In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, ten teen-age girls claimed that Reverend Samuel Parris' slave, Tituba and two elderly women from the town a Salem had bewitched them.
In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, ten teen-age girls claimed that Reverend Samuel Parris' slave, Tituba and two elderly women from the town a Salem had bewitched them. In four months hundreds of people were imprisoned, 19 of whom were hanged and one was pressed to death with rock, all due to witchcraft.
Two hundred and sixty years later the people of the United States became frightened that communism would strike America as it had in countries such as China and the USSR. People who were suspected of communism were brought before inquiries that were televised and were asked to sign confessions, lead by McCarthy. Senator Joseph McCarthy was anti-communist supporter who lead investigations to seek out people who had left wing sympathies. He worked on the principle of guilty until proved innocent, the opposite of methods usually worked with in a fair court system. One of the ways to get out of it was to name others. Most of the people brought before inquiries were not communists, although they may have been slightly left wing. Although they were not executed, they were prevented from ever working again.
Miller wrote the play in the 1950's in America whilst this was going on. The main people who were attacked by these activities were people who worked in mass media, such as Miller himself. Miller saw a similarity between the Salem Witch trials of 1692 and the un-American activities in America in his life and wrote a play set in the Witch Trials in 1692.
The main characters in the play are: Parris, a forty year old widower who was Reverend of the village; Abigail, Paris' niece aged 17; Proctor, a farmer in his mid-thirties married to Elizabeth with two children; Giles Corey, eighty year old man often blamed for problems in the village; Hale, nearing forty Reverend of Beverly, a nearby town and Danforth, Deputy Governor of the village.
The play begins by Parris catching a group of girls dancing in the woods and they are said to be trying to make contact with the devil. Parris accuses them of practising witchcraft. Whilst this is happening Betty and Ruth are struck down with a strange illness and witchcraft is immediately accused. John Proctor and Abigail have a conversation about their past affair and Abigail tells him that she is 'waiting for him' every night but Proctor tells her that he is over her. Reverend Hale a specialist in witch hunting arrives and examines Betty. He questions Abigail and Tituba, Tituba admits to witchcraft to avoid hanging, they begin to name others and accuse them of consorting with the devil. Danforth arrives in town to supervise the court proceedings against the accused witches. Elizabeth encourages John to go and testify against the girls, then Mary arrives and tells Elizabeth that Abigail cried witch against her. Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about Christianity, Proctor can recite all the commandments apart from the one forbidding adultery. Elizabeth is arrested as she is accused of stabbing Abigail in the stomach, through a poppet. Francis, Corey and Proctor go to court to proclaim their wives innocence and Corey charges Putnam with making his daughter incriminate townsmen with the intention of obtaining their land, he has a witness but will not name them and so is arrested. Mary is persuaded by Proctor to tell the truth and is brought to court, but Abigail denies this and leads the other girls to act as if being witched by Mary. Proctor tells the truth about his affair with Abigail and says that Elizabeth can substantiate his claim and that she is incapable of lying. Elizabeth is brought before the court and in an effort to save her husband's name she lies for the first time in her life. By this time Mary is overcome by the hysterical cries from the girls and so joins in with them and accuses Proctor of being a witch. Hale pleads with the prisoners to save themselves and requests that Danforth pardon the accused but Danforth says that 'I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.' Hale asks Elizabeth to ask Proctor to save himself she agrees to see him, but promises nothing. Whilst alone she forgives him for being unfaithful believing that it's partly her own fault. She did not tell him what to do but tells him to judge himself, as she cannot. Proctor does not want to die and confesses, but will not name others. He tears up his confession and Hale shouts to Elizabeth 'Woman plead with him!' But Elizabeth refuses saying 'He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!'
Parris was aged forty in the play, a widower and Reverend of the village. He believes that he is superior to the majority of the villagers and particularly Proctor. He feels insecure, as he is worried of losing his job and his reputation 'for now my ministry is at stake.' In the beginning Parris does not wish the situation to get out of control 'but let you say nothing of witchcraft yet.' His admiration for Hale is evident as soon as he arrives as he carries his 'heavy' books for him. Parris is a dynamic character in the story, in the beginning he wishes to keep the situation under control as his honour and reputation is a stake, as the play progresses he sees a way to settle old scores with various people, particularly by pursuing the cases of Giles and Corey. Towards the end Parris backs down and tries to prevent the death of so many popular figures within the community 'Excellency, I would postpone these hangin's for a time,' he wishes Proctor to sign the confession and pleads with Elizabeth along with Hale to save him. However throughout the story it can be argued that Parris is a static character as he is always motivated by self-interest. 'There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!' The true reason why Parris does not want Proctor to be hanged is because of his good reputation in the village.
