...Act One of The Crucible introduces a love triangle between John Proctor, his wife Elizabeth, and Abigail, their former servant. This results in a strained relationship for all involved and has a negative effect on all three characters as it costs Abigail her job and reputation, and it leads to a series of possible problems for the Proctor’s marriage. Abigail is introduced in The Crucible as a character who has an “endless capacity for dissembling” (9) As the former servant for the Proctor family, she is not only fired by Elizabeth Proctor because of her relationship with John Proctor but her name is also “blackened” by the somewhat spurned wife. When Proctor enters Betty Paris’s room and encounters Abigail, her “eyes widen” as she is pleased by his presence, and she expresses to Proctor that she waits for him “every night” (22). John, however, tells her to “put it out of mind” as he is not interested (22). Abigail’s words reveal she desires to be with Proctor; furthermore, she makes it a point to remind him that she was fired by his wife because of their past relationship when they had feelings for each other, and according to Abigail, they still do. This foreshadows that...
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...In Arthur Millers, The Crucible, the Salem witch trails occurred. In Salem, while the Salem witch trials were occurring, the citizens tell many lies. This is one thing that led to the mass hysteria that defined the Salem witch trials. It also led to many conflicts between the characters in this book. This is because in the eyes of the puritans anyone who was involved in “witchcraft” was against the church and thought to be communicating with Satan and deserved death. One of the conflicts that occurred in The Crucible was between John Proctor and himself. Because lying is a sin and in turn causes negative effects, John Proctor is forced to face the reality and the consequences of his deceitfulness. In the play The Crucible, John Proctor, the main character, endures multiple inner conflicts. He believes his affair with Abigail Williams, another citizen of Salem, has permanently damaged him and his worthiness in the eyes of God. After scolding Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, for continuing to be suspicious of his actions with Abigail and not giving him forgiveness, Elizabeth expresses that she does not judge him, but that it is, “The magistrate sitting in [his] heart that judges [him].” Lying is a recurring theme in The Crucible and Proctor’s actions with the affair is an example of this....
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...play, Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, utilized the five-act structure to further develop his plot. The exposition of a five-act structure introduces the setting, main characters, and conflict of a literary work. The audience gains critical information that is crucial for understanding the...
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...The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are two literary classics that portray excellence in expounding the importance of life. Both written works encompass striking similarities in aspects such as the setting, plot, and major conflicts. However, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible bare conspicuous differences such as in The Scarlet Letter solid evidence for the crime of adultery is distinctly manifested while in The Crucible the court possesses no tangible evidence for the crime of witchcraft. In addition, The Scarlet Letter is a novel while The Crucible is a play. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller have pronounced similitude, such as the common conflicts, and the setting, and also bare an impactful distinction between the resolutions of the two written works and the characters. The major conflict in...
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...Lindsey Sibille Ms. Gonzales AP English III, 1 16 October 2015 The Crucible Book Card Assignment Authorial Background Arthur Miller is the award-winning playwright of The Crucible along with many other famous plays such as Death Of a Salesman and All My Sons. Born in Manhattan in 1915, Miller experienced the pressing and devastating times of the Great Depression and both World Wars. His first two plays were The Man Who Had All the Luck and All My Sons, with the latter being performed on Broadway in 1949. His next play, Death of A Salesman, received a Tony award, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer prize. These awards allowed him to rise to fame and helped his career skyrocket. Despite his successful playwriting...
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...The word “crucible” is defined as a severe test or trial, or a vessel that can withstand intense heat and is used for melting substances. In the play written by Arthur Miller called the “Crucible”, the word applies to many characters as they progress and attempt to resolve their conflicts. During the play, we watch as the town of Salem has a witch hunt hysteria in which many Puritans are falsely accused by teenage girls. The word crucible is significant to the consequences that Mary Warren, Giles Corey, and John Proctor go through during this time of mass hysteria. Mary Warren was one of the girls that was found conjuring spirits in the forest with Tituba and the other girls. However, when she made a poppet for Elizabeth Proctor, she accused Elizabeth of making it in order to avoid being blamed of hurting Abigail.. This led to Mary becoming one of the main accusers of witchcraft in Salem. “Proctor: ‘We will slide together into our pit; you will tell the court what you know.’ Warren: ‘I cannot, they’ll turn...
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...Miller’s The Crucible exposes conflicts between the characters and the Christian society of Salem, Massachusetts 1692. The concept of social pressure and rules are used to establish the play. If the common man in Salem is to work proficiently in his surroundings, he must participate in all social activities or he faces the consequences of untrue allegations. Miller uses the character John Proctor as a prime example whose individuality ultimately isolates him from his community. Proctor tries to avoid any involvement in the Salem witch trials. His reason for this attempt is motivated by his past fault of committing adultery with Abigail Williams, who is leading the accusations. As the pressure from his peers grow on him, Proctor must decide whether to save himself, or to die and save Salem. The theme individual v. society exists through the character John Proctor. Proctor is cautious to speak openly due to his affair. He attempts to isolate himself from the first proceedings of the trial by stating to Reverend Hale, “I’ve heard you to be a sensible man Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem.” (Miller 1231). Proctor is trying to cleanse himself entirely of his affair, rather than get involved with the community. Elizabeth, his wife, encourages Proctor to speak out about his knowledge against false accusations against her. He is hesitant and responds, “I know I cannot keep [confessing his crime]. I say I will think on it!” (Miller 1237). Before Proctor can come to...
