The Crucible

CONVENTIONS OF A PLAYA play is a drama meant to be performed in front of a living, breathing, laughing, crying audience, so this means certain things for the drama as a TYPE of text:

The plot is exaggerated for a specific effect – this means that the rising action, conflicts, climax, falling action, and resolution are all emphasized in order to move the audience and emphasize Miller’s purpose.

o Complete a plot chart of the play (see below) to follow these events The stage directions (written in italics) are important – they reveal character

traits, create the setting, set up the action The dialogue can be difficult (as they are talking in 17th century English –

remember “Language Change”!! So, you should keep a list of the characters (see below) and record when (Act and Scene) and what (appearance, character traits, tensions, prejudices, conflicts, etc.) you learn about each of them

o Complete the character list below with your notes It has ACTS and SCENES, so use the following abbreviations:

Roman numerals for the act (I,II,III,IV) and Arabic numerals for the scenes (1,2,3…)Act One, Scene One = I,1Act four, Scene 3 = IV,3

VOCAB COMPANION

http://www.vocabulary.com/lists/24220#view=notes

Act I, Scene 1

Crucible

The CruciblePlot Chart

Directions: fill this out with actions from the play

- Salem town of suspicions – girls conjure spirits in the woods – leaders call in specialist, suspicions arise

- Abigail has affair with John P. - Goody Proctor – wants her to die

- sdf- trials begin

The CruciblePlay notes – LESSON PLANS

HOUR ONE review class – before the quiz SHOW VIDEOs – use activity,

ASK QUESTIONS, discuss, – respond with silent convo. – use post-its on WHITE

board

1. New Info

2. Surprising info

3. A ques.

Write 3 responses – then respond to others

* = good idea

+ = I agree

draw lines – make connections

HOUR TWO: act out Abigail’s SCENE – when she is ‘possessed’

Drama is meant to be read, so although we are seriously short on time this year,

I can’t move on without reading/ acting out some of these scenes. Also, these

dramatic readings will help us prepare for the IOCs – which we will start soon –

because reading aloud these excerpts will be easier to analyze the passages

from this drama and the other novels as well ---

VIDEO RESOURCES:

60 SECOND ReCAP – use to summarize/ review main points – show 2-3 videos –

pause and discuss

trailer and the movie

Arthur Miller Dies at His Connecticut Homeby BOB MONDELLO

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4495077

USE TO GIVE BACKGROUND

Mentions themes: ordinary people making choices – ordinary people have

TRADGEDY – having a dream and then being disappointed – 1692 –

communist witch hunts – Crucible – metaphor for current events

Miller’s voice – Universal situation = hysteria

Married M.Monroe

Miller interview part 1.1 – youtube vid. 7:50 min. mark – “innocent political victims of a manufactured holocaust…IT IS right NOW..

TEXT RESOURCES:

Playwright Miller hears Crucible echohttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3182451.stm

CONNECT TO war on terror – current themes? The Crucible is NOW – also a definition of literature – timeless? Connects to current events?

shmoop.com resources: See FULL TEXT below

Plot summaries and new perspectives Use just like GG articles – print a few Crucible essays, have students read in

group, jigsaw and report on learning

Arthur Miller's The Crucible: An Allegory of the Communist Witch HuntTimothy Sexton, Yahoo! Contributor NetworkAug 3, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

See FULL TEXT below Defines allegory and a bit of contextual background Use just like GG articles – print a few Crucible essays, have students read in

group, jigsaw and report on learning

The CrucibleCharacter List

Directions: fill this out with information about the appearance and actions of the characters, their importance and the Act and Scene (I,2 – for example) where you learn the info – the chart at the end will help as well

Reverend Parris

Betty Parris

 Tituba

Abigail Williams

Mrs. Ann Putnam

Mary Warren

 John Proctor

Elizabeth Proctor

Rebecca Nurse

Giles Corey

Reverend John Hale

 Judge Hathorne

Deputy Governor Danforth

Arthur Miller's The Crucible: An Allegory of the Communist Witch Hunt

Timothy Sexton, Yahoo! Contributor NetworkAug 3, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

It is the rare case indeed when a work of literature's genesis can be traced to a

singular event. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is one of those cases.

