The Crucible - Theme of Revenge

He is keen on protecting himself and his family’s name, which involves preserving the trials and its integrity. He cannot have the trials proven to be fraud because the illegitimate support he has for his lying daughter and niece will end his career thus making the community lose their trust and respect for him. The people of Salem are realizing that the assumptions of witchcraft in the village could be false and therefore they no longer believe what Parris and the girls have to say. As a result, Parris desperately craves for Proctor’s confession when he feverishly says, “It is a great service, sir. It is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess. I beg you, let him sign it” (Miller 141). Parris is left feeling threatened and scared after finding a note and dagger on his front door from angry villagers who are upset about the noble people in their community being executed. As an act of self-preservation he pleads for a respected person such as John Proctor to confess, so that he can validate the trial to which he strongly favoured, protect his reliability within the society and prove that witches are present in Salem. Parris’ constant acts of self-preservation has backfired and initially if he were honest about the girls dancing in the forest, he could have avoided the complicated court trials that left many innocent people to die

The most hypocritical person in The Crucible is Reverend Parris, the town’s minister. Although he should be a beacon of light and grace, Parris preaches about hell and barely mentions about the forgiveness of god. Parris is extremely hypocritical, he is greedy and wants more money because he went to Harvard and believes he is above and more educated than everyone. “The salary is 66 pound, Mr. Proctor! I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College.” – Parris. He only cares about his reputation. “But if you trafficked with sprits in the forest I must know, for surely my enemies will and they will ruin me with it’ – Parris. Parris’s hypocrisy shows the audience what kind of a character he truly is, it reveals his internalizing role.

For the majority of the play, Proctor and Parris are often in conflict, either regarding their beliefs or actions. This is best shown near the end of the play when the characters take opposing sides on the court and the witch hunt. Proctor believes that the court is a fraud, and although he is eventually sentenced to death, he states that “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (Miller 144). By making this statement to the court, he is showing that he has come to terms with who he is, and can see some good in himself by doing so. This is very different from how Proctor acted early in the play, attempting to fix everything that his affair had broken in his life without success, showing how he has grown as a character and understood his mistakes in life. In contrast, the play wraps itself up by including the statement, “Not long after the fever died, Parris was voted from office, walked out on the highroad, and was never heard from again.” (Miller 146). Throughout the play, Parris would often act out of his self interests and the betterment of himself, and continued acting the same way even after he joined the court. Supporting the idea of his self-interests, the stage directions describing Parris’ dialogue at the end of

John Proctor shows himself to be a very powerful and charismatic person right. From the time he first appears in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, he is presented as an intelligent, sharp-tongued man with a strong independent mind. These traits would seem to make him a good person to question the motives of those who cry witchcraft. However, his guilt over his affair with Abigail makes his position problematic because he is guilty of the very hypocrisy that he despises in others. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor as a decent man because he fights for his own dignity and the freedom for others.

“The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself” (Addams). Immorality is a very subjective concept, but sometimes it is undeniable. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is shown to be the most immoral character through her constant disregard of others throughout the different events of the story, furthering the point that when in fearful situations people will only think about themselves.

Furthermore, in Act II, it is revealed that John Proctor attended mass scarcely because he hated Reverend Parris so much. His materialism (as proven with the gold candlesticks) was something that greatly bothered the town of Salem. In Act IV, Reverend Parris is humbled. Having been robbed by Abigail and her friend, Mercy Lewis, he is almost penniless, and thereby modest and sorrowful. He does not talk with the same biting command as he used to.

Reverend Parris’s main motivation is to preserve his reputation at any cost, whether by unbelievable behavior or through falsehood. For example, when Reverend Parris discovers the girls dancing in the forest, he hastily warns Abigail that his reputation is in jeopardy by conveying, “Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (10). Since Abigail is family, Parris has no tolerance when it comes to his reputation so he willingly enforces discipline to maintain his status. Also, as a minister, his role is

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ( Dr. Seuss) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23:4) “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” (William Shakespeare) These quotes, found throughout many different time periods of history, all say the same: “Be who you are and don’t let anything change that.” These are great words to live by, but, in time of weakness, does one stay true? Can even the good be twisted? This is a theme that is represented throughout The Crucible many times. Characters such as Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Reverend Hale had good intentions

Throughout the endurance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, vengeance plays a prominent role in the actions and fates of various characters. In many ways, vengeance fuels the need for retaliation. Disputes among neighbors has bred hatred and then witch trials brought out the vindictiveness of Salem's population. This leads to the deaths of many citizens in Salem by false accusations to the court. Citizens of Salem were utilizing the court system as a means of "extermination" for people who had interests or beliefs, that were contradictory to their own. As Miller states himself, "This predilection of minding other people's business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many suspicions which were to feed the

Revenge clearly attributed to the downfall of many characters in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. A few of those who wanted revenge included Mr. Putnam, Reverend Paris, and Abigail Williams. They all were presented with the opportunity, and they did not hesitate to use it. Innocent lives were lost during the times of the Salem Witch Trials due to these few people. “The Crucibles” by Arthur Miller still serves its purpose to this day as a warning of what can happen if revenge goes too far.

In today's society, honor is something that is respected every day, but in occasions is overlooked by others. The main characters, John Proctor and Abigail Williams, represent multiple types of honor. Abigail Williams shows dishonor towards the victims of Salem and towards Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s name is an example of honor because he doesn't want his title to be disrespected by the community for admitting to witchcraft. Honor continues to become a factor back in the 17th century and even today. In the play, “The Crucible”, honor, and dishonor are represented multiple times throughout the play.

There are multiple types of conflict in The Crucible that forwards the plot, these types of conflict are in the play and most characters have some type of conflict with another person, the town, or themselves. The Crucible is a play that is absolutely filled to the brim with conflict and is set in the time period of the Salem Witch Trials that lasted from February 1692 up until May 1693. In the play, many people were deceived, accusations were thrown around town, and people were hung or burned at the stake.

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.

    In Elizabethan times, a type of play known as a "revenge tragedy" became popular. These plays revolved around, "... the revenge of a father for a son or vice versa, the revenge being directed by the ghost of the murdered man..." (Harmon and Holman #6). Other characteristics include real or pretend insanity, philosophic soliloquies, hesitation on the part of the protagonist, conspiracy, and the use of horror. William Shakespeare's Hamlet fully satisfies each of these traits, making it an excellent example of a revenge tragedy. Certainly, the most critical theme in the play by far is that of revenge; it fuels the plot and story of Hamlet, reveals the hamartia of the protagonist, and is used successfully to

When one is done wrong in a particularly hurtful or offending way, getting revenge is sometimes thought of as the most satisfying way of regaining ones sense of self worth. This plan, however, holds an immense possibility of backfiring in ways never dreamed of. In fact, the outcome of the situation at hand is sometimes made worse than it might have been if this course of action is taken. Arthur Miller demonstrates this in his tragic play The Crucible, by showing the reader that although giving in to feelings of vengeance is easy to do, choosing the path of forgiveness often leads to better results in the long run.