The Crucible Background Allegory Characters Timeline Language Power

The Crucible Background Allegory Characters, Timeline, Language, Power

The Salem Witch Trials What do you know about them?

“The Crucible” based on real events Miller based “The Crucible” on actual historical events: • These took place in Salem, in the province of Massachusetts, in 1692. • A small puritan community lived in Salem. – (nb a “theocracy” – no separation between church and state) • All the main characters are based on real historical figures. – (John and Elizabeth Proctor; Rev Samuel Parris; Rev John Hale; Abigail Williams)

Main Events in Salem in 1691 -2 • A number of young girls, led initially by Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, started a series of claims of witchcraft against adults. These were believed by others to be true. • All the trials were instigated by an accusation made against a suspect. Specially convened courts investigated. • This resulted in around 150 imprisonments, 19 hangings and one death by pressing.

Why do you think it happened? • Puritans had to struggle hard to survive, and were fearful of “Satan” and witches • convicts encouraged it, because the property of a witch was taken and sold at public auction • position of women in the community was very powerless

Act 1 Plot • Revered Parris prays beside the bed of Betty, his daughter, who some sort of trance. We learn from Abigail that the girls have been dancing (naked) in the woods. Ann and Thomas Putnam arrive and claim that it is witchcraft. Abigail warns the other girls to agree to a story to avoid the accusation of witchcraft. • Abigail’s affair with John Proctor is revealed • Betty cries out, hearing the name Jesus sung • Rebecca Nurse warns everyone not to be frightened into believing claims of witchcraft • Reverend Hale arrives and questions Betty and Abigail and appears suspicious. Abigail stages a denouncement of women whom she claims she has seen with the Devil and the other girls join in.

Timeline The Crucible takes place between the spring and autumn of 1692. It is in four acts, each of which is really a long scene focusing on one key moment. Each is set in a different location. Act Date Setting One Spring 1692 The upstairs bedroom in Reverend Parris’s house Two Eight days later The living room of John Proctor’s house Three Some weeks later (in summer) The vestry room of the Salem meeting house (now used as part of the court for the trial) Four The fall (autumn) The jail in Salem

Characters Main Characters Supporting Characters Minor Characters John Proctor Thomas Putnam Betty Parris Elizabeth Proctor Ann Putnam Tituba Reverend Samuel Parris Rebecca Nurse Mercy Lewis Reverend John Hale Mary Warren Susanna Walcott Abigail Williams Giles Corey Francis Nurse Judge Hathorne Marshall Herrick Deputy Governor Danforth Hopkins Ezekiel Cheever Sarah Good Main characters – central to the story of the play are to some extend developed to have conflicting feelings and motives, and to face moral and spiritual dilemmas. Supporting characters – have similar conflicting motivations and also face dilemmas, but these are explored with less depth and have less impact to the play. Minor characters have smaller parts to play in the drama.

Characters

Characters Find evidence (quotes) from the early stages of the play that illustrate the qualities of: • Parris (harsh, unpleasant, fearful, bitter) • Abigail (manipulative, lustful) • Proctor (straight talking, honest, …. )

Act Two: Plot • Watch Act Two (BBC 1980 – from 38 mins 55)

Act Two: Plot • Either mind map or bullet point the main events in Act Two

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair • There are now active witch trials in Salem. Mary arrives from court, and gives a poppet to Elizabeth.

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair • There are now active witch trials in Salem. Mary arrives from court, and gives a poppet to Elizabeth. • Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about their knowledge of the scriptures and attendance at church. Elizabeth is named as a suspect.

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair • There are now active witch trials in Salem. Mary arrives from court, and gives a poppet to Elizabeth. • Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about their knowledge of the scriptures and attendance at church. Elizabeth is named as a suspect. • Giles Corey and Francis Nurse report their wives’ arrests.

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair • There are now active witch trials in Salem. Mary arrives from court, and gives a poppet to Elizabeth. • Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about their knowledge of the scriptures and attendance at church. Elizabeth is named as a suspect. • Giles Corey and Francis Nurse report their wives’ arrests. • Cheever arrives with a warrant – John tears it up.