There is only one reason that this play exists. The Crucible is Arthur Miller's

literary response to what still remains of most intensely disgusting episodes in

all of American history.

After defeating the true demon ideology during World War II-fascism-American

lawmakers for some reason embraced that very same ideology and began a

furious and illegal assault upon those who embraced communism. It was during

this dark time that several screenwriters, directors and actors

making Hollywood movies were blacklisted simply because they refused to be a

rat bastard like their friend Elia Kazan and reveal the names of friends who had

attended meetings at which communist policies were discussed to a

Congressional committee investigating the wholly legal and American concept

of belonging to a political party, in this case the Communist Party. These actors,

directors and screenwriters who refused to cave in to pressure and personal

fear like Elia Kazan were denied the right to work despite having done nothing

illegal.

Because it serves to comment on the historical context of the communist witch

hunt while telling the story of the actual Salem witch hunt, therefore, The Crucible is technically an allegory. An allegory is basically a work of

literature that tells one story on the surface while referring to another sub

textually. Unlike the majority of other allegories, however, Arthur Miller peoples

his play with fully fleshed-out three dimensional characters, and not just

caricaturized puppets going through the motions.

The Crucible takes place in the historical Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts

in 1692. It begins with the image of several teenaged girls dancing in the woods

to the accompaniment of chants sung by a black slave. Making matters even

worse, one of these girls is spotted dancing naked by none other than Rev.

Parris. Being the fundamentalist Christian that he is-you know, full of

superstition-he immediately concludes that the only possible explanation for

teenage girls living in a repressive atmosphere like Puritan Salem to be in the

woods at night dancing is…witchcraft.

After this eventful night, two young girls have fallen ill, including Parris' own

young daughter Betty. Parris sends for Rev. Hale, an expert on witchcraft. Yeah,

isn't that kind of like being an expert on fairies, leprechauns, or Katie Co uric?

None of those things really exist so, well, you get my meaning. Betty begins

screaming amid a roomful of people, raising the hysteria level to the point

where Betty and Abigail Williams, who works for Parris, suddenly turn on the

one person in the room who looks like a witch.

Yeah, just another case of whitey keeping the black woman down. Poor Tituba

gets accused of being a watch on account of being black. (In reality, she was

more Native American than African-America.) In order to distract attention from

themselves-shades of Elia Kazan-they immediately begin calling out the names

of other women in the community who they claim to be witches.

This is a time honored American sport. When the hammer is about to come

down on you, shift the blame to other people. As just the most recent example,

consider how when it was discovered that Pres. Bush had once again been lying

about the extent of his domestic spying program in that he was spying on the

bank accounts of American citizens. Caught with his pants down once again,

what did our esteemed leader do? He blamed the messenger. What a guy!

In keeping with the allegorical intent, the House Un-American Activities

Committee is symbolized in The Crucible as the court convened to examine the

charges of witchcraft that is sweeping through Salem. The court closes its eyes

to reality and refuses to accept anybody's word except the young girls. Why?

Why accept the hysterical rantings of young girls against the word respected

citizens? Because the girls were saying exactly what they court wanted to hear.

It was an early case of conforming facts to fit policy. Sound familiar?

Miller's point is that those who refused to be cowered by authority that has run

amok, and who maintain loyalty to their friends in the process are better than

people like Elia Kazan who cave in, and they are also better able to live with

their real mistakes than those who turn rat on not only their friends, but their

former beliefs. It is better to die with a clean conscience than live with a dirty

one.

shmoop.com resources:http://www.shmoop.com/crucible/three-act-play.html

The play itselfSymbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Though there isn’t a lot of symbolism in the story, the events in the play itself are an allegory for the intolerance of McCarthyism. For a decade spanning the late 1940s to the late 1950s, the American government was intensely suspicious of the possible influence of communism on citizens and institutions. The FBI accused thousands of people of “un-American activities” and monitored many more; these people’s careers and personal lives were frequently destroyed. More often than not, there was little to no evidence to support the accusations. Nevertheless, the FBI and various government groups involved in monitoring or accusing individuals, such as The House Un-American Activities Committee, enjoyed widespread support from the American population. (Learn more here.) 

