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Character study of the crucible
The crucible character analysis essay
The crucible character analysis essay
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The Word Name and Its Significance in Arthur Miller's The Crucible In 'the crucible' Abigail Williams, Samuel Parris and John Proctor all mention the importance of their name. In this essay I am going to take each character in turn and point put parts in the play where they mention the importance of their name and explain it. Everyone in this world has some sort of name that they go by, whether it be their real name or a nickname. Most people's names are placed under a category which is usually good or bad. Have you ever heard that phrase " that name sounds familiar? Most people like their name to be remembered in a good way by being a hero or just by being good. John Proctor exemplifies the importance of a strong name through his actions and choices throughout the play; most significantly the fourth act when he chose death over disgracing his name. John Proctor is a farmer in Salem and a husband and father of three. Family life and friendship is very important to John Proctor. He quoted ' Because it is my name…. I lie and sign myself to lies… I have given you my soul; leave me my name'. This tells us that he doesn't want his name being ruined and is concerned about his children growing up with a bad reputation because of him. He has very strong belief's that if his name is blackened there is no reason to live. John Proctor also chose to die because he could not double cross his friends, the fact that he has three children, John could not raise his children to walk like men in the world if he himself was not a true man. Therefore for the sake of his name, reputation and his children. John's decision to die is the right one. ... ... middle of paper ... ...evil. She manipulates throughout the play and in the court she carries on manipulating even after Mary Warren confesses. In the play she says 'My name is good in the village - I will not have it said my name is soiled'. This shows she does care about her name. When she realises she has power she doesn't care about her name. She really loves John but hates Elizabeth and wants to get rid of her so she can be Proctor's wife. Her jealousy of Elizabeth is so strong she accuses Elizabeth of conducting with the devil. When John hears about this he feels much stronger towards Elizabeth and doesn't want anything to do with Abigail ever again. I think Abigail Williams is a very strong-minded and spiteful girl who manipulates all the time and thinks she can do anything and get away with it because she is Parris's niece.
The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty? After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded, a total of 20 people were hanged, all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
Fear holds a great control over any mortal human-being through daunting and restricted words, most commonly seen while anyone is under pressure. While being controlled over fear, you may come to realize that you are being manipulated to the possibilities of a threatened punishment and may also be mislead by lies. Arthur Miller’s classic novel, The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where a lot of times fear would be used to control anyone to blame another of witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller elucidates this through Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Mary Warren, that fear holds a great torment on the truth.
Although a strict society composed of high morality and disciplinary laws may be necessary for safety, it causes internal conflicts within the individuals. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a theocracy in Salem rules and guides the citizens into doing what is “right”, but eventually backfires due to issues of reputation and jealousy. Society has a lot of influence on the citizens, and with a bad reputation, it is nearly impossible to live in a Puritan society. Salem’s strict Puritanical social structure causes personal struggles for the individuals involved in the events of The Crucible, and then eventually these personal struggles affect the society overall.
'A container in which metals are heated, involving a change. A severe test or trial.';
Persecution has been a round for sometime and can be traced historically from the time of Jesus to the present time. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith in the hands of the Jews. Many Christians have been persecuted in history for their allegiance to Christ and forced to denounce Christ and others have been persecuted for failing to follow the laws of the land. The act of persecution is on the basis of religion, gender, race, differing beliefs and sex orientation. Persecution is a cruel and inhumane act that should not be supported since people are tortured to death. In the crucible, people were persecuted because of alleged witchcraft.
When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.
A group of teenage girls were secretly dancing in the woods with a black slave, named Tituba. When they were discovered of what they were doing, the girls started accusing certain individuals in the village of dealing with witchcraft. Within a blink of an eye, the entire village is controlled by a devil that exists within the fear of each person. A drama of suspense and impact, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, explores through the individuals' vengeance, fear, reputation, and quest for power.
"I lie and sign myself to lies! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" (Miller 133)
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.
When analyzing literature from an archetypal perspective, one does not simply look at the character’s behavior in that literary piece. Rather, when using the archetypal theory, one connects the traits and actions of the characters in the literary work, the settings, the surroundings, and the situations to a familiar type of literary character. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the characters Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Hale exhibit common archetypal behavior and fit into a certain archetypal figure.
American theatre. One of his most famous pieces was The Crucible, a play portraying the Salem
What really is the meaning of a good name? A good name is a respected opinion that people have of someone or something. Having a good name is a major theme in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. In Salem, accusations of witchcraft are spiraling out of control. As a result people are accusing their friends and neighbors, and the townspeople are forced to protect their reputations. Arthur Miller shows the meaning of a good name through the characters John Proctor, Reverend Parris, and Abigail Williams.
soliloquies. He does say himself ‘I am not what I am’ so does this not