She thought she had seen spirits previously because she had been swept up inside delusions of the around the lady. Abigail distracts the judges from any rational investigation inside act by playing into this hysteria.
Are you going to confess your self with him? Danforth insists that John must know more about the Devil's dealings than he's got revealed. Though Rebecca Nurse's involvement had been corroborated by other confessors, Danforth needs to listen to it from John to confirm that John is fully focused on renouncing their expected ties to Satan. Here are a few questions about hysteria to take into account now that you have read a summary of just how this theme had been expressed through the entire plot of play:.
Although there is certainly significant reason to believe Abigail is lying about Elizabeth's familiar nature stabbing her, the frenzied detectives ignore testimony that challenges their chosen witchy narrative.
Concern for reputation is a theme that looms big over a lot of the occasions in The Crucible. Though actions are often inspired by fear and desires for energy and revenge, they are also propped up by underlying concerns about how precisely a loss of reputation will negatively affect figures' everyday lives.
Once there has been sufficient beliefs, the reputations associated with the judges additionally become facets.
They're extremely biased towards believing they have made appropriate sentencing decisions in court to date, so that they are reluctant to just accept new proof that could prove all of them incorrect. The significance added to reputation assists perpetuate hysteria as it contributes to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage for the reputations of other people for selfish purposes.
The entire message is that whenever an individual's actions are driven by wants to preserve favorable general public opinion in the place of do the morally right thing, there may be excessively dire consequences. Reverend Parris' concerns about their reputation are straight away obvious in Act 1. Parris is quite fast to put himself quietly for the accusers when Abigail throws initial punch, and he instantly threatens violence on Tituba if she does not confess pg.
He seemingly have no governing system of morality. Their only goal is to get regarding the good part of community as a whole, in the midst of the episode of collective hysteria.
Abigail additionally shows concern on her behalf reputation. She is enraged when Parris questions the woman suspicious dismissal through the Proctor household. Abigail insists that she did nothing to deserve it and tries to put all of the fault on Elizabeth Proctor. She claims, «My name is good into the town! I will not need it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar! In this act, we discover more information regarding the accused that paint a better image of the influence of reputation and social standing on the habits of accusations.
Goody Good, a vintage beggar girl, is among the first to be known as a witch. Rebecca Nurse, a lady whose character was once regarded as unimpeachable, is accused and arrested. This is certainly taken as evidence that things are actually getting away from control «if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then absolutely nothing's left to stop the entire green globe from burning. Individuals in power consistently believe the accusers out of fear with regards to their very own security, using the hysteria to a point where no one is above condemnation.
At the end this work, John Proctor provides a brief monologue anticipating the imminent lack of the disguises of propriety worn by himself as well as other people for the Salem community. The faces that people present to the public are designed to garner respect in the community, nevertheless the witch trials have actually thrown this method into disarray.
You might say,John welcomes the increased loss of their reputation because he seems therefore guilty in regards to the disconnect between how he is sensed by others plus the sins he's committed. John Proctor sabotages his or her own reputation in Act 3 after realizing it is the only means they can discredit Abigail. This is certainly a choice with serious consequences in a town where reputation is indeed important, a well known fact that plays a role in the misunderstanding that follows.
She continues to act under the assumption that their reputation is very important to him, and she cannot expose the event. This lie basically condemns both of them. Danforth additionally functions from concern for their reputations here. He references the many sentencing decisions he's currently made in the trials of this accused.
This fact could destroy their credibility, so he's biased towards continuing to trust Abigail. Danforth has substantial pride in their cleverness and perceptiveness.
This makes him particularly averse to accepting he's been tricked by a teenage woman. Though hysteria overpowered the reputations associated with accused in the past two functions, in work 4 the sticking power of their original reputations becomes obvious. Parris begs Danforth to postpone their hangings because he fears for his life in the event that executions continue because prepared. Within the final events of Act 4, John Proctor has a tough choice in order to make between losing their dignity and losing his life.
The cost he's to pay for in reputation to truly save his own life is ultimately too much. I have given you my soul; keep me my name! Here are some discussion questions to take into account once you have look over my summary of the way the theme of reputation motivates characters and plot developments within the Crucible:.
The want to protect and gain power pervades The Crucible once the witch studies trigger dramatic changes in which characters hold the greatest control over the length of activities. In which before she ended up being simply an orphaned teenager, now, in the middle of the studies, she becomes the key witness towards internal workings of a Satanic plot.
The main pillars of old-fashioned power are represented by the law and also the church. Both of these institutions fuse together inside Crucible to actively encourage accusers and discourage logical explanations of activities. Girls are basically given authorization by authority figures to keep their act as they are made to feel very special and essential for their involvement.