Similarly, in The Crucible, there is little evidence that much witchcraft activity is going on, but once accusations started flying, many innocent people get caught in the web of hysteria. Lives are destroyed and people die based on zero evidence.

What’s Up With the Title?

Nowhere in this play is there of a mention of the word "crucible." So where exactly did that come from. And what in the world is a crucible anyway? 

It turns out the word has two definitions. 

Humans Were Harmed in the Course of These Laboratory Tests

Let's tackle the first definition, shall we? A crucible is a piece of laboratory equipment used to heat chemical compounds to very high temperatures or to melt metal. It's a little container full of violent reactions. Seems like a pretty good metaphor for the violent hysteria that the little village of Salem contained during the witch trials. With all those folks jammed together in a tiny town, there are bound to be some hot tempers.

Yep, Salem became a crucible for many people living there, when they were brought before the religious court and accused falsely of being witches. If an accused person did not confess, she was hanged. If she did confess, she was spared death but marked for life as a person who worshipped the Devil. Classic catch-22. Under such conditions, several characters in this play, especially the central characters, John and Elizabeth Proctor, are forced to face their own internal demons, a process that ultimately leads to internal, spiritual transformation. 

Trial by Fire

The term crucible can also be used metaphorically, which brings us to our next definition: a test or a trial. Folks use the term crucible to refer to a difficult test. And there sure are a lot of tests going on in The Crucible. There are the tests to determine who's a witch. Then there are, quite literally, the trials the accused must undergo. And then, as we mentioned above, there are the more internal trials, where folks' deepest, most powerful beliefs are put to the test by their less than ideal circumstances.

20th Century Salem

The title (and the entire play) is also a metaphor for the anti-communist craze of America's Red Scare, led by Sen. Joe McCarthy. Thanks to the efforts of McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee, the whole United States became a "crucible," in which citizens beliefs about what it means to be American were deeply tested, in the highest halls of government.

What’s Up With the Ending?

The Crucible ends with John Proctor marching off to a martyr's death. By refusing to lie and confess to witchcraft, he sacrifices his life in the name of truth. At the end of the play, Proctor has in some way regained his goodness. Check out John's "Character Analysis" and "Character Roles" for more on his dramatic transformation.

Much is said elsewhere in this guide about John Proctor's journey, which is completed by his execution. As such, we'd like to use this section to focus on the actual last two lines of the play. We think it's interesting that, though this is Proctor's story, Miller doesn't give him the last word. Instead Reverend Hale and Elizabeth Proctor get the honor. Miller writes:

HALE: Woman, plead with him! […] Woman! It is pride, it is vanity. […] Be his helper! What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? Go to him, take his shame away!

ELIZABETH: […] He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him! (IV.207-IV.208)

It seems to us that these last two lines raise an interesting philosophical question, to which there is no right answer. Hale does have a pretty good point. Though the character of Proctor is often lauded for his integrity, is he helping his family by dying? His wife, sons, and unborn child will have to make it in the world without him. This is none too easy in the harsh Massachusetts wilderness. His choice of death could also be viewed as a form of suicide, which is unacceptable to many Christians. His death might also be interpreted as inherently selfish, because he's placing his own self-image over the good of his family.

Of course, we doubt that Proctor's wife, Elizabeth views it as abandonment. Though, she tries her best to remain neutral when John is trying to decide whether or not to confess, it seems pretty obvious in the subtext that she thinks he should die an honorable death. It makes total sense to a Puritan. They believed, as most modern Christians do, that a person's time on Earth is a mere speck when compared to one's afterlife. She likely believes that if John lies, he'll go to hell for all eternity. If he dies a martyr's death, he'll inevitably see his family again and spend all eternity with them in heaven.

It looks like both Hale and Elizabeth have a point. There are pros and cons no matter what decision Proctor makes. Miller's choice of these particular last two lines seems to almost ask the audience a direct question. Which is more important: your honor or your life? There's no definitive answer to this question. It's totally subjective. Like every great play, The Crucible gives its audiences a lot to think about long after they've left the theater.

The Crucible as Booker’s Seven Basic Plots Analysis: Rebirth PlotChristopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.

Plot Type :

Falling StageJohn Proctor discusses Abigail’s mischief with her.

