It was the moment that shocked the world; when candidate Donald Trump won the American election. Trump played his cards well and therefore won the prize: the presidency. After the announcement, it was clear that Trump planned to seize his power and use it as soon as possible. However, Trump has already made many controversial choices since his inauguration, such as allowing the Dakota Access oil pipeline project, which has sparked numerous arguments. What if Trump abuses his political power? What if he follows in the footsteps of Abigail Williams, a base young woman from the Salem witch trials of 1692 who exploited her power to satisfy her own selfish whims? What is power is the source of all our problems? In Salem during the year 1692 …show more content…
Hytner successfully captures Miller's portrayal of power and status by depicting how individuals can become entirely consumed by their desire for obtaining and maintaining power and that are prepared to act immorally. This is achieved in Hytner’s film adaptation of The Crucible through the impressive characterization of Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth and Reverend Hale and implementation of cinematic techniques. These characters are effectively transformed using cinematic techniques including camera angles, shot types, lighting and …show more content…
Hale is “a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual” (Act 1) whose radiating pride in his profession is apparent when he claims his books “are weighted with authority” (Act 1) upon arriving in Salem. His pride allows him to gain social status and influence in society. Hytner reveals this influence in an additional scene where Hale is interrogating the girls through an over the shoulder shot which conveys Hale’s power. His booming voice is laced with authority and his face contorts with irritation as he bellows, “Was there?” (Act 1). In the following scene, backlighting is utilized to create a halo effect around Hale’s figure symbolizing his good intentions whilst also contrasting with his corrupt actions. Although Hale holds power at the beginning of the play, it disintegrates after he becomes aware of the truth. He attempts to heal his tarnished soul by rescuing others yet finds he cannot help, rendering him a broken man. The development of Hale’s character parallels that of Salem society symbolizing how Salem crumbled after so many deaths due to the misuse of
When Hale first visits Salem he is a self-assured, intelligent man, confident of his abilities and judgement. He is portrayed as:
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an elaborate play that tells the story of the village of Salem and how the community slowly falls apart because of a strategic witch hunt ploy. The fear of witchcraft turns the once peaceful village upside down and accusations destroy the lives and reputations of so many people. Different characters’ actions have different impacts on the community, but one character stands out the most. Abigail Williams from The Crucible is a clear representation of how impactful the power of manipulation and deception is in a vulnerable society to create mass hysteria.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Reverend Hale’s attitude and beliefs are changed completely as the play progresses. After Reverend Parris is a witness to girls dancing in the woods and also when his daughter becomes very ill, he calls Rev. Hale to Salem. Hale’s job is to find any form of witchcraft and to get rid of it. Over the course of the play, Rev. Hale experiences a transformation in his beliefs from the beginning of the play to the end. Reverend Hale has three different emotions throughout the play. When Hale is introduced in the the beginning of the play, he is passionate and very confident about finding witchcraft and getting rid of it. In the middle of the play, Hale is frustrated and he does not know who to trust nor
Many people will say that coercive power is the most effective type of power. The process and use of coercion to gather information Is a widely employed tactic. This is because in all cases of coercion the subject is installed with an immense amount or fear causing them to easily give up information or co-operate. Reverend Hale is a prominent character throughout the play, and because of his expert status, his commands and opinions are widely respected. It is not common that someone would go against his command or second guess his authority. When he first arrived in Salem, he believed that the devil was alive in Salem. This further evolved the hysteria, as no one was prepared to go against his word because of his status. “I have seen too many frightful proofs in court – the devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not to quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!”
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.
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.
One of authority figure in The Crucible, was Reverend Hale. Hale went to Salem in response in need of a “spiritual doctor” to evaluate the town. The reason he was summoned was to diagnose if there was witchcraft was present, then come up with a cure by removing the “infected people”, and the people of Salem will not be satisfied until he does. In result to all the commotion of unnatural events taking in place in Salem such as: Tituba’s ability to conjure spirits from beyond the grave, dancing in the woods, the death of the seven children who belonged to Thomas and Ann Putman, Betty’s illness, the strange book that were in possession of Martha Corey, and so on. Hale starts to become
Power is something almost everybody strives for at least once in their life. In Salem, the men who own the most land or people who have a great reputation for being very religious are the people with the utmost power. Slaves and women, especially unmarried ones, are the people with the lowest status. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the power dynamic dramatically shifts. Tituba, Betty’s family’s slave, brings a group of Puritans girls, including Betty, into the woods. Tituba is from Barbados and practices a different religion, which goes against parts of the Puritan beliefs. When the girls are in the woods, Reverend Parris, Betty’s father, sees them and they all scatter. Betty worries she will get in trouble, so she falls into a trance,
This causes him to be very arrogant in conceited at this point in the play. “Have no fear now – we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!”(Miller 1117). This is a great example of Hale’s over-the-top confidence in Act I where he believes he can easily get rid of the Devil in Salem.
The conflict in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is primarily fuelled by spite, and is successful in revealing previously hidden character traits. Abigail is the main instigator of the conflict in Salem, and is motivated by her sense of longing for John Proctor and hatred towards the society. Conflict that begins between her and Proctor eventually stems into further issues involving Abigail, Elizabeth, and the town of Salem as a whole. Each of the conflictions affect characters in different ways, such as causing suspicion among family, igniting inner battles, or ruining reputations amongst the society. The issues explored in “The Crucible” are relatable to readers in the sense of either personal experiences or societal matters during the author’s
Despite unnecessary changes to plot and some flawed character portrayals, Nicholas Hytner’s 1996 film adaptation of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible, is overall a viable adaptation of Miller’s original work. Many of the directorial changes made by Hytner in creating this screenplay are successful in further emphasising Miller’s central ideas. The characterisation of Abigail Williams is captured appropriately in the film displaying her overall manipulative nature by drawing extensively on the original text, thus exploring Miller’s idea of the use of hysteria and rumour in order to seek personal vengeance. Hytner’s depiction of Salem is well represented and the use of space, both outdoor and indoor, helps to visually depict Miller’s
name is in the village and how hard it is to give some respect to a
The issues you see in the news today all stem from too much exertion and abuse of power. When people gain too much power they tend to see themselves as higher than the law which causes many problems in the past and in the modern day. Power has a negative effect on people when they are not limited and have too much influence.
Long has the human race struggled with the ideology of power. People struggle with using and respecting power correctly. People in positions of power follow a pattern, a rigid pattern that leaves others broken and cheated in it’s wake. People who are awarded power often become ignorant of those without.
Hale’s personal trial throughout the beginning of the play is illustrated in his denial of the truth about witchcraft in Salem. This situation reflects the main theme of the play where every character must face a test where they decide between evil and