I Know You Clutched My Back Behind Your House and Sweated Like a Stalllion
The Crucible (two)
Past Arthur Miller
Drama, Tragedy
Contemporary
one. The Writer and His Times
Arthur Miller was built-in in 1915 in New York Metropolis. He grew up to a Jewish family. He studied and graduated from the Academy of Michigan in 1939 where he began to distinguish himself equally a playwright. For a few years, he wrote radio scripts. All My Songs (1947) was his first successful play.
He has written many plays including Death of a Salesman (1949) which won the Pulitzer prize in 1949, and The Crucible (1953). He has also written 2 novels: Focus (1945), and The Misfits.
Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy menstruum when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist behavior. Many of Miller�s friends were being attacked equally communists, and in 1956, Miller himself was brought before the House of Un-American Activities Committee where he was found guilty of beliefs in Communism. The verdict was reversed in 1957 in an appeals court. Miller married Marylin Monroe in 1956 but divorced her in 1961.
ii. Point of View
The Crucible is told from a 3rd person objective point of view. The characters do non address the audience in the kickoff person. Arthur Miller shows the audience the skillful and evil within people and bring out the mad hysterical qualities in a mob. He displays that even deeply religious people brand mistakes in their lives. He does this through his characters who through their ain imperfections and beliefs, bring the witch hunts to a consummate chaos.
3. Form, Structure, and Plot
Miller structures The Crucible into four acts. There is some off-stage activeness such every bit John Proctors thing.
The exposition occurs at the beginning of act 1 where the situation is introduce. The audition finds out that the girls have been practicing witchcraft in the woods with Tituba.
The initial incident is the bodily accusing of the women of witchcraft by the several girls that were in the woods. This gets the plot rolling, and everything rolls downhill from their with the townspeople reaching a consummate frenzy.
The rising action is the witch hunt itself. The audience learns in subsequent acts that several women are tried and hung.
The crisis/climax is the accusing of the Proctors of witchcraft. They try to become their servant to confess what she did in the forest with the other girls, simply when they come into court, she turns her back on Proctor and returns to the side of the girls. The tension continues until the trial and the speeches made before the execution.
The falling activeness and the denouement is the actual execution where John Proctor upholds his innocence and goes to the gallows.
4. Character
The main characters in this play such as the ministers and the proctors are well developed and iii dimensional. Their personalities and reactions to their struggles in the play are believable and intricate. However, some of the minor characters, such as the girls who played in the forest, are less developed and static. Their actions do not always seem to go with the flow of things and unlike from how existent people would take acted in similar situations.
Reverend Parris - Reverend Parris is in his centre forties. he is a widower and has a daughter named Betty who is ten years old. He is Abigail Williams� uncle. Parris is a circular character. His function in the play is to bring out the hatred and frenzy in the townspeople. He does non have many real friends in the village. Parris is gullible, uncaring, and villainous. He cares more near his reputation than truth. He says, �They�ve come to overthrow the courtroom, sir!� This shows his susceptibility to the lies of the girls and his fervor to go the accused executed.
John Proctor - John Proctor is a farmer. he is in his middle thirties. He has a wife and two sons. Proctor is the principal character and very well developed during the course of the play. His function in the play is to be an example of a sinner who is able to accept and confess of his sin to do good. He, along with many others, refuse to confess to witchcraft when doing so would have saved his life. Because he doesn�t confess, he is executed. Proctor is kind, stiff, and precipitous. He says, �Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls.� This shows his strength under pressure and in the face of death.
Abigail Williams - She is a very cute girl. She is an orphan who lives with her uncle, Reverend Parris. She is seventeen years one-time. Abigail is a rather static character who does not change through the play. She is not developed as a real character only simply serves the purpose to start the plot and go along it moving. Beyond that, she does piffling more. She gets the plot moving by introducing the idea of witches in the village to the townspeople, and keeps it moving past constantly accusing more women and plays upon the fears of the townspeople. Abigail is cunning, conniving, and deceitful. She says, �I know how you clutched my back behind your business firm and sweated similar a stallion whenever I came almost!� Through this, she is able to control Proctor to a sure extent. Subsequently, Proctor is able to overcome her.