Because John Proctor has committed adultery with Abigail Williams, he is still under her sway. When Proctor visits to find out why Betty is sick, and to mention how the entire town seems to think it’s witchcraft, Abigail admits to him that she, Betty, and the other girls were just playing games. We know, however, that she was drinking a potion to make Elizabeth Proctor die so she could become Proctor’s next wife. Although Proctor doesn’t know it, we the audience are aware that Abigail is a dangerous personality and that Proctor is vulnerable.

Recession StageJohn and Elizabeth Proctor are relatively isolated from the frenzy that is eating the town alive. They only hear about it through rumor and their housemaid, Mary.

John and Elizabeth discuss farm issues, and it’s clear that their relationship is still strained. John wants forgiveness, and Elizabeth wants to give it to him, but the hurt is deep.

Imprisonment StageElizabeth is arrested as a witch, and John Proctor tries in vain to save her and clear her name. In so doing, Proctor himself is arrested and accused of being a witch as well.

The Proctors’ housemaid Mary returns home and gives Elizabeth a poppet with a pin stuck in it. Mary explains how she saved Elizabeth’s life, and Elizabeth urges Proctor to go to the court and explain what he knows about Abigail. But it is too late. Cheever and Herrick arrive to arrest Elizabeth. The poppet is considered proof that she’s a witch: earlier that evening, Abigail was eating and was suddenly stuck by a pin in her thigh. She said Elizabeth Proctor was the one who tried to hurt her, and if they looked on the property, they’d find a poppet with a pin in it. They do, and Elizabeth is led away.

Later, in the courtroom, John Proctor tries to save his wife by exposing Abigail Williams as a fraud and a whore. To ascertain the truth, Deputy Governor Danforth asks the imprisoned Elizabeth Proctor if her husband is a lecher. To save his name, she lies for the first time, and claims he is not a lecher. Unfortunately, Proctor has already confessed, so Elizabeth’s untruthfulness actually undermined him rather than helped him. Soon after this event, Proctor himself is accused of being a witch and ends up in prison.

Nightmare StageThe day of John Proctor’s hanging – and his dilemma about whether to confess.

Proctor wrestles with his soul in prison, feeling that he doesn’t deserve to go to the gallows branded as a martyr and a saint. He discusses how he is feeling with his wife, and she lets him know that she realizes that it was her coldness that led him to seek Abigail. She feels he is taking her sin upon his shoulders and suggests that he stop judging himself. The shock of this confession rips Proctor right out of his self-pity, to look at the world with new eyes. He wants to live, he decides, and so he will confess.

Rebirth StageJohn Proctor tears up his signed confession and walks to the gallows.

Even as he confesses to a sin he didn’t commit, Proctor realizes that he can’t tell lies about the sins of other people. It is one thing to lie about himself and to take the rap to his reputation. But it is yet another thing to smear his friends’ good names. When Proctor decides to tear up the confession, he redeems himself and recognizes that he’s a good man. When he chooses death, he recognizes his fundamental goodness as a man. He is reborn.

Three-Act Plot AnalysisFor a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One, the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.

Act I

John Proctor learns that Abigail Williams is lying and fabricating stories of witchcraft throughout Salem.

Act II

After John Proctor tries to save his wife from the witchcraft charges in court, Proctor is arrested and incarcerated on charges of witchcraft, with the threat of death if he does not confess.

Act III

John Proctor chooses not to confess to witchcraft and is spiritually redeemed and reconciled with his wife; he goes like a hero to his death, with his goodness and integrity intact.

Questions to Consider ( for all articles):

1. The Crucible has a hard-hitting “moral of the story.” What is it? Do you think this moral is still applicable in today’s world?

2. What sort of modern-day witch hunts are you aware of? How are they similar to the Salem witch hunts? How are they different? Why do you think humans are so prone to go on witch-hunts?

3. You already know that Miller had the anti-communist House Un-American Activities Committee in mind when he wrote about the witch trials. In what ways was McCarthyism similar to the witch trials of Salem and in what ways was it different?

4. Can you imagine a witch trial (and witch-hunt) like this in today’s world, in the U.S.? Why or why not? What has changed to make such an event impossible or what has remained the same to make it possible?