The Crucible - How are the aduience prepared for the rest of the play from act 1 - page 1
Keywords: How are the aduience prepared for the rest of the play from act 1
By ollyccfc on 17/11/2008
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 1 of 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Arthur Miller was a famous play writer who was alive during the cold war. He wrote the play “The Crucible” which is a study of the Salem witch trials. It is clearly a parable of the events of the McCarthy era in America in the 1950’s, where anyone thought to be a communist was arrested for Un American Activities.
The Crucible is set in the 17th century puritan society. The people in those days were strict Christians and thought that anything unusual was the devils work. They believed people could be possessed and affiliating with the devil was a hangable offence. This highlights how important religion was to the puritan society.
In Act 1 miller opens the scene with Parris praying on the bed of a lifeless girl. The audience wonders what is happening and the theme of witchcraft is introduced within the first few lines of dialogue when Susanna says “, you might look to unnatural things for the cause of it.” The audience is immediately introduced to witchcraft and that prepares them for the events which happen later in the play.
Reverend Parris is the first character we meet. Miller introduces him and we learn that Parris is paranoid, a widower and one who believes he has many enemies“. He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went.” This quotation is very important as we realise that Parris is the sort of man who deals in absolutes: if you’re not his friend, then it means you hate him.
The theme of absolutes is pivotal in the play as people believed if you weren’t Christian then you were with the devil just as the Americans believed if you weren’t a capitalist then you were a communist. Because they believed this, witchcraft was mentioned just because a few girls were dancing in the woods, something nowadays we would regard as having fun. It was not something Christians did and therefore people believed it was the devils work.
In Act 1, Miller gives us an insight into Parris’ feelings “. A wide opinion’s running in the parish that the Devil may be among us, and I would satisfy them that they are wrong.” He also says “, now Goody Ann, they only thought that were a witch, and I am certain there be no element of witchcraft in here.” By saying this we realise how Parris is confused about whether
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