Act Two: Plot • John and Elizabeth argue about the affair • There are now active witch trials in Salem. Mary arrives from court, and gives a poppet to Elizabeth. • Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about their knowledge of the scriptures and attendance at church. Elizabeth is named as a suspect. • Giles Corey and Francis Nurse report their wives’ arrests. • Cheever arrives with a warrant – John tears it up. • Elizabeth is taken away. Proctor leads Giles and Francis in a vow to fight the growing madness.

Act Two: Questions 1 -10 1) How much time has passed since the end of Act One? 2) Describe what Elizabeth is doing, off-stage, when John comes home. 3) Why does John put extra salt in the stew? 4) What has John been doing during the day? 5) How does John mean to 'please' Elizabeth? 6) What was Mary Warren's explanation for leaving the house and going into Salem that day? 7) Why does Elizabeth think that John should go to Ezekiel Cheever? 8) What makes her suspicious about John's behaviour? 9) Why does John regret that he told Elizabeth about his affair with Abigail? 10) What news does Mary Warren bring from town?

Act Two: Questions 11 -18 • 11) What had Mary Warren to do with the accusing of Goody Osburn? • 12) What makes the Reverend Hale suspicious that John and Elizabeth are not good Christians? • 13) John cannot remember the commandment about adultery. Explain the stage direction 'as though a secret arrow had pained his heart'. • 14) What is Hale's reaction when John tells him that Abigail and the girls had 'naught to do with witchcraft'. • 15) What is Ezekiel Cheever's task on this particular night? • 16) What happened to Abigail while she was at dinner? • 17) What is Mary's explanation for the poppet having a needle stuck in it? • 18) What does Proctor particularly object to about the way the women are arrested and held?

The End of Act 2 At this point in the play there is a great deal of confusion. The only characters in the play who realise what is actually happening are the Proctors and Abigail. This is highly ironic as Abigail is now thinking of a way to hurt Elizabeth. The other characters are involved but confusion reigns: -Hale is confused by the Proctor's seemingly good nature and still believes the girls are telling the truth. - The Putnams are exploiting the confusion in order to settle old scores. -The judges firmly believe in the testimony of the girls and have allowed themselves to be tricked. -The townsfolk are divided between wanting to stop the arrests and fearing the power of the court and the church. -Mary Warren is so confused as to believe she is actually doing good work in the court.

Quotations Finish adding to your quotations on the main characters: Main characters Reverend Samuel Parris Abigail Williams John Proctor Elizabeth Proctor Reverend John Hale

Act 3 Watch Act 3 (Act 3 is located at 1 hour 19 minutes into the play. ) The film is located in: -> Managed Apps; Media; English; Curricular; The Crucible 1980; The Crucible BBC 1980 There is a fault in the BBC production at the foot of p 79. Pick this up in the audio dramatization at 1 hour 12 mins until 1 hour 21 (page 87) when Abigail ‘feels’ the cold wind.

Act 3 1. Describe what the audience sees and hears when the scene begins. 2. Why have Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to intervene in the court proceedings? 3. Why has John Proctor brought Mary Warren in the court? 4. What is Parris’ opinion of John Proctor’s actions? 5. How does Mary Warren explain her behaviour and that of Abigail and the other girls? 6. What does Proctor say is his reason for coming to the court?

Dramatic Irony This occurs when the audience knows more than one or several of the characters onstage, a condition which pushes audience attention onto the future because it creates anticipation about what is going to happen when the truth comes out. This anticipation is known as ironic tension and it is bracketed by a scene or moment of revelation (the moment the audience is given information of which a character is unaware) and recognition (when the character discovers what the audience has already known).

Dramatic Irony continued Dramatic irony comes in two flavours - suspense, which can be used to inspire fear in the audience, and - comic, in which a misunderstanding is ‘milked’ to produce humour.

Act 3 continued Abigail In Act 3, the audience expect Elizabeth to tell the truth about John Proctor’s affair with Abigail, because we know she is an honest and good Christian woman. However, she does the opposite and lies to save her husband’s good name. Hale is described as ‘sensible man’ by John Proctor, yet he is responsible for the hysteria and madness that follows his investigations.

The Language of the Play • The language spoken by the characters in the play is intended to give us the feeling of a society which is different from ours in time and manners.