Also, Abigail and her group resort to becoming possessed and tormented by a demon sent by the person who will not admit, forcing some to a point where they do end up lying and saying that they did traffick with the Devil.
In one instance, Abigail claims to have been stabbed when Mary-Warren stuck a needle in the poppet she made, and Mary is helpless when it comes to defending herself. Abigail Williams forms a continuous string of deceitful lies about the presence of witchcraft in Salem and her involvement with it, triggering the beginning of the trials and causing mayhem to permeate the town. Playwright Arthur Miller characterizes Abigail as "a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling" 8.
Her fabrications induce calamity in Salem, and entangles many innocent people in her slanderous web of stories. In most cases, Abigail lies to evade discomfort or punishment. Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' is a midth century play telling the story of the famous Salem witch trials. The play begins with girls doing mysterious and devilish things in the woods, and amongst them: Abigail Williams, the outcast orphan niece of Reverend Parris, whom is equally disliked by the villager.
She is a 17 year old girl whom has made many poor and alarming choices; she's had an affair with a married man, John Proctor, and now, has participated in the unspeakable act of witchcraft for nothing more than to seek her revenge on his wife, Elizabeth.
Her character is rather simple, she is the villain; her ability to deceive, manipulate, lie, and control people drives the town to taking the lives of nineteen innocent people, and imprisoning many more.
Although, why would a young lady like herself feel compelled to act so deviously in the first place? This belief quickly spreads throughout the village as many innocent people are falsely accused.
This flawed logic ends up costing the lives of many innocent civilians as they are hung shortly after they are accused of performing witchcraft.
The Crucible contains a deep allegorical nature which explores the Salem witch trials and the witch hunts of the s. The allegory behind this play is the harsh effects of illogical thinking.
Though the more obvious story is a girl wanting a man and so she ends up taking desperate measures which lead to the hanging of innocent people. Abigail Williams, was of the eldest and most manipulative girls, schemed the other girls involved in the dancing to accuse other people in the village of witchcraft so the girls were thought of as proper Christian girls.
Complementary to the Prophet Hen of Leeds, the egg that was thought to represent doomsday was really counterfeit. Hysteria blinds the people of Salem to reason as they become convinced that there is a grand Satanic plot brewing in town, and they must not hesitate to condemn anyone who could be involved.
This is a lesson in how fear can twist perceptions of reality even for those who consider themselves reasonable under normal circumstances. Even before Abigail makes accusations, rumors of witchcraft have morphed into accepted truths in the minds of the more superstitious members of the community. Ann Putnam jumps at any opportunity to blame supernatural forces for the deaths of her children. Rational explanations are ground up by the drama of the rumor mill, and people see only what they want to see whatever keeps them in the good graces of society and makes them feel the best about themselves in situations that don't appear to have easy explanations.
Parris is extremely dismayed by this revelation because of the damage it will do to his reputation. This vicious cycle continues to claim the lives of more and more people as the play progresses. By Act 2, there are nearly 40 people in jail accused of witchcraft. Many people confess when threatened with execution, and this only heightens the paranoid atmosphere. The authorities ignore any inconvenient logical objections to the proceedings because they, too, are swept up in the madness.
The hysterical atmosphere and the dramatic performances of some of the accusers cause people to believe they have seen genuine proof of witchcraft. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear.
And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. The idea that a witch's familiar spirit is capable of stabbing people is too scary for the superstitious and now hysterical people of Salem to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. No one even considers Mary's statement about sticking the needle in herself. In this environment, whoever yells the loudest seems to get the most credibility. The depths of the hysteria that has gripped Salem are revealed in Act 3 when John finally confronts the court.
The court refuses to challenge anyone who claims to have been afflicted. When the petition testifying to the good character of the accused women is presented, the reaction from Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris is to arrest the people who signed it rather than considering that this might indicate that the women are innocent.
Nowhere is there any consideration of ulterior motives. The power of mass hysteria is further revealed when Mary is unable to faint outside of a charged courtroom environment. She believed she had seen spirits earlier because she was caught up in the delusions of those around her. Abigail distracts the judges from any rational investigation in this act by playing into this hysteria. Will you confess yourself with him? Danforth insists that John must know more about the Devil's dealings than he has revealed.
Though Rebecca Nurse's involvement has already been corroborated by other confessors, Danforth demands to hear it from John to confirm that John is fully committed to renouncing his supposed ties to Satan. Here are a few questions about hysteria to consider now that you've read a summary of how this theme was expressed throughout the plot of the play:.
Even though there is significant reason to believe Abigail is lying about Elizabeth's familiar spirit stabbing her, the frenzied investigators ignore testimony that challenges their chosen witchy narrative.