Rebecca Nurse - Rebecca is an quondam devote lady at 72. She has white pilus and carries a walking stick. Her children were settled into separate homes within the same manor. Rebecca is kind, potent-willed, and wise. She says, �I take eleven children, and I am twenty-vi times a grandma, and I have seen them all through their silly seasons, and when it comes on them they volition run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief.� This shows her kindness and wisdom to children.
5. Setting
The Crucible is fix against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the belatedly 17th century. Since this story is based on a true story, its setting is real. The fact that the story takes place during the 17th century is important. the community needed to exist superstitious and gullible in guild for this incident to have happened. Likewise, the issue occurred within a Puritan guild with a strong aversion to witches.
Since this is a modernistic play, the actors use props and backdrops made to look like the actual setting. The various settings include Betty�s room, Proctor's living room and kitchen, the town jail, and the court room. The sets create a dismal atmosphere since all the areas settings are close and tense. Even the out of doors while unremarkably considered free and wild are shown to exist mysterious and dangerous in this play.
6. Themes
The theme of this play was rising over arduousness, and continuing for truth even to decease. This is the theme for many stories and is e'er an exciting one. john, in the beginning, wanted to keep distant from the trials. he did not desire to have a part, whether good or bad. When Elizabeth was arrested, he was forced to become a part of information technology. Through the trail, he confessed of his affair and cleansed himself of his sin. He stood for what he knew to be the truth, and died every bit a martyr learning what truth meant through his sufferings.
Through Proctor�s struggle, Miller displays the struggles within each of our ain hearts. Many times nosotros accept witnessed some wrong happening to some person and wished not to get involved. Proctor was forced into information technology and stuck to his guns throughout.
There is as well another theme virtually the frantic hysteria of the mob. They were easily manipulated by Abigail�s lies and easily maneuvered into murdering many of the townspeople. Their hysteria was unfounded and absurd. Through this theme, Miller comments on the similar McCarthy trials during his time.
vii. Style
Miller�due south manner is very simple. He uses simple sentences and sentence structure with a simple vocabulary. While using the elementary style, Miller does not take away from the suspense in he plot. The dialogues of his characters are like actual speech communication. His words are used effectively and does not include anything not necessary to convey the idea. He makes the plot and idea interesting by foreshadowing hereafter events.
8. Diction
Miller�south diction is formal, withal elementary and easy to understand. His language is evidently and concise. There are several cases of imagery and metaphor.
Passage 1:
�Abigail, is in that location any other cause than you have told me, for your being discharged from Goody Proctor�south service? I accept heard it said, and I tell y'all as I heard information technology, that she comes and so rarely to the church building this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled. What signified that remark?� Pg. 12, spoken past Reverend Parris.
This annotate spoken by Reverend Parris is more formal than most of the play since information technology is spoken by a reverend trying to get at some truth. However, this language is still clear and concise. It sets Parris� character showing how he is somewhat overbearing in his manner of speech every bit he is trying to get Abigail to say or confess to something.
Passage two:
�And you lot must. You are no wintry homo. I know you, John. I know you lot. I cannot sleep for dreamin�; I cannot dream but I wake and walk nearly the house as though I�d find you comin� through some door.� Pg. 23, spoken by Abigail.
This passage is elementary and has a niggling flake of rambling and repeated phrases. Information technology is put together in such a way as to show emotion, withal from the other parts of the play, we know that this emotion is simply acted. Information technology displays Abigail's character to exist deceiving, and sets an oppressed tone showing the country of Proctor�southward mind.
Passage three:
�Spoke or silent, a promise is surely fabricated. And she may dote on information technology now - I am sure she does - and thinks to impale me, and then to accept my place.� Pg. 61, spoken by Elizabeth.
This passage is plain and unproblematic, and has deep significant. The words, �Spoke or silent, a promise is certain made,� has a certain deep memorable quality to it. It shows that Elizabeth still thinks nearly the affair and is bothered by it. She does non forgive Abigail, and probably not Proctor, yet.
Syntax
In The Crucible, the characters exercise non speak in fragments, and some do occasionally string together phrases. Also, they practise form their thoughts carefully before speaking. The sentences are simple and the structure does not vary besides much.
In the first passage spoken past Reverend Parris, the speech is more formal that speeches spoken past other characters. This displays that Reverend Parris is more educated than the others. It has a somewhat fatherly, yet commanding tone.