The Language of the Play

The Language of the Play Miller uses double negatives and inverted sentence structures in his version of the language. John Proctor says, “I never said no such thing” (p. 25), [double negative] Giles Corey tells Danforth , “I will not give you no name” (p. 78) [double negative] also “I never saw no spirits. ” In Act IV, Danforth tells Elizabeth, “we come not for your life” (p. 105) [inverted sentence structure] In this way, Miller’s use of Latinate grammatical forms emphasises the ideas of denial and innocence in the play. In Latin, the verb usually comes at the end of the sentence: e. g. “Up the stairs she climbed. ” If the word order in The Crucible is unusual, it is because we have now moved away from this way of constructing sentences.

The Language of the Play • The vocabulary and syntax given to characters in the play are highly dependent on the language of the King James (‘Authorised’) version of the bible.

The Language of the Play • Elizabeth describes the effect of Abigail with an image from the Old Testament: “Abigail brings the other girls into court, and where she walks, the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. ”

Language

Act 3 Plot - Can you finish the sentences? • Mary Corey defends herself against accusations of being a witch made by. . . . Giles Corey claims that they are making false claims in order to. . . . • Francis Nurse claims that the girls testimonies are. . . . • John Proctor brings. . . . into court. • Proctor submits a document signed by. . . . . , testifying to the good names of . . . . • Corey is arrested because. . . . . to support his claim that the Putnams’ daughter is crying false witness. • Hale begins to doubt the truth of the accusations, and urges Danforth to listen to Mary Warren’s deposition. Danforth. . . . • Cheever brings Abigail and the other girls in from the court. Hathorne suggests that Mary. . . but she cannot. • Proctor admits his. . . . . and so Danforth orders Parris to fetch. . . . . If Elisabeth admits to knowing of the. . . . . , then Danforth will charge. . . .

Act 3 Plot - Can you finish the sentences? • Martha Corey defends herself against accusations of being a witch made by the Putnams. Giles Corey claims that they are making false claims in order to gain land. • Francis Nurse claims that the girls testimonies are all false. • John Proctor brings Mary Warren into court. • Proctor submits a document signed by 91 citizens, testifying to the good names of the condemned women. • Corey is arrested because he won’t reveal a witness to support his claim that the Putnams’ daughter is crying false witness. • Hale begins to doubt the truth of the accusations, and urges Danforth to listen to Mary Warren’s deposition. Danforth questions her. • Cheever brings Abigail and the other girls in from the court. Hathorne suggests that Mary pretend to faint as she had done before, but she cannot. • Proctor admits his affair with Abigail, and so Danforth orders Parris to fetch Elizabeth. If Elizabeth admits to knowing of the affair, then Danforth will charge Abigail.

Act 3 Plot - Can you finish the sentences? • Elizabeth is questioned with her back toward Proctor so they cannot communicate. Trying to protect his. . . . . , she says. . . • Abigail, then the other girls, pretend. . . . . Mary Warren begs the adults to see that. . . . • . . . accuses Proctor of being the Devil’s man. • . . . quits the court in disgust.

Act 3 Plot - Can you finish the sentences? • Elizabeth is questioned with her back toward Proctor so they cannot communicate. Trying to protect his reputation, she says her husband never had an affair. • Abigail, then the other girls, pretend to see demons and visions. Mary Warren begs the adults to see that the girls are lying. • Mary accuses Proctor of being the Devil’s man. • Hale quits the court in disgust.

Act 3 – twisted logic The first lines of the act are a seemingly simple exchange: HATHORNE’S VOICE: Now Martha Corey, there is abundant evidence in our hands to show that you have given yourself to the reading of fortunes. Do you deny it? MARTHA COREY’S VOICE: I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is. HATHORNE’S VOICE: How do you know, then, that you are not a witch?

Act 3 – What is wrong here? The first lines of the act are a seemingly simple exchange: HATHORNE’S VOICE: Now Martha Corey, there is abundant evidence in our hands to show that you have given yourself to the reading of fortunes. Do you deny it? MARTHA COREY’S VOICE: I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is. HATHORNE’S VOICE: How do you know, then, that you are not a witch? Miller is presenting us with an example of the kind of twisted logic that confused many simple women in Salem into confessing things that were untrue. It is the sort of reasoning that is used to trap people, not to discover the truth.

