...Behaviours and actions sometimes have undisclosed meanings that lead one to think they will attain some sort of advantage over someone else. These kind of ulterior motives may come about from fear or jealousy and often can result in negative consequences. In 1962 a witch hunt in the town of Salem was held. In The Crucible, Parris feels like he needs to be in control and tries to maintain a moral order. Abigail is a young girl longing for a relationship with a married man named Proctor. Miller demonstrates that ulterior motives can lead to the destruction of relationships and even the demise of a community shown through Parris’ need for a positive reputation and Abigail’s mischief against Elizabeth Proctor. Firstly, Miller exposes the...
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...urging Arthur Miller, an up and coming playwright, to create a story that would grab an audience, and bring awareness to a budding crisis (Arthur). The Crucible tells the story of the power of hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials in a way that relates more to the underlying topic of the Red Scare rather than the actual history. Arthur Miller significantly changes...
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...Abigail Williams is responsible for the chaos and turmoil in "The Crucible" due to her actions and manipulations. She falsely accuses numerous citizens of witchcraft, causing fear and hysteria in the town. Despite Mary Warren's attempt to testify against Abigail, she faces opposition from the other girls who are under Abigail's influence. Abigail continuously tries to convince people that everyone else is a witch, using tactics such as pretending to see and hear spirits whenever a witness tries to testify against her. Abigail's past and present experiences contribute to her actions, but they do not excuse her behavior. She witnessed the death of her parents at a young age, had an affair with John Proctor, and threatened those who crossed her....
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...The Crucible Act Three Questions Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the drama. Write a response on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Describe one piece of evidence that Giles, Francis, or Proctor bring before the court to show that the girls are lying. 2. What does Abigail do to distract Danforth from Hale’s accusations that she is lying? 3. How does Hale show that he believes that the court is not doing the right thing? Use three details from the text in your response. 4. Danforth explains that “. . . a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” What conclusion can you draw about Danforth’s character from this line? 5. How does Hale excuse Elizabeth’s lie about Abigail’s affair with Proctor? 6. Danforth explains that witchcraft is an invisible crime and that only the victims are reliable. How does his philosophy flame the hysteria? Use details from the drama to support your response. 7. How do Hale and Parris try to thwart each other, or act as foils, in regards to Danforth and the court? Use details from the drama to support your response. 8. Describe the point at which you think the plot reaches its highest intensity, or climax. 9. After the outbreak in court, Mr. Danforth makes the following short statement to Mr. Hale: I will have nothing from you, Mr. Hale! In your own words, describe what Mr. Hale has said or done to instigate Mr. Danforth’s...
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...Although morals are an indication of a person’s perception of right or wrong, there is a fundamental thread that connects morality to everyone. Whether these morals are in relation to a religion, culture or the law, society has developed universal moral standards. However, individuals are capable of abandoning morality as a whole, resulting in significant repercussions. William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller show evidence of this in The Merchant of Venice and The Crucible, when their characters step away from their morals and carry out wrongful actions. Although the underlying reason for the characters’ social demises is similar, the motives for their actions are specific and personal. By carrying out actions fueled by revenge, both Abigail...
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...How is the theme of blame and motive established in Act One? In Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ the theme of blame and motive is apparent in Act One of the play. In this Act, we see the drama and hysteria of witchcraft begin to unfold, and during this blame is a dominant theme. In Act One we see Abigail Williams blame Tituba for the cause of Betty’s sudden illness. Abigail begins to accuse Tituba when she exclaims ‘I never called him! Tituba, Tituba’. Her claims are more believable due to her race, which puts Tituba at a disadvantage. ‘No, no, chicken blood. I give she chicken blood’ highlights the innocence of Tituba, however the blame is placed on Tituba with Hale’s response. ‘Are you silencing this child?’ establishes an accusatory tone and shows Hale’s alignment with Abigail in blaming Tituba. Parris's treatment of Tituba reveals his angry and selfish character. The incident also shows Tituba's powerlessness: she's entirely at her master's command. Tituba discovers that nobody wants to hear denials, just as Abigail earlier discovered. Because of this, Tituba knows she must provide a confession and so blames ‘Sarah Good’ and ‘Goody Osborn’. In response to this, Mrs. Putnam shouts out that she ‘knew it’, which shows a sense of satisfaction in getting someone to blame for the death of her children in infancy. During Act One the theme of motive is also a significant theme, in particular with the character’s Abigail Williams and Parris. Parris’s motive and main concern becomes clear...
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...Abigail Williams is the opposite of one’s thought of a Puritan. She is selfish, manipulative, ungodly, and especially fond of her adulterous relationship with John Proctor. In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Abigail attempts to save herself from embarrassment by initiating a cruel witch hunt, accusing those who are innocent but are in the way of her own devious plan. She lies about her and her friends attempting to murder Elizabeth Proctor with witchcraft in the woods by turning the blame on others. Abigail continuously displays her intentions as the play goes on changing from lust to power hungry. Abigail is tried on her honesty and self pride, contributing to the theme of power given without judgement tends to corrupt. Miller uses Abigail's...
