[Title]: [Subtitle] The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller about the witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692. In the play Miller uses metaphors, dramatic irony, and symbolism in order to convey the reoccurring theme that mass hysteria causes distrust among communities. Throughout the play Miller uses metaphors in several occasions. In Act II Reverend Hale says to John Proctor, “Theology, sir is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be considered small,” (64). The fortress Hale speaks of is the Christian religion, and the hysteria about witches is causing chaos within the church community. Hale is a black arts expert, so when he said this, it caused people to question if the foundation they had built around …show more content…
This quote could be translated in many different ways, but perhaps Miller wanted it to portray that at the time if you were of Christian faith your fortress had to be built around God, and if there were any doubts, that would lead to an opportunity for the Devil to take control. Another example of a metaphor in the play is in Act IV when Reverend Parris says to the judges, “There be a faction here, feeding on that news, and I tell you true, sir, I fear there will be riot here,” (127). At the time, Reverend Parris, is saying this in order to voice his concerns that the hangings should be postponed. Reverend Parris shares his apprehensions because he doesn’t know if what they’re doing is right anymore. He’s becoming suspicious because so many people who hold weight in the town are being accused of witchcraft. …show more content…
In Act III Judge Danforth says, “I have seen marvels in this court. I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers,” (91). Currently Judge Danforth still believes Abigail to be truthful. Danforth believing her relates directly back to the theme, because even the mass hysteria affects the judge. The community has many problems, but the whole town is blaming them on Satan and witchcraft. Judge Danforth wants to believe Abigail so that he can have answers for the people of Salem. Also, another situation in Act III that included dramatic irony was when Judge Danforth asked Elizabeth, “Why did you dismiss Abigail Williams?” and Elizabeth replies, “She- dissatisfied me (pause) And my husband,” (112). When Elizabeth was asked this, she wasn’t aware that her husband had already admitted that he committed the unimaginable crime of adultery. Elizabeth, being the honorable wife that she is, lied for her husband John causing all hell to break loose in the courtroom. By telling a lie about her husband’s actions, Elizabeth discredits John’s confession and makes Abigail look like she is telling the truth. If Elizabeth would have answered truthfully, it could have changed the entire path of the trial. Her answer now makes her husband look like a liar, and Abigail’s bizarre story even more believable. In the end, Elizabeth didn’t want to ruin her husband’s
Or is it because she was in love with John and saw Elizabeth as nothing more than an obstacle in her way? What this jury doesn’t know is that John Proctor swears that he committed lechery on his wife with Ms. Abigail Williams. Abigail never denied this indictment, instead she said, “ If i must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!”. She refused to respond to the allegation, if she were innocent of the wrongdoing would she not want to reveal it? Judge Danforth brought out Elizabeth to confirm John’s story because John said that she had never lied in her life and never
Abigail first commits adultery with Elizabeth Proctor’s husband John Proctor. Later on, she accuses people of doing witchcraft which causes their life. Abigail Williams uses the Salem Witch Trials to put out all the resentment she has towards everyone. From this broad accusation, it shows how weak the human beings really are, and how greediness and to want for personal gaining. Many people die in the village after a series of lies and unjust practices.
Miller uses children as a truth hidden behind a lie as some believe they live in a world of virtue. They were chosen to be the main accusers for their “purity,” their sense of judgement of witchcraft, and their sadistic actions that are considered untrustworthy and unrealistic. He intends to use it as a way to reveal the reality of children and their poor judgement within the play. “...I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil!
The nature of many characters in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible are changed none more than of Reverend Hale. Hale was a young minister from the nearby town of Beverly seen as a spiritual leader and an expert in the field of witchcraft. Who was called to the town of Salem after the local minister caught girls dancing leaving suspicions of witchcraft. Due to Hales higher education, he was slow to assumption and sought indisputable evidence before advocating for one idea or another. By observing the actions of Hale and those around him, one is able to observe many thematic lessons.