Act 3 twisted logic? Danforth’s speech on page 90 is an example of how the prosecutors used twisted logic to ensure that the accused did not have a fair hearing. Danforth argues that using witchcraft is an ‘invisible’ crime: the witch will not confess, so the only admissible evidence can come from the victims. That is more or less the same as saying that the court will only listen to one side of every argument. Furthermore, the court is ‘most eager for all their confessions’ so it is keen to find witches rather than keep an open mind and search for the truth. Stage Directions Notice how Miller’s detailed directions for actions create dramatic moments. Here, young girls on the verge of being shown to be frauds utterly take control from serious, senior judges, sweeping away their authority with hysterical play acting.

Why is Act 3 important? We are shown how the trials are damaging the Salem community, and old feuds are coming to the fore The judges are reluctant to admit they could have been mistaken about the girls We see fear and confusion everywhere are nobody is safe. We can see Reverend Hale’s growing doubts about the trials.

Why is Act 3 important? Miller sets up several moments in Act Three when we think Danforth might come to see that the witch hunt is based on lies. Identify these. Say what happens that allows the trials to continue. KEY QUOTATION Do you know, Mr Proctor, that the entire contention of the state in these trials is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children? (Danforth, p 81)

Building dramatic tension Miller sets up several moments in Act Three when we think Danforth might come to see that the witch hunt is based on lies. Identify these. Say what happens that allows the trials to continue. • Danforth agreeing to listen to Proctor and his friends • Proctor telling Danforth that the girls were caught dancing in the woods, and Danforth questioning Parris about this. • Proctor’s painful confession Notice how Danforth’s reactions build dramatic tension in this section.

The Witch Trials

The Trials – who gains power?

Themes Consider themes below. Rate them according to how important they are in The Crucible (think about how much The Crucible has explored them so far). Put them onto paper and rate them in a diamond shape – most important at the top, and least important at the bottom. Individual v authority intolerance hysteria reputation gaining empowerment sin and guilt self-interest purification integrity loyalty courage envy corruption of justice

Themes Intolerance (individual v authority) Integrity – truth v lies – corruption purification Reputation

Theme - Purification • A crucible is a container in which metals and other materials are heated so as to separate the pure metals from waste and impurities. The crucible in the title is a metaphor for the tow of Salem and the period of the witch-hunt hysteria. In this ‘fire’, some victims survive the temptations and fears and emerge as better and stronger people.

Act 4 Plot 1. Sarah Good and Tituba are removed from a filthy cell by a drunken Marshall Herrick 2. Hale is comforting many condemned prisoners in the jail. Parris says that Abigail and Mercy Lewis have vanished, taking his savings. 3. Rebecca and John Proctor are due to be hanged. Parris wants Danforth to delay the executions, but Danforth refuses.

Act 4 Plot 4. Reverend Hale has been begging prisoners to confess and save their lives. 5. Elizabeth and John Proctor meet. John asks his wife what she would think if he confessed to false allegations to escape hanging. Rebecca Nurse refuses to confess. 6. Proctor changes his mind and refuses to have his confession displayed. Elizabeth watches his execution from the cell window.

John Proctor: qualities

Key Moments

Act 1 Key Moments 1. Abigail and John are alone together and their affair is revealed. ABIGAIL “Give me a word John. A soft word. ” PROCTOR “No, no, Abby. That’s done with. ”

Act 2 Key Moments 1. We witness the tension between John and Elizabeth Proctor “an everlasting funeral marches round your heart. . . I come into a court when I come into this house!” 2. Reverend Hale questions Proctor. “Adultery, John. ” 3. The poppet – a needle is found in the poppet given to Elizabeth by Mary, and Abigail apparently had a needle “stuck into her belly-” 4. John’s speech at the end. “Aye, naked! And the wind, god’s icy wind, will blow!”

Act 3 Key Moments 1. John Proctor declares Abigail to be a ‘whore’. 2. Danforth brings Elizabeth in and Elizabeth lies. PROCTOR “Elizabeth, I have confessed it!” The play’s turning point occurs in this scene.

Act 4 Key Moments 1. We see Proctor’s inner conflict and his decision to stand by his beliefs and tear up his confession. “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. ” (p 116) 2. Elizabeth refuses to try to change Proctor’s mind. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”

What is the significance of the title of the play?