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...courtroom in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, his recreation of the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts, is synonymous. The theocratic court reviews cases regarding witchcraft brought to the gavel by a group of hormonal teenage girls, who have been willing the court to arrest and execute whom they see fit. This literal courtroom is allegorical to the interactions of Senator McCarthy with potential traitors during the 1950’s. As the girls of Salem exploit the fears of their community, McCarthy capitalized on the fear of the entire U.S. nation: Communism. McCarthy’s tactics and actions were highlighted in a CBS broadcasting led by Edward R. Murrow titled, “We Will Not Walk in Fear”. The broadcast was received by the U.S. in 1954 during the Cold War, a decade dubbed ‘The Red Scare’. While the empowered teens of Salem and McCarthy were daunting, their injustices were matched by John Proctor and Edward R. Murrow, respectively. Proctor and Murrow fought against the false accusations and biased plaintiffs to stop the injustice posed. Proctor and Murrow combat their oppressors on the hollow claims made. Proctor is roped in to the Salem courts when his wife is accused. He points out to the judges that “so many of these women have lived so long with such upright reputation” (Miller 84). Proctor’s aim in convincing the court is so that “[he] would free [his] wife” (83). His lack of participation in the court until his wife’s arrest also shows his personal motives. While his logical reasoning...
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...In the story, The Crucible, Abigail Williams accused many of the people in the town of being witches. Abigail Williams is not a victim of her society. People of Salem in the 1600’s believed anything they heard about someone being possessed by the devil. If someone accused you of being a witch, you would most likely be taken to trial and questioned. How it usually worked is if you admitted to being involved with the devil and told on someone else, you would not be hanged but your reputation is no longer any good. Other than the part of the court believing anything someone said, this situation was bad due to people making stories up and blaming other people. It was an endless cycle. Abigail Williams is in the wrong doing because she falsely accused many people, lied about being possessed by witches, and got innocent people killed. Abigail Williams falsely accused many people of practicing witchcraft in the town The Crucible took place in. The most important in the story though was Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctors wife. John had an affair on Elizebeth with Abigail, which was the motive behind the whole ordeal. Elizabeth fired Abigail from being their servant after she had figured out about the affair. She then wanted to get rid of Elizabeth so she accused...
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...Divya Kumar Mr. Kirley ENG3U1-05 November.11.2015. The Crucible: Is John Proctor truly a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a person with admirable qualities yet they have a tragic flaw that leads them to their downfall. In Miller’s play “The Crucible,” the protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero known for his good reputation yet commits adultery with Abigail thus making it a tragic flaw that leads to his death. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is a well-mannered person that has a good reputation. John strongly believes in Elizabeth’s good morals by proving his honesty and bond towards Elizabeth and speaks up for her as he tries to get her and his friends’ wives out of jail. He tells Danforth...
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...Joshua Smelser Professor Lee Hinds Composition 2 September, 10, 2012 Fear As a Living Person In the movie, The Crucible, inspired by Aurther Miller and directed by Nicholas Hytner, fear is a subtle but important aspect in the movie. In fact, if fear was an actor in the film, it would be the lead character, leading to deaths, lies, and betrayal. Now the movie starts off with the towns teenage girls dancing in the woods, conjuring up spells to make boys like them. As they dance around, some naked, reverend Paris a man with power in a city of puritans discovers the girls. This would be the first time fear appears in the movie. Out of fear the girls scatter to avoid getting in trouble with the reverend. All but two girls get away, the reverend’s daughter Betty, and his niece Abigail. After this scene fear gets its biggest part in the movie. Betty falls into a coma nothing can wake her. The town including her father believes that the devil has got hold of her. I believe that Betty is just scared to get in trouble, and there are pieces of evidence that prove it. First off through the entire movie all the girls of the town are lying that they can see the devil. Why would this be untrue for this small girl? Second during church Abigail and the girls march up to Betty’s room and explain to her that everything is ok, her father knows and is not angry. Remarkably she wakes and says she wants her mom. If Betty was truly possessed I am sure she would not wake at the first instance...
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...Proctor is the tragic hero of the Crucible and that his decision to choose principle over self preservation was an honorable act with the goal of affirming his goodness before God. In the second act of the Crucible, the audience first meets the character of John Proctor while he is in his home with his wife Elizabeth. The reader’s initial reaction of Proctor is that he is a benevolent husband as he states “I mean to please you Elizabeth” (50) and is otherwise kind and respectful towards his wife. However, as the act progresses, the reader comes to find out...
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...The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that showcases the importance of telling the truth in all situations, even when it may appear to be the wrong course of action. The play takes place in the town of Salem, Massachusetts during the chaotic times of the Salem witch trials. Miller presents the characters of Abigail, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor as three townspeople who are connected by the sins of the past. Although these three characters are different in far more ways than one, they all share a special purpose in revealing an important truth to the readers of this play. Abigail, John, and Elizabeth all showed that not speaking the truth can have immense consequences on other people, not just themselves. Abigail Williams had no trouble lying throughout the entire play, even when her actions sentence people to death. After Paris first found the girls...
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...“A man may be aware that there is something...hollow in his own way of life, but still lack the power to express it in memorable language.” (Prudhoe). In the Crucible, several people notice the obvious corruption that lies in the Salem witch trials, but are unable to fight it due to lack of power. In Act three of The Crucible (1953), Arthur Miller expresses his frustration at the perpetual power grab under the façade of justice. Miller uses juxtaposition, dramatic irony, and selective dialogue in order to show how when struggling to clear one’s name, cold-hard facts are often overlooked in exchange for the promise of influence. The purpose of the act is to demonstrate that in every play for power, there must be pawns to manipulate and facts...
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...The Impact of Power in The Crucible Power can be influential and critical to society, but when people have too much power they have a sense of determination and fearlessness. When their power is threatened, it enables them to do anything and everything to maintain it. The Crucible by Arthur Miller describes the Salem witch trials. The play begins with Abigail Williams and her friends dancing in the woods. In an attempt to get John Proctor, after he ended their affair, Abigail curses his wife Elizabeth. The rumor of witchcraft is triggered when Abigail’s friends, Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam are both unable to move or talk when they became frightened when Reverend Parris found the group in the woods. Reverend Hale, a believed expert in witchcraft...
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