Abigail is Paris' niece and in Millers' version she is aged seventeen. In the story Abigail is portrayed as a manipulative selfish young woman. Abigail realises that she holds a power over the girls threatening them with violence if they do not do as she commands. 'Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.' At the start of the story Abigail raises the issue of ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Abigail is Paris' niece and in Millers' version she is aged seventeen. In the story Abigail is portrayed as a manipulative selfish young woman. Abigail realises that she holds a power over the girls threatening them with violence if they do not do as she commands. 'Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.' At the start of the story Abigail raises the issue of witchcraft purely to get out of trouble herself. As the story unfolds Abigail becomes power crazy and realises how she can use the villagers naivety, greed and pride to her own devious advantages. In the past Abigail had an affair with Proctor and so holds a grudge against his wife, Elizabeth, as he will not leave his sick wife to be with her. Abigail is still in love with Proctor and wishes to take Elizabeths' place in his bed. As the accusations escalate Abigail sees a way to eradicate Elizabeth permanently out of her life, so she accuses her of witchcraft.
Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, who was married to Elizabeth with two children. He was a well respected man within the village community. He does not follow the crowd and sticks to his morals throughout the majority of the story. He regrets his affair with Abigail, although he still holds a small flame for her, which he has repeatedly tried to extinguish but to no avail. 'Abby I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again.' Deep within his heart Proctor knows that Elizabeth is the only woman he will truly every love. This is evident in the scene in which Elizabeth is arrested and also in the scene in which they are alone in Act Four. Proctor, in the beginning is too afraid of losing his reputation to admit to his affair with Abigail. As the play progresses and the situation becomes further out of control Proctor makes an attempt to label Abigail as a fraud through Mary Warren, but fails. Eventually he admits publicly his affair with Abigail, but this came too late, and the situation had already gone too far. Proctor is given the opportunity to save his life by admitting to witchcraft he turns to Elizabeth for guidance but she says 'I am not your judge, I cannot be. Do as you will, do as you will!' If he confessed his name would be forever soiled, he would prefer to keep his name clean and to die than let his fellow prisoners, Elizabeth and himself down by lying to save himself. Proctor died an honest man forgiven of all his sins and as a hero in his own right.
Giles Corey was in his eighties and often got blamed for things in the village and was seen as a troublemaker. In himself he was an innocent and a brave man. This is proven when he refuses to name the person who could prove that Putnam prompted his daughter to cry witchcraft against Jacobs, so that he could buy the land when he was killed. Giles has proof of this but will not name the person and he is pressed with stones, but still fails to condemn the person and mutters his last words 'more weight.' These words show not only that he was a courageous man but also that he was prepared to give the biggest sacrifice he could ever give, his life, for the sake of friendship.
John Hale is nearing forty and is called into the village to ascertain whether witchcraft is present. He feels 'the pride of a specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for.' In the first half of the play he runs the search for the devil and witchcraft in Salem by intimidating people into making confessions and encouraging people to testify against their friends. For example when he is examining Tituba towards the end of Act One he says 'When the devil comes to you does he ever come - with another person? Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know?' And 'Who came with you to the Devil? Two? Three? Four? How Many?' During the trials Hale begins to see that it is Proctor and Mary Warren telling the truth and not Abigail and he begins to see Abigail for what she really is, a scheming liar. 'I beg you stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience no more - private vengeance is working through this testimony!' Revealing not only that he has realises that Abigail is lying, but also that he has been ignoring his conscience, perhaps for some time. In Act Four we see Hale desperately trying to persuade the condemned to confess so they can save their lives, but this is also I think partly to relieve it off his own conscience. 'There is blood on my head!' Hale believes that life is more important than principles: 'Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.' Hale is a dynamic character in the play as we experience a change in character as he realises that Abigail is lying.
