Dramatic tension is created by Miller throughout the Crucible in many ways. Straightaway, the title of the play,

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The Crucible Coursework

The Crucible Coursework

Excitement, nervousness, stress, anxiety, suspense, unease, and apprehension are all forms of dramatic tension that Miller creates throughout the Crucible. Dramatic tension is created by Miller throughout the Crucible in many ways. Straightaway, the title of the play, “the Crucible” implies to the audience of the tension that is to come in the play. Miller names the play “the Crucible” to represent the puritanical society of Salem, the historic people of Salem wanted to purify each other from the Devil’s work, they even went to the extent of killing their fellow neighbours in order to purify them. The variety of characters involved in the witch trials all combine to create suspense. Miller creates vivid personalities for the main characters in the play, the characters are contrasting and their relationships between each other create tension. Speech directions influence how the characters speak and act. The stage settings crafted by Miller create tension, especially in Act 3, in the court room scene where there is dramatic tension created by the characters arguing vigorously with each other.  

        Miller uses the setting of “The Crucible” to create dramatic tension. The play took place in a newly made colony called Salem at the time of 1692. Miller describes the in such a way that it creates an atmosphere of tension throughout the play. Salem was surrounded by wilderness; some of Salem’s people were killed from tribes that were from these forests. The religious leaders were fiercely puritanical and protective of their religion, a form of protestant Christianity. The religious leaders were so zealous and paranoid about their religious beliefs and authority being challenged or diminished by outside influences, that their control of people in Salem was extremely restrictive. This lead to a constant atmosphere of suspicion; a “two man patrol” was sent out during times of worship to spy on and take the names of, those who were either lounging beside the meeting house or working in their fields. Miller uses this suspicious atmosphere of accusing people of witches in Salem as an allegory for the times of accusing people of being a communist spy in America in the 1950’s. Miller describes the people of Salem as unreasonable, stubborn and ridiculously protective of their children.  Miller shows this ignorance when he says that the people of Salem believed they held “the candle that would light the world” and that “their church found it necessary to deny any other sect its freedom, lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted by wrong ways and deceitful ideas”.

        Dramatic tension is established by Miller at the beginning of Act 3 of “The Crucible” because the audience is aware the trial will decide the fates of the people of Salem that we have got to know in the first two acts. The tension is heightened almost immediately because Francis Nurse tells Judge Danforth that "the girls are frauds." From this point we are made aware that the girls’ testimony will have a significant influence on the trial.

        In Act 3 there are two occasions where Miller uses stage craft to create tension. In the beginning of the Act, Miller only lets the audience hear the characters’ voices; he doesn’t allow the audience to visually see the characters. This stagecraft effect creates tension because by only allowing the audience to hear the characters talking he gives the audience the impression that the court room procedure is unfair and ridiculous to penetrate.  Miller wants the audience to realise that the prosecutors are much more powerful than the people accused and it is an almost impossible task for the people accused to prove that they are not guilty of being a witch. It is as if the accused people are “talking to a brick wall”. The ignorance of the judges are shown when judge Harthorne trials Martha Corey for being a witch. Martha Corey denies that she even knows what a witch is, however judge Harthorne ridiculously replies, “How do you know than, that, you are not a witch”. This is an almost impossible statement to reply to; it showed how unfair the court system was. Miller uses stagecraft to create dramatic tension again when Elizabeth is called in court to prove that Abigail is a whore and whilst she has entered the court room Danforth orders John Proctor and Abigail to turn their backs from her so that Elizabeth can’t see their faces. This stagecraft creates dramatic tension because the audience feels sympathetic for the situation that Elizabeth is in. Elizabeth desperately tries to catch a glimpse of John but is unable to do so. She hesitates, and for the first time in her honest life she tells a lie. Dramatic tension is created because Elizabeth goes against everything she believes in to save her husband’s reputation. Dramatic tension is created also because of the irony of what Elizabeth has done, for once if Elizabeth would have told the truth it would have benefited her, but instead the opposite happened, she lied and therefore Abigail was dropped of all charges to her husband’s frustration and embarrassment.

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        The corrupt characters in Salem are one way how Miller creates dramatic tension throughout “The Crucible”. Miller describes Salem as a very strict puritanical society, as a result of this it meant that the people of Salem where of different classes to each other. There were some people in Salem who had more power and control over other people in the community, such as the judges in the court and the religious leader of Salem, Parris. The characters of the judges and Parris are irresponsible and corrupt; this causes mischief and tension in Salem. Miller portrays Parris as a week ...

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