The Crucible | Study Guide

Arthur Miller

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The Crucible | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

the-crucible-arthur-millerThe Crucible depicts the 1692-93 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, in which 20 people were hanged or crushed to death for practicing witchcraft. Miller wrote this allegorical play in response to the McCarthy hearings, in which fear and suspicion led to accusations that government employees and other citizens were communist sympathizers.Suspicion Destroys LivesMAIN CHARACTERSReverend HaleMinister and witchcraft expert; denounces trialsRebecca NurseCalm, honorable, and pious womanGiles CoreyEthical, resolute,old farmerElizabeth ProctorJohn’s cold, upstanding wife; loves unconditionallyJohn ProctorPrincipled farmer, husband, and father ALLYEX-LOVERSThomas PutnamLandowner; seizes convicted men’s landAbigail Williams Devious teenager; asks Tituba to perform voodooADVERSARYFRIENDADVOCATEACCUSERReverend ParrisGreedy, power-hungry minister whose daughter dances with TitubaSymbolsPoppetCloth doll symbolizingAbigail’s vengeance CrucibleStands for the firestorm ofemotion and meltdown of humanity during the witch trials Witch HuntsRepresent how the power of fear can lead to false accusationsLike The Crucible’s star protagonist, John Proctor, Miller struggled to fight a system he thought was unjust and unbalanced. Proctor won’t lie to save his life, a theme reflected during the 1950s McCarthy hearings, when Miller refused to reveal names of friends who might be communists and was charged with contempt of court.ARTHUR MILLER1915–2005AuthorThemesInjusticeInequity occurs when legal and religious authorities won’t permit deviation from their own spiritual beliefs.ReputationA person’s public image can be quickly ruined by unfounded suspicions, rumors, and innuendo. Mob MentalityFear of being considered different leads people to accept a group’s conformity and anonymity. The Crucibleby the NumbersThe real Abigail Williams’s age during the Salem Witch HuntYear John Proctor was hung after being convicted of practicing witchcraftYear the Massachusetts General Court cleared the names of people accused during the witch trialsHonorary doctorate degrees Arthur Miller held: one from Harvard University and one from Oxford University2~1116921711John Proctor, Act IVhave given you my soul; leave me my name!Sources: ArthurMiller.org, Biography.com, Encyclopaedia Britannica, HistoryofMassachusetts.org, MassMoments.org, National Endowmentfor the Humanities, The New Yorker, Smithsonian Magazine, University of Virginia Libraries Copyright © 2016 Course Hero, Inc.Arthur Miller1953EnglishPlayAuthorFirst PerformedOriginal LanguageThe CrucibleHistorical
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