Elizabeth is John Proctors wife and at the time of the trial reveals she is pregnant. After the birth of her second child Elizabeth became terminally ill. Elizabeth is a good, Christian woman, but she cannot help but feel jealousy towards Abigail as she knows that Proctor still feels something for her. She is cold towards Proctor and unforgiving about the affair. In court Proctor confesses his affair with Abigail in an attempt to prove that she is a liar. Danforth calls for Elizabeth as he is told that she cannot lie. However Elizabeth in an effort to save her husband's name lies, for the first time, in doing so she condemns her husband as a liar. This shows that she is prepared to lie for the first time in her life, revealing the love that she showed for him. In the final act when she is alone with Proctor she admits that it is not only him who has sinned in the relationship but herself as she admits that she never showed him the love he deserved 'It were a cold house I kept!' Elizabeth finally forgives John and he dies an honest man as is symbolised in Elizabeths line 'He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him!'
Danforth is a man in his sixties and is Deputy Governor in the village. Danforth likes to do everything 'by the book' and he thinks very highly of himself. He sees everything in 'black and white' as is shown in his line 'But you must understand, sir, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road in between.' As the proceedings continue Danforth continues doing everything by the rules, but his conscience is telling him otherwise. 'I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of the seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt on them that died till now.' If Danforth says that these seven are innocent, as his conscience is telling him, then this means that the other twelve were also innocent and this would show that he was wrong.
I think that there are heroes and villains in the play. Abigail uses her newfound power and manipulative ways to attempt to eradicate Elizabeth out of the love triangle, who has done nothing wrong to her in her life. She threatens the girls and attempts to seduce Proctor. Abigail is motivated by her selfish needs, she craves attention and she receives it. Because of all this Abigail is the main villain in the story. However Abigail alone cannot be blamed for the mass hysteria in Salem. Parris wanted revenge on Proctor he also wants to keep his reputation. Throughout the play he is constantly encouraging the accusations saying things like 'Surely your Excellency is not taken in by this simple lie.' Putnam is fuelled by greed as he wants more land and is prepared to let people die for that. However nobody can be held totally responsible, if the people had not believed Abigail and been so naïve to think that witchcraft was present in the village none of it would have happened.
The heroes of the story are all those that stuck to their principles and died for their cause. Corey would not condemn his friend as the others had done and stuck to his principles throughout the play. Rebecca Nurse who will not lie to save herself and Proctor who fights against the charges and does what is morally right in the end. Hale tried to be a hero as he tried to save the lives of the condemned but it was too late for him, the damage had been done.
The village rapidly becomes split in two, those who are for the court and those against it. For the court are: Parris, Abigail, Danforth, Hathorne, Mary Warren, Putnam and Goody Putnam, all having very different reasons for being on that side, they are also supported by the majority of the. Against the court are: Elizabeth, Proctor, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse and Francis Nurse. Hale is for the court proceedings at the beginning of the story then changes to against during the court scene in Act Three.
These are quotes that support the court:
Mrs Putnam: 'You think it is God's work you should never lose a child, nor grandchild either, and I shall bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fire within fires!'
Putnam: 'She cannot bear to hear the Lord's name, Mr Hale; that's a sure sign of witchcraft afloat.' 'This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!'
Mary: 'I must tell you sir, I will be gone every day now. I am amazed that you not see what weighty work we do.' 'You must see it sir, it's Gods work we do. So I'll be gone every day for some time. I'm - I am an official of the court, they say.' 'I am bound by law, I cannot tell it.'
Cheever: 'I am a clerk of the court now, y'know.'
Hathorne: 'Arrest him Excellency!' 'This is contempt, sir, contempt.'
Danforth: 'This is the highest court of the supreme government of this province, do you know it?' 'But you must understand, sir, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road in between.' 'Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these weeps for corruption!'
Parris: 'He's come to overthrow this court, Your Honour!'
These are quotes against the court:
Rebecca: 'I think I'll go then. I am too old for this.'
Francis: 'Reverend Hale! Can you not speak to the Deputy Governor? I'm sure he mistakes these people.' 'We have proof of it, sir. They are all deceiving you.'
Proctor: 'If she is innocent!' Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clear as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law.' 'I will fall like an ocean on that court!'
Hale after he sides with the court: 'I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!'
Throughout the play Miller is trying to convey certain messages which he felt were important. Although this was written fifty years ago, many are relevant today.
