How does Arthur Miller reveal the complexity of his characte
'The Crucible' is about the Salem witch hunts which happened in the small Massachusetts village in the year 1692. A group of girls were discovered dancing in the woods, when one of them fell ill the deeply religious residents of Salem began to suspect that the sickness was caused by witchcraft. This led to wild accusations of compact with the Devil and as a result many people were in jail. Soon there was a sense of hysteria in the village as accusations could be based on almost anything. This was fuelled on by jealousy and old grudges. A crucible is a scientific tool used for melting and purifying elements. The title 'The Crucible' symbolizes the theme of the play which is catching and purifying the alleged witches and melting down and purifying people's emotions. The Salem society is a puritan one. Puritans are strict Christians who believe that the bible tells them witches must be hanged to be 'purified' and that the devil compacted with witches to overthrow the society. They believe that any pleasure is sinful such as singing and dancing. Children were forced to behave like adults which meant they were repressed and when they showed any emotions it was extreme. The puritans had just immigrated to America at the time and muc
I am going to look at how their personalities are revealed and the different layers to their personalities. He uses stagecraft and dialogue to show dramatic tension, and his commentary on the characters make them more realistic. I am looking at two scenes which show the relationship and complexity of the three main characters: John Proctor, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Unlike the other girls Abigail is not afraid of Proctor, instead she seems to be captivated by him 'stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed' and attracted to his masculinity 'I'd almost forgot how strong you are, John Proctor!' he responds with a 'knowing smile'. Miller was put on trail and made to confess, he refused to give names just as Proctor had done. The only way of safeguarding against evil was to have strict laws and conformity. But there is strong contrast between her innocence and power, she also taunts him and her language becomes more aggressive when she realizes that he doesn't love her anymore 'how do you call me child!' She takes her anger out on his wife because he has no defense on her and she knows that he feels guilty about cheating on her, this also shows her manipulative side 'she is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!'. The mentions of 'knowing' in their conversation would emphasize their relationship to the audience, 'You come five mile to see a silly girl fly? I know you better'. h of the land was unknown and feared. Miller reveals a lot about Elizabeth's character in this scene. Proctors powerfulness is obvious immediately as he enters, he makes the girls nervous and 'Mary Warren, his servant, can barely speak for embarrassment and fear. By using all these techniques he creates the complexity of his characters. He doesn't care about his physical appearance anymore and he seems to be the shadow of the man he was. ' His ability to make people feel stupid is shown when he speaks: 'Be you foolish Mary Warren? Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house did I not?' the affect of this is shown in the stage directions: 'trying to retain a shred of dignity, she goes slowly out'. She thinks that Proctor feels as strongly towards her as she is towards him 'I have seen you looking up, burning in your loneliness' but as we know from their dialogue this is not so 'put it out of mind, I'll not be coming for you more'.
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Acceptance Essays
