Minimal Evidence In The Crucible

All of a sudden there was a witch outbreak in Salem Massachusetts. The following day the girls were found in bed inert. The doctor attempted to figure out the sickness the girls could have. However, he could not give the sickness any name. Then Reverend Hale was called in to help the town cure its unnatural problem. Throughout the play Reverend Hale contributed to both sides of the arguments. At the beginning he believed the court was doing God’s job. Towards the end his character changes and is less in favor of the court and more in favor for the people being wrongly accused. Reverend Hale’s is seen to be independent, confident and outspoken. These traits end up changing towards the end of the play. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character

In chapter 3 I read that this took place in the Salem church. The Salem church was turned into a courtroom. The judge would always questioned Martha about her being a witch but, it seems like she will always deny she’s a witch. They asked her “why do you hurt these children” she says she doesn’t hurt them. I found this in page 52. Martha’s husband yelled saying he had evidence for the court, but people in the court were very excited so they got to loud in the court and the Danforth told him to take his seat. Giles said that Martha’s husband evidence is lies, but he couldn’t speak yet so they had to remove the man. In page 52, line 12 Corey says he has evidence but, the will not listen to his evidence. They were half caring him and he screamed

Since there are only two outcomes in the minds of the court officials, they rush to conclusions. The girls’ influence on the court officials puts the decisions in their favor, leading the villagers to either confess to witchcraft or be hanged. Danforth’s statement is one that guides the rest of the novel. The idea that one must either be with the court or against it leads to all of the problems in Salem. The forced choice from two alternatives creates tension, fear, and false accusations in the community.

The year is 1692. Throughout the small, Puritan, seaside community of Salem, rumors and accusations fly like gusts of ocean wind. Neighbors turn on neighbors, and even the most holy church-goers are accused of being the devil’s servants. The Crucible details this real-life tragedy of the Salem witch trials, in which nineteen members of the Salem community were hanged for alleged witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a seemingly innocent girl, accuses dozens of Salem’s citizens of witchcraft through the support of her mob of girls and the complicity of the court officials. The title of this play gives significant insight into the experiences of several of these Salem citizens. Although a crucible is often used in chemistry for heating up substances, the title of the play carries a much greater weight. In his famous play The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the title of “crucible” to signify the severe and unrelenting tests of faith and character that many of the community members endure throughout the Salem witch trials, which he achieves through the use of figurative language and fallacies of relevance and insufficiency.

When we are introduced to his character, it is apparent that he has been unfaithful to his wife (Elizabeth) with a lady named Abigail. Following this, we see that his wife has been accused of witchcraft, and it is Abigail who made the accusation. Proctor realizes that it is because of his actions that his wife has been accused and he

In the Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is both an allegory and tragedy where the Puritan society of Salem is attacked with the agitation of witchcraft. It all started with five young girls of the Salem society caught dancing naked around a bonfire. This practice is viewed upon by the Puritans as the task of the devil. In the beginning of the play, there was controversy about ownership of land between some of the villagers. Later in the story, people fear for their own safety and begin pointing fingers and accusing their neighbors of witchcraft in order to escape being hanged. This caused the society to get more and more separated as time went on. This emphasizes the idea of how fear and suspicion can destroy a society due to accusations, roundups, and forced confessions. Miller captures the evil of paranoia and fear in his play through emotions by letting them shine through his characters to make the audience feel the tension, the angst and the desperation throughout the play.

Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.

Proctor, who doesn't get involved in the town's issues, has begun to intervene every single issue of the witchcraft because innocent people are beginning hang for false accusations due to Abigail's love for proctor and is trying to be with him by killing off anyone that intervenes with her plans.”Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft,” says Hale, a character in “The Crucible”, author Arthur Miller. Proctor told Hale that Abigail had been lying to be with him and killing people off for him. As Proctor found out about that Abigail had accused Elizabeth, Proctor's wife, that's when he started to do everything in his power to help save her from death even it means to ruin his name buy telling the court that he committed the lecture with Abigail williams. Proctor went from a Jerk, sinner, and a hypocrite to a caring and noble man buy trying to save the rest of the accused lives including his wife and the baby that she is carrying in her womb. When Proctor wanted to confess the judge told him to write down his confession so the people can see, but Proctor will not let the judge do that to him and then later tears up the confession to die an honest man than to to believing a lie of something that he didn't do. He later is