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...The Crucible Essay John Proctor was an important part of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”. Towards the end of the book/movie he was falsely accused of being a witch. He had many conflict on his mind and reasons to confess and not to confess. Personally, I think he made the right decision in that time. I most likely would of chose to live, but I understand why he made his decision. John Proctor had many internal conflicts. Before the accusations started, he cheated on his wife with Abigail. That led to the guilt that was on his mind, when his wife was accused and when he had to say his commandments to Reverend Hale. Because of the affair, all those people were arrested and died. I’m pretty sure he found that out towards the end. Having all those lives on your mind is a very big conflict in my opinion. His own wife was accused. He wasn’t even able to see his last child being born. Knowing your going to die is a conflict itself. Having these internal conflicts on his mind made the story what it is....
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...Within the confines of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, many of the conflicts—including the more indirect conflict of John Proctor and Reverend Hale—hinge upon the theme of the importance of reputation. In a time when ones good reputation is the cornerstone for a content, healthy existence, it makes sense that reputation is an important recurring theme in The Crucible. John Proctor’s reputation is built upon his willingness to argue for what he thinks is right while managing to stay just this side of being a reputable, upstanding Puritan citizen. This is shown when Proctor is quick to come to verbal blows with Reverend Parris, culminating in Proctor dictating, “I like not the smell of this “authority”” (29). Proctor’s reputation of integrity and...
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...John Proctor, one of the main characters in The Crucible, has a crucible moment after having an affair with Abigail. Although John and Elizabeth are married, he cheats on her with Abigail. Proctor’s crucible moment within the play happens when he has to make a decision to either tell his wife about the affair, or keep it a secret, and feel guilty for the rest of his life. Because John can not forgive himself after the affair, he decides to tell Elizabeth about what happened. John Proctor passes the crucible test because he did the right thing even though his relationship with his wife will never be the same. Now that Elizabeth knows the truth, John now feels guilty about what he has done because his wife is upset with him. The wrong thing John...
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...In the play Crucible by Arthur Miller is about the witchcraft in 20th century. Anyone can be accused as a witch base on the way they act in the community. During this time if a person was accused as a witch and the person have no prove that not a with; as a result for that they would lose all of their reputation, and they things that they possess will not heritage to their offspring. John Proctor pulled conflicting direction by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. John Proctor has an internal conflict between his willingness to protect his public reputation or his integrity as a Christian. This help to form a work as a whole for this play is sometime making decisions is hard. John Proctor normal farmer, but he has...
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...Drama is created by placing ordinary people in situations of crisis or conflict Explore some dramatic techniques used to create drama in the crucible In his play, The Crucible, Arthur miller presents an allegory for McCarthyism through the use of the Salem With trials of 1692. In the crucible, miller uses many techniques to create drama to influence the decisions of the ordinary townsfolk. Drama is created by placing key protagonists in situations of conflict. The intolerance of puritan society towards new or different practices is one of the ways that miller creates drama. Another factor is the maintenance of personal reputation and the consequences of conflict upon this status. By manipulating ordinary people, hysteria also creates a large sum of drama. Through an analysis of Intolerance, reputation and hysteria, this essay will explore how conflict creates drama. In a puritan society, not meeting the social norms was seen as treason and heavily persecuted. This lead to an intolerance of anyone who did not worship god, and dissent lead to beliefs of Satanic activity. Judge Danforth quotes in act three page 85 "You are either with the court or against it". Miller uses tone to foreshadow what is yet to come in the the text. The tone of this sentence shows that the witch trials are the ultimate form of intolerance and hanging...
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...The Crucible Essay “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does no feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Nelson Mandela). In simpler terms, courage is when something that a person believes in, is more important than the fear that comes with the consequences of that belief. The Crucible has many key themes, but the theme that has the broadest effect on the reader is courage. John Proctor is a great example of the courage shown. While, Abigail Williams shows immense cowardice. Throughout the Crucible many characters have to face the horrendous decision of whether to confess to have ‘been with the devil’ and lose their ‘good name’ or bee executed for that of which they did not do. John Proctor is a great example of a character with extraordinary courage. John although pressured to confess and knowing that he’ll hang, refuses to ruin his ‘good name’ and he does not fully confess to the crime. When Judge Danforth would not give up the argument with John to sign the confession, he asked, “Then explain to me, Mr. Proctor, why will you not let me have it?” (pg.1231). Proctor answered, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (pg.1232). These quotes show how strong willed John is in not having a bad reputation and how John has great courage and doesn’t lie just to live. However that John may express great courage...
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...In the texts the crucible and Year of Wonders, both contain strong, kind female characters that are devoted to do what is right. Through the characters Elizabeth Proctor from The Crucible and Elinor Mompellion from “Year of Wonders”, we see wives of religious and powerful men showing compassion and kindness to those that surround them. Elizabeth Proctor must deal with a lot of conflict during the crucible. Not only does she have to deal with the fact that her husband John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams she then should deal with Abigail’s making false accusations about her. This all leads up taking its fall on Elizabeth. In contrast Elinor with the sins she has committed prior to her marriage with Mompellion is forced into years...
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...As Arthur Miller once stated,“there is prodigious fear in seeking loose spirits.” The theme that the tragedy fiction play, The Crucible, displays is hysteria and desire leads to unconscious consequences. As conveyed throughout the play, hysteria is most clearly observed in the villagers' illogical acceptance of the girls’ claims of witchcraft. Specifically, Act III depicts the idea of mass hysteria devastating the community when the afflicted girls led by Abigail, accuse Mary Warren of witchcraft for testifying against them. Furthermore, several people including Mary Warren have indicated that the witchcraft accusations are false yet the court refuses to be persuaded. Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible was an exaggeration of the Salem witch...
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