One message is 'Power corrupts' the power that Abigail held over not only the girls but also the community helped her to corrupt their minds and beliefs. Without this corrupting power the situation would not have gone to court and innocent people would not have died.
'Corporal and capital punishment are wrong.' Throughout the play each character that was for the court was not for it for the right reasons. Parris was for the court to gain revenge on Proctor and to retain his position in the community, Abigail to take the blame off herself and to eradicate Elizabeth from the love triangle, Putnam to gain land and Mrs Putnam as she cannot seem to grasp the fact that she cannot have children, Hathorne and Danforth as they are enforcing the law and Mary Warren as she is taken in by Abigail. None of the accusations are based on true facts, as a result of these lies innocent people were hanged. If we read the 'Echoes down the Corridor' it states that 'Twenty years after the last execution, the government awarded compensation to the victims still living and to the families of the dead.' Basically the government admits that the hangings were wrong, but no money will bring back the people who were lost, capital punishment cannot bring back the dead if they are found to be innocent later. 'Echoes down the corridor' gives the reader an insight into what happened after the hangings and the effect on the community, Parris was voted from office and left Salem, Abigail turns into a prostitute, Elizabeth married again and farms belonging to victims were left to ruin. The things mentioned are true and are not fictional it shows that Abigail, after her scheming lying ended up in the lowest, demeaning job.
'Greed is a powerful motivator.' The Putnams throughout the play are fuelled by their greed for more land. Their motivation for encouraging the trials, along with the death of their seven babies was greed for land. They do not care who they hurt and consequently, in effect murder, so long as they get what they want.
'Consider the consequences of your words/actions.' Throughout the story people did not think what the possible consequences could be of crying witchcraft. If Abigail had stopped to think that there was a possibility that Proctor would have been hanged, she would not have done what she did. Proctor did not think when he slept with Abigail that Elizabeth would find out and that it would cause friction in their relationship. If Mrs Putnam had accepted the fact that she cannot bear children, she would not have accused anyone, then lives would not have been lost. If Hale had realised right from the beginning that witchcraft was not present in Salem, that the accusations would lead to innocent people being hanged and listened to his conscience, then he may not have been so hungry for statements.
'Evil as well as good is endemic in society.' Both evil and good people can be found in society. Characters such as Abigail, Putnam and Parris were evil in the story and good characters were Proctor, Elizabeth, Giles Corey and Rebecca Nurse. However if there were no evil people in society and in the play we would not know what good was.
I think this is an excellent play. I like the way it is based on a true story as it makes it more interesting to read and watch. I think that Miller is a very clever playwright using interesting plots, characters and language to add interest to the play. The messages it conveys were not only relevant then but also now, there is evidence supporting many of his messages today. I think the way Miller leaves it up to you to decide about the characters personalities and their actions is part of what makes the play please everyone, everybody can take something away from the play. My particular favourite quote is said by Elizabeth in Act Two 'I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.' To me it means that the only person who can judge you is yourself, nobody else can, as long as you are happy with whom you are. The tension and drama of the play, particularly between John and Elizabeth and during the court scene makes an excellent play. There is great contrast between certain moments for example Act One ends with frantic cries from the girls then Act Two begins with tension and silence between Elizabeth and John. Throughout the story you constantly ask yourself, will John stick to his principles and become a martyr or will he back down and live? Will people continue to believe Abigail? These elements of the play makes you want to read on and find out. The love element throughout the story makes it interesting and we can empathise with the characters, the plot is not unbelievable. The ending has a twist to it, we begin to believe that Proctor will sign the confession then he tears it up, the ending satisfies everybody, Proctor is forgiven and dies a hero. We know Abigail is a villain, but we cannot help but feel some sympathy for her, she watched her own parents killed, she is an orphan living in a community in which she feels suffocated and her heart has been torn apart.
When we first began to read the play I did not understand it because there are so many characters and I did not understand the background to the play or generally what was happening. The language was difficult to understand and I did not understand where the play was leading. When we watched a video of the play I began to understand it and was disappointed when we finished reading the play as I had just begun to enjoy it.
When I watched the video I learnt who all the characters were, what their positions were in the village and what was happening. I found it easier to understand and I felt that the costumes and the houses made me feel more like I was there. I thought the video was close to the script in the book and was a good representation of the play in film form.
I think that if I read this play again I would really understand it and appreciate it even more.