The Crucible Playwright Arthur Miller Written 1953 1915

“The Crucible” Playwright: Arthur Miller Written: 1953

1915 -2005

We are learning. . . • About the context and background of the play. • About the key areas of study. • About the key themes that we will focus on. • About the dramatic techniques we will be discussing.

Context and background • The Salem Witch-trials of 1692. • The Puritans and Witchcraft. • The Mc. Carthy era in the United States.

Key areas of study We will mainly focus on themes and setting of the play and the characterisation of the two main characters: John Proctor and Abigail Williams. • How does the setting influence the actions of the characters? • What do the actions and words of the main characters tell us about them? • What motivates the characters? Why do they do what they do? • How do the characters change as the play progresses? • How are themes of the text represented by the characters?

Discussing techniques Our study of the play will focus on the following dramatic techniques: Characterisation Dialogue Key scene. Turning point. Setting. Stage directions. Theme Plot

Key themes 1. The conflict between individual and society. 2. Revenge. 3. The importance of reputation. How are these key themes represented by the main characters?

1. The conflict between the individual and society Salem is a hostile environment for both John Proctor and Abigail Williams. Both characters are in conflict with their society.

John Proctor Salem is a very religious society and Proctor is not a good Christian- he rarely goes to Church, he cannot recite all 10 Commandments, and he has had an affair with Abigail. This kind of behaviour would be treated with suspicion by the community if it became public knowledge, particularly the affair (which is a crime). Thus, he desperately tries to prevent the affair being revealed as he knows that his reputation will be severely damaged and he will be punished.

He also knows that he is a sinner due to the affair and he is crippled by guilt. He feels that he has lost his honesty and integrity. Thus, he tries to regain his goodness through his actions in the play. He tries to redeem himself for his sins, even if it means going against his own society by undermining the court proceedings and defying Danforth.

Proctor is also one of the few people in the town who is certain that the witch-trials are based upon fraud and he is strongly opposed to the work that the court are doing. He sees the fear and paranoia that have been growing in the town and he knows that innocent people are being killed because everyone is too willing to believe the lies of Abigail and her girls. He tries and fails to persuade Danforth that the girls are lying and this contributes towards his arrest for trying to undermine the court.

When he rips up his false confession, he is making a stand against the authority of the Court and making it clear that the witch-trials are unjustified and that the judges are wrong.

Abigail Williams Abigail is young and female within a very patriarchal society. She is also an orphan and a servant which means that she has a very low status within Salem. She is also the subject of a great deal of gossip about her virtue in this very religious society. However, she is given a huge amount of power and influence due to the witch-trials: she is now able to take revenge on her enemies as well as control and manipulate the most powerful people in the town. She seizes the opportunity that she is given and does not think twice about the damage that she is causing her village. She will stop at nothing to keep this power and influence that she now has and is not willing to allow anyone to stand in her way.

2. Revenge Abigail Williams In Salem, many of the people who made accusations of witchcraft did so out of malice, jealousy and revenge. None more so than Abigail. She is full of resentment towards the people of Salem and she made countless accusations against innocent people she perceived as being her enemies. For example, she accused Elizabeth Proctor because she wanted to punish her for firing her and then allegedly spreading rumours that she had an affair with John Proctor. She wants Elizabeth out of the way so that she can resume the relationship with Proctor.

3. The importance of reputation John Proctor’s reputation is very important to him. He is almost obsessed by it. • He feels that he has risked his reputation by having the affair with Abigail Williams. He is not willing to allow his reputation to be damaged by the affair, and he tries to prevent the affair being made public. This affects the major decisions that he makes throughout the play. His need to keep the affair a secret leads to his downfall.

• At the start of the play, he feels that he has lost his sense of honesty and integrity because of the affair, and that he does not deserve his good reputation. He takes a number of steps which show that he is trying to redeem himself for his sins, and thus earn his good reputation. He is on a path to redemption.

• He rips up his confession to witchcraft because he does not want the town to know that, like a coward, he lied to save his life. He also knows that he would have to live the rest of his life with the reputation that he used to be a witch. His determination to maintain his reputation means that he chooses not to confess and is hanged.

Abigail Williams Abigail has a poor reputation in the village due to the rumours that she was fired by Elizabeth Proctor for having an affair with John. Abigail blames Elizabeth for her poor reputation and this motivates her desire for revenge.