He knows that if he told the court of what Abigail told him in private that they will not believe him and that he would be lying about hearing it in a crowd with no witnesses. He does not agree with lying in order to get the truth out when it is done in a deceitful
Most communities in the world today believe that excluding harmful thoughts, ideas, actions, and sometimes people are ultimately the best course of action for uniting their group. An example is the exclusion of same-sex marriage in most states, but especially in the Catholic Church. By excluding same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church community unites with a feeling of purity towards their religious community. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents the audience with a paradox that was exemplified through the Salem witchcraft trials. The paradox “Unity through Exclusion” means that a community will become closer together through the exclusion or exile of harmful people.
If Abigail, John, and Elizabeth would have been honest to begin with then many innocent people would not have lost their lives and left the town in despair. Abigail Williams lied to many people a during the entire story. In Act 1, Abigail made Reverend Parris believe that she was dismissed from working for the Proctors was due to the fact that “She (Elizabeth) hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!” (Miller, 140).
Dramatic irony is created in the text through Danforth asking “Why did you dismiss Abigail Williams?”, and Elizabeth responding “She - dissatisfied me”(Miller. III.18.). This is an example of Dramatic Irony because the reader already knows that John has confessed to adultery, but Elizabeth doesn't so she lies in hopes of protecting his reputation. Elizabeth's attempt in maintaining John’s Power caused her and John to both have bad reputations, and resulted in John being out on death row. from this, more chaos in the community is created because of more deaths of significant characters, leaving the town to run with orphans and rotting from lack of order.
The Crucible, published in 1953 by Arthur Miller is a very popular book written about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. While most people use the book to study the Witch Trials, with closer examination it is easy to conclude that it is a direct allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era of 1950s America. An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters or objects in the story represent an outside meaning. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era drastically by its plot, characters, and the flow and outcome of the court trials. To begin with, The Crucible is an allegory because the plot of the book closely resembles the events that occurred during the Red Scare.
The Crucible is a play centered around the Salem Witch Trials, which the author uses to reflect on human nature. Rev. Hale is an expert in witchcraft from Beverly, a town near Salem, and starts off by assisting the court in judging those accused. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Rev. Hale changes from feeling confident and justified in his beliefs to feeling uncertainty and guilt about what he has done through his manner, how he is portrayed, and his views of the trials. In Act One of The Crucible, Rev. Hale’s current demeanor, portrayal, and views are revealed.
Thereby raising alarming questions about her trustworthiness. Despite this, Judge Danforth still continues the hangings which shows that he stills trusts Abigail’s words and accusations. The extend to which Abigail has manipulated Judge Danforth is shown here. Danforth’s unconditional reliability in Abigail motivated the people in Salem to accused each other to save their own
Also, in attempt to tell the truth about Abigail, John Proctor admits to cheating on his wife with Abigail, but Elizabeth lets her fear assist her in lying. John Proctor tells everyone in the court, previous to Elizabeth arriving, “she [has] never lied” (III.891.). With everyone now knowing that she does not lie, it makes her trustworthy and believable. Deputy Danforth then brings Elizabeth in to confirm what
This quote helps explain how they assume everything is associated with the devil and everything is an attack against the court. This quote is a different one,“Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly.” This really did happen but they still exaggerated it. They were accusing everybody in town and finally they found out it was Proctor that did it. This quote is a bigger part of the story and it really was a turning point for the play.
She accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft so she can be with John and she is lying to force Mary Warren to join their side again. In the beginning of the play, when the girls are just about to try to wake up Betty but Mr. Parris will come in while, Abigail says, “No, he’ll be comin’ up. Listen, now; if they be questioning us, tell them we danced-I told him as much already” (Miller 174). She is lying to save herself and she is expecting others to do the same and they will. In middle of the play when John Proctor just tells Mr. Hale that Abigail told him she is lying the whole time, “Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft” (Miller 200).
In the blink of an eye, an entire society can be gripped by fear and hysteria. In the play, The Crucible, the author, Arthur Miller depicts the town of Salem, Massachusetts in which the public is riveted by a whirlwind of witchcraft controversies. During this time, even the smallest actions or remarks are blown out of proportion. Being renowned for his extensive knowledge in dealing with witchcraft, Reverend John Hale from nearby Beverly is called in to “cure” those possessed by the Devil. Hale’s transformation demonstrates the shift from hysteria and narrow-mindedness to rationality and open-mindedness, which emphasizes the development of Miller’s message, which states that nothing in the world is as black and white as it seems.