The second passage spoken past Abigail is markedly different from the get-go passage. The sentences are less thought out and more than fragmented. She repeats the phrase �I know you� several times. This shows less didactics merely more deep emotion than the outset passage. The tone for this line is moving, only when compiled with Abigail's character, becomes deceiving.
The 3rd passage spoken by Elizabeth shows a clearly though out idea. It shows that while Elizabeth may not exist as educated every bit someone similar Parris, this is a bailiwick that she has thought about a long fourth dimension. This gives a tone of something like a bottom line or an ultimatum. While Elizabeth does not give a specific choice to Proctor, it is obvious that he must brand a conclusion on what to do.
ten. Imagery
Miller does not rely as well much on imagery. There are few cases of imagery in this play. Ane remarkably memorable one is the statement past Abigail nearly the way John Proctor �sweated like a stallion.� While this statement is also a simile, it provides an unforgettable epitome in the minds of the audience.
eleven. Symbolism
This work is not highly symbolic, but but tells a story with the items and character it provides. There are several cases of symbolism that Miller uses, only were gear up by the people of the 17th century and non by himself. An example of this sort of symbolism is the doll. The doll symbolizes witchcraft, and when found in Elizabeth�s possession, she is accused of witchcraft.
12. Figurative Language
The nearly memorable instance of simile is the line, �I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near!� This statement compares Proctor with a stallion.
Miller rarely uses metaphors or personification in this work. His people mostly referred to as people and items every bit items. Occasionally he alludes to some portion or person in the Bible, just rarely to anything else. For case, while John Proctor is speaking with Rebecca in prison, she alludes to the martyred apostles. Rebecca says, �Let you fearfulness nothing! Another judgment waits us all.� This is an allusion to idea from the Bible that human is judged past God in sky.
xiii. Ironic devices
Miller has few cases of verbal irony. He uses it in act three while Elizabeth tell she court that Proctor did not slumber with Abigail she knows that he did.
All parts with the girls lying about witches and ghosts are cases of dramatic irony since, while the audition knows that the girls are lying, near of the characters do not. For example, in court, Abigail and the other girls pretend to be attacked by spirits and the people in courtroom fear them to be in danger. However, the audience knows that they are faking information technology.
14. Tone
Miller�s attitude towards witchcraft is satirical. The tone is serious, contemptuous, and formal. He achieves this tone by the terrible tragedy of the innocent people executed, and the mental struggles of John Proctor. Miller shows the irony and the unjustness of the witch trials, and thereby the irony and the unjustness of the McCarthy trials.
fifteen. Memorable Quotes
Abigail speaking to Proctor. �I know how you lot clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came nearly! Or did I dream that? Information technology�south she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your confront when she put me out, and you loved me so and yous do now.� Abigail tells this to John Proctor and trying to convince him through this that he should not interfere with what she is doing.
Mary Warren speaking to Proctor. �I�ll not exist ordered to bed no more. Mr. Proctor! I am xviii and a woman, however unmarried!� Mary tries to affirm her age and independence. Information technology is ironic that Proctor is able to social club her to court in the adjacent few days, but she turns on him.
Proctor speaking to Danforth. �She thinks to dance with me on my wife�southward grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and in that location is a promise in such sweat. But information technology is a whore�southward vengeance, and you must run into it; I prepare myself entirely in your hands.� This shows that Proctor knows his mistakes and regrets it, but he besides knows that he must reveal it to the courtroom in club to stop the trials. Sadly, he is non successful.
Elizabeth speaking to Proctor. �Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead yes or nay. They say he give them but two words. �More weight,� he says. And died.� This shows some humor in this though situation. Both Elizabeth and John are encouraged to fight harder, and it shows the backbone and force of Giles, and one-time man.
16. Boosted Comments
The Crucible was a great play and I enjoyed reading it. The strength of John and the other martyrs really touched me, and hated the girls who caused the whole fiasco. They showed no care or remorse. The strained relationship between John and his married woman due to the affair served as a skilful side story. It was touching at the end where John confesses, but Elizabeth upholds John�s righteousness, showing that she has forgiven him. I idea Giles was an interesting character. He was seen in the beginning as something of an old and slightly bitter man, but it is shown that he was rightous and stubborn in his righteousness. It served equally a refreshing breath in the dismal story.
Source: https://summarycentral.tripod.com/thecrucible2.htm
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