The swiftness of judgment of many people led to unfair trials. Many people from the play were considered guilty until proven innocent, and even then it was hard to prove innocence. You either conformed and said that you did witchcraft, or kept your dignity and went to the gallows. The fears of evil encroaching upon the people of Salem in The Crucible led to coincidences turning into witchcraft, harsh judgment of the accused, swift judgment of the accused, and many lives being ruined. The few words that got Reverend Hale to start questioning Tituba, “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” Abigail said when Tituba came in (23). Ultimately this was the line that started the whole debacle. Then, without questioning Abigail, Reverend
The Crucible was created to described what really happened in these witch trials, and the effects it had on the Colony itself. There was more than 50 men and women accused of witchcraft but less than 20 were hung. The town embraced their trials as a template for their envy of hate.
All of the hanging of people for supposedly doing witchcraft was over. It took too many people sacrificing their lives for them to realize there were no more lives to end; but we all know the real ones doing witchcraft were Abigail Williams and her group of friends. But it was too late, the Crucible was a time where too many deaths happened. There were too many innocent people who died that nobody can
In 1962 the penalty of witchcraft was to be hung or smashed. There was a big outburst of witchcraft and spells that were going around among the people of Massachusetts in 1962. Some of the women of Salem began the witchcraft many people started to catch on and fallow them. A lot of these people were hung do to what the bible said about the wrongs of witchcraft. When these women of Salem Massachusetts started to do witchcraft and pass it on to other people they were put on trial for their actions, which at the time was, illegal. It had caught on all over England and was spreading fast. Arthur Miller made a play called the Crucible that was about the Salem witchcraft trials. Arthur miller took the historical
Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible take us to Salem Massachusetts, in the spring of 1692. People in town were vengeance and accuse each other of being with the Devil. John Proctor belongs to the middle class and his dishonest and full of guilt. The guilt forces him to make some unwise decisions that affect those closest to him. In addition, it puts his family in danger. Proctor comes to the conclusion that loves and family are only things that matter and he will do whatever it takes to protect his family.
Martin Luther King, Jr once commented:”Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The Crucible written by Arthur Miller in 1953 introduces us a story of this kind that injustice brought by a character named Danforth brings the social malfunction of Salem accompanied by a breakdown of humanity and faith which destroys the interpersonal trust, social relationships and even many lives of many Salem residents. Obviously, when the structures become shackles and the judges mute off their voice of the truth, it leads the affliction and misery to the people. In our modern society, the public requires the power and presence of a fair justice system to protect their rights and convince, punish the offenders.
In the play, The Crucible, there are many events and many people that present guilt. Guilt can overtake and manipulate someone to make extreme choices. A variety of people carry this aspect with them and it gets stronger as the play moves on. However long it is put off it will always come back.
There are many things that typical Americans expect from their courts. They count upon the ability to use a lawyer, trial by jury, and basic rights to protect themselves. However, what makes a democratic judicial system function is a person’s right to a fair trial, which is judged by someone who is impartial and applies only the law when judging. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the flaws within the religious Puritan courts are on full display. Danforth, the judge of the trials, is seen by most as the essence of the entire mess. Danforth is one of the most important judges in Puritan society, so his compliance with the Puritan trials should demonstrate that he truly believes in that Judicial process. Yet, throughout the book we see Danforth apply the law, instead of religion, more than what would be expected in a Puritan court. So, what is it about this trial that makes Danforth’s style of judging seem less Puritan? Danforth is used to his secular beliefs being in line with his religious values. In most of his trials, he is judging based on religious laws that are written on the side of “righteousness”, so his lawful morals do not prove to be a problem. However, the fact that this trial is based off of an “invisible crime” requires Danforth to rely completely on his own beliefs while judging, therefore shedding light on his attempts to separate the law from religion within his court.
