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Theme Of Pathos In The Crucible

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Today, we plaster death, relationship drama, and corruption in Holy places everywhere for our enjoyment. During 1953 when the author Arthur Miller wrote a play called The Crucible, it had all of those components. This play had the drama of infidelity, lying, murder, and corruption of a church; all of the fun things that make us laugh, cry, and fear for a character's fate. The Puritans did not allow entertainment, only work and pray, so when they received entertainment they took to the extreme. The play will have Miller playing with your emotions in the same ways that the Puritans played with life and death. Throughout this play, Miller will create pathos through the conflicts of infidelity, religion, and injustice. Miller creates pathos first in the beginning of Act One when we found out that John Proctor had been cheating on his wife Elizabeth, seven months ago, with their servant Abigail Williams. This created the emotions of shock, disappointment, and empathy for Elizabeth. The audience finds out about the affair when Abigail and Proctor are left alone and she begins to bring up their past saying, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! Or did I dream that? Its she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, you loved me then and you do now!” (1. 424-428). This shows the audience that John had more feelings for Abigail than just lust, and she knew that he felt more for her.

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