claims; “He have his goodness now”. This catastrophic purification of the protagonist John Proctor reveals one of the most drastic effects of the injustice of Salem’s court as its corrupted officials force ‘god’s law’ in the most ungodly manner of control and oppression. When individuals are placed into positions of power, it is inevitable for the individual to think of personal benefit and their own specific agendas. Sheba Hart was a victim of this as she fell to the mercy of Barbara who used her power and wiser status to bind Sheba’s fate into a single secret. The tension and frustration of this relationship is established through repetitiveness of melodramatic elements such as the main soundtrack by Michael Riesman. This was particularly unmistakable throughout the establishing scene and major plot revelations. The representation of this creates a tense and dark tone through the use of string instruments such as the violin to set the appropriate circumstances to match the director’s vision for the movie. Furthermore, the audience is subtly informed of Sheba’s previous “friendship” issues. Richard Eyre’s Mise-on-scene is represented through the establishing shot and concluding scene. A long shot taken of Barbara sitting on a park bench with a salient position in dim lighting as the complete scene uses pathetic fallacy to foreshadow the darkness and sorrow that follows Barbara. This shot forms a motif of the film, as Barbara was on this bench with Sheba when she confessed “people languish for years with partners who are clearly from another planet… takes courage to recognise the real as opposed to the convenient”, this metaphoric expression suggests that they themselves would be a good couple. Barbara also introduces Jennifer Dodd on this bench as Barbara reflects “I once sat here … with Jenifer … this was our haunt …we were quite chummy for a while however she became alarmingly diluted” descriptively hinting to the audience a possible victim before Sheba. Furthermore Barbara meets Annabel for the first time on this bench, in the final scene of the movie as she sets out to deceive a new victim as she states now in a lower modality “I knew her… A sort of absent person … oh but I didn’t know her well” speaking about Sheba’s affair on the headline as if she were the one with a true scandal.
The focus of Miller’s The Crucible is an appalling witch trial that morfs the once-peaceful town of Salem into a cutthroat slaughterhouse. As a lucrative playwright and a not-so-subtle allegory author, Miller is a seasoned wordsmith who addresses people akin to himself, and is not secretive about that information. The Crucible best serves its purpose as a learning device and a social statement, especially at the time of its publishing. Miller‘s piece showcases the appeals in an easy-to-identify manner that is perfect for middle or high school students who are new to the appeals, or for English majors who have no problem pinpointing them, making this play ideal for a classroom setting.
Each act tells the audience more about the characters and gives insight into what others think of them. John’s character is slowly revealed to the audience as the play develops. It is one of Millers devices, which means that Proctor’s character is slowly developed and the audience slowly become more aware of his different sides leading to this climatic moment in Act 4. The play begins with a group of girls practicing witchcraft in the woods. The next morning several of the younger girls fall seriously ill, some are unable to wake.
"Power tends to corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord Action. In "The Crucible" composed by Arthur Miller control, power, fear and greed were the main factors that began the Salem witch trails. Power brings out the true nature of a person and we see that happening to Abigail throughout the play. That brings me to my next point fear, Abigail used the fear of accusing people of being witches to gain power and control. It all started with Abigail misunderstanding lust for love. John Proctor thought softly of her and she began dreaming of replacing his wife willing to go to any needs necessary.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows how authority is a characteristic that can easily become a problem throughout a society. Many subjects were addressed in The Crucible such as guilt, hypocrisy, justice, hysteria, and courage. However, the most important subject throughout the play would be the nature of authority. There is a fine line between the concept of having authority and having power. In the book, the authority weakened and led to the antagonist Abigail Williams leading the law as opposed to the law leading Abigail Williams. At the instant that Abigail was granted authority over the townspeople she acted on it in order to have power. Not only is there power that comes with authority, but there is also responsibility which was demonstrated
A lie can protect the integrity of someone when the truth is nowhere to be found. A lie becomes one 's reality when all hope is lost. Lies can protect bare emotions or embrace one 's false accusations, however once said the truth no longer exists. Spoken with words or depicted by actions, lies evolve from innate feelings within and conspire individuals to act in detrimental ways. The propensity of individuals to lie within the Puritan Society develops from the fear of not fitting within the standards and expectations a Puritan is expected to have. While a lie is a considered a vast sin in the Puritan community, many rely on this sin to covert other ones previously made. In Arthur Miller 's tragic play The Crucible,
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
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.
Life as a human is dictated by an inborn hunger or purpose, and people, in general, will act on this hunger for their own personal gain in their individual ways. This hunger, be it for wealth, land, love, power, revenge, or pride, can, and will be the undoing or failing of all mankind as Miller so clearly points out in his play 'The Crucible';. This essay will explore the motives of characters within the play and even the motives of Arthur Miller himself and therefore show how conflict stems from certain recognisable human failings including those mentioned above, fear, and hysteria.
The issues of power, that Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, portrays are concerned with, who has the power, the shifts of power that take place and how power can consume people and try to abuse it, for either vengeance, jealously, material gain or sexual desire.
Also important to the play is how Arthur Miller depicts how one selfish, evil person like Abigail Williams can bring others down and make others follow her to commit evil acts. These evil acts affect even the most honest people in the town like John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse who cannot fight the accusations made against them by those following Abigail. Those following Abigail are considered to be holy men that are full of honesty and justice, but the play shows that even those who are thought to be respectable and right, like people of government or community leaders can bring death to innocent people if they are driven by something wrong. II. Plot: The plot begins with the inciting incident where Rev. Parris finds his niece Abigail Williams and his daughter Betty along with his slave Tituba doing some dance in the forest.
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court
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 witchcraft trials became a significant event in Salem. There were 20 innocent people that died and many more accused. There is a debate on whether who was the main reason for the witchcraft trials and all the deaths of the accused. There are good arguments on about every side. Judge Danforth, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren are all the main arguments for the blame. Personally, I believe that Abigail Williams is the main reason why the witchcraft trials came about and that so many people have died and were accused.
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 desire for power and authority has always been a part of the human nature. Today’s society most often use power to dominate one another and fulfill one’s personal intentions, which can affect other people in many ways. Having power and authority is truly gratifying but it is terrifying if abused and used for selfish acts. The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an example to illustrate the consequences of abuse of power. The characters Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris use their power over society by manipulating people and using their authority to fulfill their personal intentions, like material gain, vengeance, maintaining social status and reputation, and attention, which eventually lead into a mass hysteria.