Vinh Nguyen Ms. Howell Pd 8 English 11 5.0 7 March 2011 The Crucible takes place during the times of the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. This was a time of much hypocrisy in the people of the town of Salem. Many people believed anything they heard or saw. Although The Crucible is fictitious, the story depicts the historical information of the Salem witch trials, and blends them with fictitious characters with minds of their own to create a very realistic plot and conflict in this story. Groupthink is found in The Crucible because the community experiences it by the eight main symptoms of groupthink, the consequences, and because it was so susceptible to groupthink.
Hamlet was destined to be damned the moment he was asked to avenge his father. There is the argument that it was Hamlet’s free will to kill Claudius based on the quote, “my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth.” Killing a King is punishable by lifetime imprisonment or even death. By killing Claudius, Hamlet will be admonished by the court and either consequence that he will receive is awful. The other option instead of taking Claudius’ life would be to disregard his father’s ghost and go on with life as normal. This option seems prime to many, yet when Hamlet dies he will be stuck in purgatory for not avenging his father.
The girls did this to keep the attention off of them and avoid punishment. These harsh accusations on innocent people caused twenty deaths in their village. Abigail then became one of the many “witnesses” in the court. As soon as someone starts to suspect her of being a witch or performing witchcraft, she always manages to turn the blame back on them, whether it’s through lying or exaggerating a mysterious action. For example, she outs the blame on Tituba, who confesses to performing witchcraft.
The Crucible: Mass Hysteria In 1692, a small town in Salem, Massachusetts experienced an outbreak of mass hysteria and pure chaos in fear of witchcraft. The incidents were started by a small group of teen girls who accused innocent people of being with the devil and witchcraft. It baffles me to see that such a religious town could be in such an uproar to these accusations. Arthur Miller uses great examples of mass hysteria within the girls and other people in the town. Many people go along with what the girls are doing, while some stick to their own belief in what is right.
Giles Corey is willing to go as far as to give up his life in order to keep his land from being auctioned off. Other characters in the play are being blamed of being witches even though they are innocent and once accused they have to confess in order to not be hanged. Giles Corey sets an example for others and lets other know that they do not have to falsely confess to crimes they did not commit. Giles also stands up to Judge Danforth and does not reveal identity of the informer. Overall, Giles Corey is a brave man that sets an example for other innocent accused character in the novel and gives them a
Throughout much of the play, he kept that secret very deep inside of him and never talked about it with anyone. He felt horrible for doing it, and wished he could have undone his actions as they were very wrong and also against the laws of the town. One last good thing about Proctor was that he was an honest man. Towards the end of the witch trials, he publicly confessed his adulterated past about Abigail. Everything he told the court was of true nature and he did not intend to hide anything more.
In the play Miller has set it in Salem during the witch trials which were brutal and scary. In this town the individual conscience has been allowed to not be there. No one will give in to what they think is right for fear that they will be persecuted if they speak out. John Proctor is an example of one of the very few that were accused that is even willing to confess only because his wife is pregnant and he already has three children at home. John however chooses to stay true to his morals or individual conscience and hang.
Gillian MacDonald 21 March 2013 ENG 4U Mr. Chalmers The Ringleaders of the Salem Witch Trials In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the theme of hysteria is dominantly present throughout the entire play. It is not hard to narrow down the cause of the widespread hysteria to three people that inevitably had their hand in the trials. The devious character, Abigail, shows her wicked mind and skill of manipulation in the play so she can get what she wants, John Proctor. The slave, Tituba, gave into the accusations and started the hysteria of the witch trials. The last character that contributed to an entire town’s belief in witches would be Danforth.
He feels shamed for having broken his code of honor with Abigail, saying “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again.” This shows that he doesn’t want to go through what he did with Abigail ever again. At the end of Act IV, he rips up his confession because he doesn’t want his name being used to sway others. He says “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!
The play opens in a scene of chaos; Betty Parris, daughter of Reverend Parris, has slipped into what is now known as a coma. When Betty does not awaken, the townspeople immediately turn to witchcraft as the reason for what is happening. Jealousy causes many of the people to accuse others of witchcraft. Debates over property lines occur; neighbors are at each others’ throats. Centering now upon John Proctor, and his wife, Elizabeth, the story takes a turn.