People believe that actions happen for many different reasons and tend to blame others before themselves. Some believe that the devil is doing the work in the body of someone else, and some believe that the devil does not, and some even believe in witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, nineteen innocent people are hung for accusations of performing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls go out into the woods which is forbidden in Salem. They are sent into a frenzy when the town’s reverend, Parris, spots them dancing in the woods. The girls are led by Abigail Williams, a young teenage girl who lives with her uncle, reverend Parris. Abigail is not the most truthful girl, which ends up causing 19 innocent people their lives. Previous to these events, Abigail was a servant in the Proctor household, but was sent off after Elizabeth Proctor found out about the affair between Abigail and her husband, John Proctor. In Abigail’s case the more lies she told, the more lives she ended.
The McCarthy hearings (The Red Scare) in the 1950’s with the political issues that were happening during those years could be depicted as the 1692/93 Salem Witch Trials. Accusing people of being communists is the same as accusing people of being witches. Arthur Miller, the author of the play,The Crucible, that was based on the Salem Witch Trials is a good example of a morality play. In 1692, there were accusations against innocent people in the town of Salem. In The Crucible, a group of teens accuse others of witchcraft even though, they are trying to cover up their mistakes that had been caused. After John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams this had opened a full can of worms throughout Salem. The Crucible displays characterization and bold symbolism and is represented in good and evil morals during the Salem Witch Trials.
In The Crucible, the townspeople are afraid of witches and will punish anyone that is potentially one, even if they are innocent. “I have seen too many frightful proofs in court—the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!”(Hale). The people of Salem will take every chance they get to eliminate a potential witch, and all they
In the time this was taking place, many people, especially the lower class women, were on edge. They were afraid they were going to be accused of preforming witchcraft because then they’d have to go on trial. If a woman went on trial not only would this destroy their reputation but if they were found guilty then they would have to be held in jail until they were hung. This affected more than just the accusers and the accused but it also affected their families. They too would hold a bad reputation of possibly being witches too and they would be weighed down with grief. After their family member has just been accused of being a witch then hung they would be left emotionally damaged. Afterwards when they stopped believing the girls when they would accuse someone and let everyone go, they were left with both debt and very little to do. With their reputation, nobody would have wanted to have anything to do with them. This also left a major impact on American history in many ways. During the Salem Witch Trials many families were split apart from each other when one of them was accused or if they had different opinions on the situation. It happened to families that were both apart of the accusers and the accused. It also changed the way people are now seen in court. Back then, they didn’t have a lawyer to defend them but now we can have one to help us. They didn’t have a fair trial because the
The Crucible stood out to me from the rest of the plays. I was able to relate to it on a greater scale than the others, and the story behind the Crucible interested me very much. Also I notice a theme of secret sin. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this play as well as watching the movie. In research, I have read numerous facts on the Salem witch trials and have discovered that the witch trials are a very wide known topic which possesses many different opinions on the subject. The mass hysteria over witches started these trials. Since held in 1692, television programs today consist of witch characters in their series including some bad and some good. Clearly, the thought of witches has made its way to our world now-a-days. An obvious theme in this play is lies and deceit. Most of the characters in The Crucible are lying – if not to other people, then to themselves. Abigail lies about her ability to see spirits, as do the other girls; Proctor is deceitful first for cheating on his wife and then for hiding
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a historical play set in 1962 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. As you may know, you've all placed your trust in the words and actions of someone close to you. And what do they do? They betray you! It's rarely justified, and can happen to the best of us. Based on authentic records of witchcraft trials in the seventeenth-century this play explains how a small group of girls manage to create a massive panic in their town by spreading accusations of witchcraft. These rumors in turn are the causes that many citizens are hung for. This essay will show how the lies and betrayal of a few individuals eventually leads to the downfall of Salem and its society.
In The Crucible, many are tested with regards to their faith and put on trial for witchcraft. In this play, nineteen are hanged and one is pressed to death for the crime of being a witch, for that being John Proctor. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses McCarthyism to show how important mass hysteria is, mass hysteria involving Abigail, and the breaking of Mary Warren's will leads to mass hysteria.
In Act I of The Crucible, the suspicion of witchcraft arose in Salem. This suspicion had a major effect on the whole community, and all of the characters responded to the accusations brought upon them in different manors. The two prominent factors that effected the way each character responded were fear and shame. Other components that caused problems were the individuals who took control of the situation, and the individuals who had more passive responses. The behaviors of Abigail and Tituba had a very significant impact in the town of Salem.