Salem Witchcraft Trials

Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible based on what happened during the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Is Arthur Millers‘ projection of what happened during the actual trials accurate? As you will find out, Miller used more dramatic license then you might expect. Why did Miller decide to change some of the events that occurred ? Was it to intrigue the reader or were some of the events reflections from his own life.?

In the play Reverend Parris has one daughter and a young woman, Abigail, who is under his care. In reality, the Parris family also included two other children, an older brother, Thomas (b. 1681), and a younger sister, Susannah (b.1687)(Brown). Another major difference is that in the play Betty claims that her mother is dead, but in fact she was not dead; she died in 1696 four years after the events(Brown). Miller admits in the introduction to the play that he boosted Abigail's age to 17 even though the real girl’s age was only 11, and he never mentions that John Proctor was 60 and Elizabeth ,his third wife, was 41. In fact Proctor was not a farmer but a tavern keeper. other members of the Proctor family were; a daughter aged 15, a son who was 17, and John’s 33-year-old son from his first marriage (Nissenbaum). Ever

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I believe even in the puritan society this is viewed as perverted. One more key change was that Martha Corey, John Proctor , and Rebecca Nurse were not all hung on the same day. For instance Miller has 17 year old Abby seduce a thirtyish John when in truth Abby was 11 and John was In the Play, John proctor and Abigail commit adultery. In the play Abigail says “ Uncle we did dance” referring to the time Reverend Parris caught them in the woods.

In the play Reverend Parris says, “ I am a graduate of Harvard college”. Instead Miller used his own life as a substitute for the play . Corey probably realized that if he were tried at all, he would be executed, and his children would be disinherited. He attended for a while then dropped out (Gragg). He could have put this part in the play because John reflects Miller in that he feels deeply sorry for what he did and he wishes his own wife would have forgiven him like his character Elizabeth did with John. Elizabeth Proctor was indeed pregnant during the trialls, and did have a temporary stay of execution after conviction, which ultimately saved her life because it extended past the end of the period that the executions were taking place (Brown). He was pressed to death with stones, but the method was used to try to force him to enter a plea so that his trial could proceed(Brown). He committed adultery , when he was married to his wife. In part the play is accurate: he was accused of witchcraft, and refused to enter a plea, which held up the proceedings, since the law of the time required that the accused enter a plea.

Despite what was said in the play Giles Corey was not executed for refusing to name a witness, as portrayed in the movie.

Approximate Word count = 952
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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