Concern for reputation is a theme that looms large over most of the events in The Crucible. Though actions are often motivated by fear and desires for power and revenge, they are also propped up by underlying worries about how a loss of reputation will negatively affect characters' lives. Once there have been enough convictions, the reputations of the judges also become factors.
They are extremely biased towards believing they have made the correct sentencing decisions in court thus far, so they are reluctant to accept new evidence that may prove them wrong.
The importance placed on reputation helps perpetuate hysteria because it leads to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage of the reputations of others for selfish purposes.
The overall message is that when a person's actions are driven by desires to preserve favorable public opinion rather than do the morally right thing, there can be extremely dire consequences. Reverend Parris' concerns about his reputation are immediately evident in Act 1. Parris is very quick to position himself on the side of the accusers as soon as Abigail throws the first punch, and he immediately threatens violence on Tituba if she doesn't confess pg.
He appears to have no governing system of morality. His only goal is to get on the good side of the community as a whole, even in the midst of this bout of collective hysteria.
Abigail also shows concern for her reputation. She is enraged when Parris questions her suspicious dismissal from the Proctor household. Abigail insists that she did nothing to deserve it and tries to put all the blame on Elizabeth Proctor.
She says, "My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar! In this act, we learn more details about the accused that paint a clearer picture of the influence of reputation and social standing on the patterns of accusations.
Goody Good, an old beggar woman, is one of the first to be named a witch. Rebecca Nurse, a woman whose character was previously thought to be unimpeachable, is accused and arrested. This is taken as evidence that things are really getting out of control "if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning.
People in power continue to believe the accusers out of fear for their own safety, taking the hysteria to a point where no one is above condemnation.
At the end this act, John Proctor delivers a short monologue anticipating the imminent loss of the disguises of propriety worn by himself and other members of the Salem community. The faces that people present to the public are designed to garner respect in the community, but the witch trials have thrown this system into disarray. In a way, John welcomes the loss of his reputation because he feels so guilty about the disconnect between how he is perceived by others and the sins he has committed.
John Proctor sabotages his own reputation in Act 3 after realizing it's the only way he can discredit Abigail.
This is a decision with dire consequences in a town where reputation is so important, a fact that contributes to the misunderstanding that follows. She continues to act under the assumption that his reputation is of the utmost importance to him, and she does not reveal the affair. This lie essentially condemns both of them. Danforth also acts out of concern for his reputations here. He references the many sentencing decisions he has already made in the trials of the accused.
This fact could destroy his credibility , so he is biased towards continuing to trust Abigail. Danforth has extensive pride in his intelligence and perceptiveness. This makes him particularly averse to accepting that he's been fooled by a teenage girl. Though hysteria overpowered the reputations of the accused in the past two acts, in act 4 the sticking power of their original reputations becomes apparent.
Parris begs Danforth to postpone their hangings because he fears for his life if the executions proceed as planned. In the final events of Act 4, John Proctor has a tough choice to make between losing his dignity and losing his life. The price he has to pay in reputation to save his own life is ultimately too high.
I have given you my soul; leave me my name! Here are a few discussion questions to consider after you've read my summary of how the theme of reputation motivates characters and plot developments in The Crucible :. If you're an old beggar woman who sometimes takes shelter in this creepy shack, you better believe these jerks are gonna turn on you as soon as anyone says the word "witch.
Open Access and Research Funding. Open Access for Librarians. Open Access for Academic Societies. About us. Stay updated. Corporate Social Responsiblity. Investor Relations. Review a Brill Book. McCarthyism is marked with ungrounded accusations, Red Scare, the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings and the Hollywood blacklist, which included several celebrated people in American film production, like Arthur Miller.
In , Miller responded to McCarthyism through The Crucible , a play that depicts a similar craze in the justice system, but from a different period of American history: the Salem witch-hunt trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that started in It is not surprising that Miller chose the Salem witch-hunt trials for a comparison with McCarthyism, because they prove how insanity can turn into both a discourse of power and a social norm.
However, it is most importantly language through which insanity and irrationality manifest themselves and assume the role of reason. Miller writes an allegory of the event, focusing on the helplessness of the rational intellectual against the irrational justice system. Throughout the play, several characters are charged with witchcraft, some of them hanged, and some forced to confess. In the judiciary procedures, one can observe that madness takes over the rational and confines it in and through language; as a result, the Puritan colony and Abigail gain autonomy and unquestionable authority.
In this sense, language alone serves as evidence for witchcraft, and is circulated in the verbalisation of the supernatural, as well as oral and written texts like testimonies, verdicts and allegations. Reference Works. Primary source collections.
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