The Crucible by Arthur Miller focused on a very dark time in our nation’s history: The Salem Witch Trials. In the midst of this frenzy, many people were accused and killed. In the the play, three very well respected people, Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor, were all executed; however, their deaths were necessary. Although John Proctor was a man of many faults, he was very well liked in the town of Salem. People respected him, he was very even tempered and powerful. The text states, “Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem…”(Miller 20). Naturally, when people had heard he was accused and was sentenced to hang, they were very angry. Hale and Parris were trying to get Danforth to postpone the hangings in fear of a rebellion, but …show more content…
He was tortured for information and wouldn’t give it up to them, and it the torture became too much for him and he died. The text describes him as “A crank and a nuisance, but withal a deeply innocent and brave man”(Miller 41). Giles had accidentally accused his wife of witchcraft by lamenting to Hale that he couldn’t pray when his wife was reading. The only reason he couldn’t pray was because he had just learned his prayers. He realized that what he did was wrong and went to save his wife, along with Francis and John. He was trying to explain that the girls were lying and Thomas Putnam was using the girls to get land. When the members of the court tried to get the information out of him as to who accused Putnam of this, he wouldn’t budge. So, they resorted to torture. Elizabeth told John “He were not hanged. He would not answer aye or nay to his indictment; for if he denied the charge they’d hang him surely, and auction out his property. So he stand mute, and died Christian under the law. And so his sons will have his farm. It is the law, for he could not be condemned a wizard without her answer the indictment, aye or nay”(Miller 135). And she also states, “Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them but two words. ‘More weight,’ he says. And died”(Miller 135). Giles’s death symbolized a man who has learned from his mistakes and a man who wants to protect his
American playwright Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible, is a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials in the 1690s. Miller wrote this play with the intent to criticize the American anti communist witch hunt of the McCarthy era. Miller’s timeless classic demonstrates the impact the witch trials had on the community, the government, and the economy The ruling force of the time were extreme religious beliefs. The witch trials brought doubt into the people’s beliefs and everything they thought they knew.
The play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is about the Salem witch trials of 1692 witch resulted in the death of nineteen innocent people. The plot begins in a small Puritan community in Salem, Massachusetts when Abigail Williams and several other young girls were caught in the woods dancing around a fire by her uncle Reverend Parris. His appearance shocked some of the girls into silence. The strange behavior of the girls resulted in many of the townspeople to turn to witchcraft as the cause of their behavior.
During the late 1600’s, in Salem, Massachusetts, a very unusual and strange event took place. In the year of 1692 the Salem Witch Trails began. Arthur Miller wrote a play titled the Crucible to depict the events that occurred during the event. The consequences felt by the community were completing devastating. About 20 people were hung due to the alleged crimes that they were convicted of.
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, A strange phenomenon takes place in the town of Salem Massachusetts. Innocent people were killed because they were accused of being a witch. A man by the name of John Proctor gets thrown in to this event when his wife Elizabeth is accused of witchcraft. Salem was a very small and quiet New England town, this of course didn’t last very long.
In this play, Arthur Miller uses a lot of different universal themes, and the one I am going to use today is, false accusations lead to many innocent deaths in the small town of Salem. Many deaths happened due to false accusations and because of this; the town of Salem went insane. Everyone was being accused of Witchcraft and the town slowly started to disintegrate. One of the most controversial deaths in this play was John Proctor, mainly because he was well known and had an extremely well reputation.
When seeking revenge, one will do anything in their power to achieve it. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The trials occurred when a group of teenage girls was caught dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris. After the small Puritan village was flooded with the thought of witchcraft, Reverend Parris begins to question the girls. Knowing their punishment would be extremely severe, Abigail Williams and the girls blame many innocent people in their village for their wrong doings.
In Arthur Miller’s historical fiction play The Crucible, based on the tragic Salem witch trials, there are numerous displays of courage, weakness, and truth. Essentially, this is what the play is about. Word is spreading throughout the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The smell of witchcraft is filling the air.
The play “ The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller ,is about the Salem witch trials in 1692. Throughout the play the characters used witch trials in order to get revenge. Many innocent people got killed because of this. The characters John Proctor ,Abigail, and Reverend Paris are the main characters and they all cared about their reputation. Reverend Paris was the minister of the town and was disliked by many people.
When John told the court he had an affair with her they tried to say he was lying about having one with her. “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name.”(111) John ruined his good name to protect his friends but it all came down to Elizabeth telling the truth to the court and she lied to the court to protect John, which eventually led to his
Giles Corey was asked to name names in Act III. He was asked to say names for something he told the court about. Giles Corey suddenly shouts that he has evidenced that Thomas Putnam was trying to get his daughter to cry witchcraft so Thomas could get more of his own land. He tells the court that one of his good friends told him about Thomas. The judge asked Giles to tell him who told him.
He was given the choice to either confess to being apart of witchcraft and be spared or not confess and get hanged. He is allowed to talk this over with his wife and at first they decide it would be better to confess even though they know he didn’t do anything! At this point in the play John realizes that it is not the right thing to do. He says “ How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul now give me your name.”
In the first act of “The Crucible”, it is evident that John Proctor is highly controversial among the citizens of Old Salem. There are Salemites that are friendly and treat him with respect, there are others that are infuriated with him, and there is one that has a grand lust for the married John Proctor. The reason many Salemites have a certain disdain for the name John Proctor, is that Proctor rarely ever comes to church. Proctor actively avoids coming to church, because he does not agree with the way Reverend Parris preaches.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatic play that expresses a very important message and that is how far people would go to save themselves from the hands of death. There are many characters in the Crucible who are guilty of taking innocent lives, but there are three major characters who, without a doubt, are the most at blame. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. The main point that the story revolves around is that people would rather lie and blame someone else instead of confessing and accepting the punishment.
He did all he could to stop the spread of vengeance and corrupting in Salem though he came too late. Even with him committing adultery, he continued through the end to be a hero with the best intentions in mind for justice and peace in his
The first impressive characteristic of John Proctor is his bravery. Speaking out against the “afflicted” girls in the way he did could cause serious question of him as a person. From the court’s standpoint John could be seen as directly opposing the court, which would have him jailed, or could even have him be accused of witchcraft. Also, he would have had to have known that Abigail Williams would have immediately accused him of being a witch once he spoke out against them. However, that did not stop him from delivering the truth to the court.