Examples Of Betrayal In The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is about the people of 17th century.Salem, Massachusetts situated in a dangerous and dynamic period. The Puritans of Salem joined the bandwagon of the witch hysteria that was first caused by girls falsely accusing others. The inhabitants of Salem feared for their lives as the people who were accused were subjected to death. However, the accused have a chance to save themselves by admitting to a crime they did not commit. Many took the opportunity for self-preservation because it is a human instinct of survival. However, there others who chose to uphold their ideals, name, and reputation. Self-preservation is the motivates the characters to behave and act when they are situated in a compromising situation about the involvement of witchcraft, but there are also times when it is abandoned.

In 1692 in the tight-knit town of Salem, Massachusetts, honor and morality were important aspects of the lives of the religious townspeople. As depicted in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the dishonorable acts of one young girl lead to a series of events that test the moral fiber of the community and leave the town of Salem in despair as hysteria threatens to overwhelm its people. Once accused of practicing witchcraft, a person has the option of lying to save his/her life and living with the stigma of being a witch, or telling the truth and being condemned to death. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller emphasizes the necessity of personal sacrifice in order to restore social order in theocratic Salem.

Purist Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 suffered from a rapidly increasing phenomenon: witchcraft accusations and trials. The Crucible is a play that recounts the times of this incident. For the most part, it follows a man known as John Proctor. He is a sensible, honest, and hardworking man who made the mistake of succumbing to lust which sets off a chain of events that leads to the witch trials, and to his own demise. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible’s protagonist John Proctor proves to be a flawed human being who struggles to make sense of his past relationship with Abigail, his love for his wife, and his pride.

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.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, explains the marvels of witchcraft and the world of “magic”, which unravels a set of confusing disasters in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. While confronted between a choice of life and death, situations hastily get out of hand, and soon become uncontrollable. These events are based on true happenings that led to the writing of this play, which contains the themes mass hysteria, groupthink, and abuse of power. The vast world of witchcraft may not have seemed too intimidating, but it is proven that it’s more dangerous than one can truly imagine.

In Arthur Miller’s, “The Crucible,” Miller presents the dark reality in his play by having each character represent a different type of evil. Even those who seek justice have dark personalities stored inside of them. In the play there are mainly four characters that represent the most evil. These four characters include Abigail, Mary Warren, Danforth, and Hathorne. Abigail resembles vengeance, Mary Warren resembles betrayal, Danforth resembles coldness, and Hathorne resembles arrogance.

As said, characters experienced a lot of guilt in the play, some characters like, Proctor, Elizabeth, and Reverend Hale. Proctor experienced guilt when in the beginning of the play, the reader finds out that Proctor had committed adultery on Elizabeth and all leading down to the end of the play, the reader could see that he had guilt the entire time. Then when Elizabeth got arrested because all Abigail wanted was Proctor so she did anything in her power to get Elizabeth out of the picture. Proctor thought it was all of his fault that Elizabeth was convicted of witchcraft and would be hanged. Adding on to that situation, Elizabeth also had guilt because she thought she wasn’t doing enough for Proctor. So she couldn’t blame him for committing adultery on her with Abigail. At the time he committed adultery, she was sick so she thought she was pushing him away and letting him basically cheat on her. With all these people being hanged, Reverend Hale thought it was all okay and he thought he was getting rid of the witchcraft. Really, innocent people were just dying and others were lying just to stay alive. He

Others could find more emotions shown in metaphors to show a deeper meaning. In the third act of the play, Proctor confesses that he is an adulterer and he explains why he would not lie about it. When Proctor said that Abigail was the person he was having an affair with it shows that his name is now tainted. Since his respectable name is tainted it has shown his sincerity in his claim that Abigail had an affair with

After having an affair with John Proctor, she couldn’t accept not being without him. Abigail also admires “how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife” like Elizabeth be unaware of the affair she had with John Proctor(act1pg#). As a result to the affair, Proctor is trying to rebuild his marriage with his wife. Abigail continues to intervene in John Proctors marriage and attempts to manipulate Proctor so he would confess his love for her. Proctor admits his love for her, but does not continue his affection because Abigail seeps of vengeance for other individuals. He portrays her “as a lump of vanity” who thinks to dance on his “wife’s grave!”(act 3). For her own selfish desires, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and tries to intentionally sabotage her. She does this for the purpose of her own selfish and fictitious relationship that she has with Proctor. Abigail believes she has the capability to influence Proctor, but her egoistic actions to win his undefining love makes her appear as the criminal in the

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.

Lies and deceit seemed as a defense mechanism used for the characters. They used it so often to protect themselves from the “devil” or to protect there reputation at hand. no one wanted to look bad so they all lied and played their cards against each other in secrecy. Mr.Proctor and Abigail along with the girls seem to be the main liers. Mr.Proctor lied about having an affair with Abigail. He expressed lust for her when he had his wife Elizabeth at home. She had a hard time showing her love for him so perhaps that is why he started to wonder. Abigail

Additionally, Proctor demonstrates characteristics which lead to his moral downfall as he attempts to use every possible avenue to circumvent the consequences of his adultery. Proctor manipulates Mary Warren into accusing Abigail of pretending to be afflicted by witchcraft. Proctor informs Judge Danforth that “[Mary] has signed a deposition [stating] that [the girls’ actions] were pretense” and therefore Abigail cannot be trusted (Miller 82). This signifies the reality of Proctor’s moral downfall because he further involves innocent Mary Warren in the trials. Resulting from Proctor’s insistence that Mary speak her mind about Abigail, Mary experiences a series of painful and humiliating events.

One concept is capable of more destruction than almost anything else. It can change a person’s life, or end it. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a play that is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690’s. The play revolves around the infamous Salem Witch Hunts and their proceedings both within the court and outside of the court. Within this plotline, a theme of greed functions in the play, influencing the actions of certain characters, including Reverend Parris, Thomas Putnam, and Abigail.

           During the beginning of the play, John Proctor is hesitant to admit to his affair with Abigail even though his feelings for her are no longer existent. He knows how substantial the consequences could be if Abigail reveals to the town of

One of the many works written and driven by Puritan influence, The Crucible by Arthur Miller has continued to influence life and thinkings. Its story tracing the 1692 Salem Witch Trials has been widely read, received and understood, along with influencing the reader and their ideals. The play has manifested into more than words on a page and has become of the greatest influences, even sixty years after its publication. Though its story has not changed and is merely a retelling of the original itself, its themes have greatly impacted its universal and enduring state.