Consider how Arthur Miller makes Act 3 of 'The Crucible' so dramatic.

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Matt Miller 11TM         Crucible Essay        Page

Consider how Arthur Miller makes Act 3

Of ‘The Crucible’ so dramatic

The year of 1692 was a defining moment in old American history, this was because of the Salem witch-hunt in Massachusetts. The play, ‘The Crucible’ was written by Arthur Miller in 1953 and was published later that year. Miller is a famous playwright, born in New York City in 1915, his other works include ‘Death of a Salesman’ and ‘A View from the Bridge’.

Having been written in the 1950’s, ‘The Crucible’ corresponded with the mass-hysteria that was occurring throughout America at the time. This hysteria was being brought about by a communist witch-hunt led by the US senator, Joseph McCarthy. This was a ‘hunt’ in which American inhabitants were being put on trial, having been accused of communism or sympathising with those who were. This brief era was later, aptly named McCarthyism due to the senator’s key role in the hunt. This incident closely relates to ‘The Crucible’ with the witch-hunt being fuelled by madness and fear.

Another similar incident to that of McCarthyism is that of the ‘War on Terrorism’. This ‘war’ has been brought about by leading government figures’ false opinions, being stimulated by their personal fear leading to mass-hysteria within millions of people. The rash decisions made by such figures have resulted in, ultimately, getting the ‘western world’ into further panic and is costing millions of pounds to overthrow vicious dictatorships, in places such as Iraq. The on-the-spot decisions in ‘The Crucible’ can be seen on the same level of mass-hysteria with that of the ‘War on Terrorism’ today. The difference in time between ‘The Crucible’ and nowadays proves how human beings are still affected by anxiety leading to rash decisions that are later regretted.

The play’s title, ‘The Crucible’ has some relevance to the play itself. A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to very high temperatures and then cooled down and purified. The storyline and the people of Salem are throwing their emotions into the huge melting pot, that when mixed, come out with the products of hysteria and paranoia that finally lead to forced decisions that are later to be regretted.  

In the essay, I will be studying how Miller uses language and tension to establish a dramatic and anxious mood throughout my chosen act, Act 3. Within the main body of my essay, I will comment on carious other strategies Miller uses, such as giving character’s various moral dilemmas and at which pace Arthur Miller decides to write parts of the act. To begin with, to get into the story, I will summarise the first two acts.

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Act 1 begins with Reverend Samuel Parris praying over his daughter, Betty who is ‘supposedly’ under a spell of witchcraft, and has a chance of losing her life “My Betty not goin’ die....”, just before this line, Parris’ slave, Tituba enters, only to be thrown out of the room straight away, by an already apprehensive Parris. This incident creates an air of tension between the two characters within the first few lines. The beginning of this act is very powerful, in that, I mean that Miller has began the play with a very dramatic scene, to grasp the audience’s ...

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