Danforth focuses on the affect that a postponement will have on his own reputation, and in essence says that he cannot stop the hangings now, as it will show the failure of the court in fairly adjudicating the fates of those previously accused of witchery. Instead of being concerned with providing justice. Danforth attempts to save his reputation from the shame that would follow a stay of execution. He only truly cares about on the personal consequences for his actions, rather than acting as an impersonal arm of the law and declares that “there will be no postponement.” Judge Danforth does not heed the pleas of Reverend Parris, but instead says that if he stops the trials and hangings now, it will imply weakness on his part and be detrimental to his reputation. This decision shows that he is continuing the trials because he is more concerned with his reputation than he is with administering justice.

Reverend John Hale is a 40 year old minister from a nearby town known as Beverly. He is an eager-eyed, tight-skin, and wise man who is a Harvard graduate. He comes to Salem because Parris called him into town to investigate witchcraft, which is also his motive. To find out the truth about witchcraft and what happened to Betty and the girls in the woods. In this scene, Hale is talking to Proctor and Elizabeth to try and convince them, specifically John, to confess to witchcraft. He says, “For it may be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride” (Miller 132). Hale uses his connection with God, as a reverend, to convey to John Proctor that if he does not confess, he will be hanged and sent to hell for throwing his life away. Both characters, Parris and Hale, use their connections with others, and their credibility to convince people that they know what they are talking about and that they are well informed. On the contrary, Hale is more efficient in doing so because he also evokes fear by saying he might go to hell. Hale also is confident, unlike Parris who seems to second guess himself before he speaks because he is too worried about his reputation. Not only does Hale have strong claims while speaking to Proctor and Elizabeth, but he also makes strong claims to Danforth. Hale, like Parris, wants a postponement of the hangings. Hale is

In the beginning of the story, each had a strong opinion of themselves. John thought strongly of himself as a sinner "a sinner not only against the moral fashion` of the time, but against his own decent conduct"(468). Proctor at this time not only considers himself a fraud to the community and but also to his own being. This mind set causes a want for redemption when he is soon given the opportunity. Meanwhile, Hale considers highly of himself because of his elite knowledge, shown by his confidence. He is confident in both his study and the word of religion he follows by. As Hale is confident he tends to use educated language and acknowledges that his predictions are accurate, "This is a strange time, Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village"(495). Due to this confidence it soon begins to blind him from the monstrous truth that lies behind the word of the girls. This is key to the plot as deception leads to the growth of accusations in the city and the children taking over

Another pivotal development in the plot of the play is the reactions of Mr. hale to the happenings in Salem. He is a man of integrity, although at times misguided and overzealous, he is willing to change his mind when confronted with the truth. Despite this admirable trait, he lacks the moral conviction to act against proceedings that will condemn innocent people to death. He comes to realize that John Proctor is

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, justice, individuality and dignity play a vital role. These factors define the characteristics of many of the most significant characters in the play. Some of them being John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many others. The Salem witch trials were a result of the lack of expression of individuality and the fact that no individual could expect justice from the majority culture as a result of the deterioration of human dignity in the Puritan society of Salem.

Therefore, we must rely upon her victims – and they do testify, the children certainly do testify. As for the witches, none will deny that we are most eager for all their confessions. Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to bring out? I think I have made my point. Have I not?"(239-243). Reverend Hale is starting to believe that the girls are lying, and he thinks that the ones being accused should have a lawyer but Danforth just says the accused only rely on victims and witnesses. Danforth feels that he has much power and he wants it to stay that way by "defending" the people. "I cannot hear you. What do you say? You will confess yourself or you will hang! Do you know who I am? I say you will hang if you do not open with me!" (483-487). Danforth knows that he has the power to say if someone hangs or not so he's using it to scare Mary into telling the truth, or in this case the truth he wants to hear.

The Crucible is an American drama written by Arthur Miller in 1953. The drama is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late seventeenth century. It is based on the non-fictitious event of the Salem Witch Trials, in which dozens of people died, mostly women. Today, it is known that the Trails were no more than a paranoia trail intended to stop a mostly-Pagan community from uprising into chaos causing, evil-blaming, witch-hunter community. In early America, the way trail cases were handled was different as it is now the accused had no word or defense prepared before a trail. One of the accusers was Deputy Governor Danforth, a character who appears late in Act III but has a vital role in the way the Salem Witch Trails are concluded.