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The Crucible

The Crucible. By Arthur Miller. Puritanism. Who? A group of Protestants When? 1600’s What? Fled England because of persecutions for their religious beliefs. Puritanism. They wanted to “purify” the Church

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The Crucible

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  1. The Crucible By Arthur Miller

  2. Puritanism • Who? A group of Protestants • When? 1600’s • What? Fled England because of persecutions for their religious beliefs

  3. Puritanism • They wanted to “purify” the Church of England by simplifying the services and abolishing the presence of statues and stained glass windows in the church structures. • The separatists viewed the practices of the church as being beyond modification and sought to separate from it to begin anew. • The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628 were non-separatists who hoped to purify the church.

  4. Basic Tenets of Puritanism • The Supremacy of Divine Will • The Depravity of Man • The Doctrine of the Elect • Free Grace • Predestination • Theocratic Government

  5. Supremacy of Divine Will • All natural phenomena are explained as being the will of God. • All unnatural occurrences are attributed to witches, who are believed to be the agents of the devil.

  6. The Depravity of Man • Because Adam disobeyed God, all humans are naturally depraved. (corrupt) • All congregations are damned and entirely sinful in nature.

  7. The Doctrine of the Elect • After Adam sinned a second covenant was made with Christ. • But only a few, “elect” would benefit. • No one knows who is the elect .

  8. Free Grace • Only the elect receive free grace (forgiveness). Forgiveness cannot be attained by good behavior because the elect are arbitrarily chosen.

  9. Predestination • God chooses who will be damned and who will not. • God’s plan cannot be altered, and the Puritans have no way of knowing God’s plan for them.

  10. Theocratic Government • The government is controlled by and made up of ministers and church members.

  11. Positives of Puritanism • Affected virtually all American thought and literature. • Believed that hard work brings success (American attitude) • Revered education/the best weapon against Satan is school attendance • Established Harvard University in 1636

  12. Main Ideas in the Play • Opportunism • Mob Mentality • Community Unity versus Exclusion • Order versus Individual Freedom

  13. Themes in the Play • Justice versus Retribution (revenge) • Godliness versus Worldliness • Ignorance versus Wisdom • Love • Fear • Greed

  14. Irony • Definition: An “unexpected twist” in a story • 3 Types of Irony: • Verbal: Someone says one thing but means another 2. Situational: When a reader expects one thing to happen and the opposite occurs 3. Dramatic: When the character in a play thinks one thing is true, but the audience knows better. The audience has inside information that a character does not. - This information usually comes in the form of an aside or a soliloquy.

  15. Types of Characters • Flat: Has very few personality traits. He/she can be summed up by single word or phrase. • Example: loyal sidekick, nosey neighbor, nerd • Round: Has more dimensions to their personality. He/she is complex just as real people are. • Static: One how does not change much throughout the course of the story. • Dynamic: Changes in some important way as a result of the story’s action.

  16. Questions to Ponder • Is this play a tragedy? • Is there a tragic hero? • What moral weaknesses do you see?

  17. Classic Definition Of Tragedy • Definition: A story in which a heroic character dies or comes to some other unhappy end. The character’s downfall generally occurs because of some combination of fate, an error in judgment, or a personality failure known as a tragic flaw. • Has a tragic hero • Usually gains wisdom by the end of the story

  18. What Makes a Tragic Hero? Four Characteristics of a Tragic Hero (According to Aristotle’s Poetics) 1. POSITION: The hero is royal or noble with great power, usually a king. He is a good, respected man who acts out of good intentions. He has much to lose • TRAGIC FLAW: (hamartia).In spite of his good intentions, the hero makes a tragic error which causes his reversal. The error usually stems from a character flaw, usually pride. (HUBRIS) 3. REVERSAL: (catastrophe).Because of his tragic error, the hero suffers a downfall from his happy, envied position to suffering and misery. 4. RECOGNITION: (catharsis). The hero realizes that his own flaw or error has caused his reversal. This recognition always occurs too late for the hero to prevent or escape his reversal.

  19. Famous Tragic Heroes

  20. Cast of Characters • John Proctor: Farmer who is married to Elizabeth Proctor; has an affair with Abigail Williams; tries to learn from his mistakes; struggles to expose the truth of the “crying out”

  21. Elizabeth Proctor • Wife of John; sickly woman; turns Abigail out of their house which causes Abigail to seek revenge; knows of the affair with Abigail and as a result, acts coldly toward her husband

  22. Abigail Williams • 17 year old niece of Rev. Parris who has an affair with John Proctor; gets caught dancing in the woods and leads the “crying out”

  23. Girls Who Point the Finger • Abigail Williams: See previous slide • Mary Warren: 18 year old servant in the Proctor household; weak girl who struggles with telling the truth or joining the other girls in their treachery • Betty Parris: Daughter of Rev. Parris • Ruth Putnam: Daughter of Thomas and Ann Putnam • Mercy Lewis: Putnam’s servant; fat, sly, merciless girl • Susanna Walcott: One of the girls found dancing in the woods

  24. Girls Who Point the Finger

  25. Those Who Represent Authority • Reverend Parris: Weak, paranoid minister of Salem; daughter and niece found dancing in the woods • Deputy Governor Danforth: Presides over the trials • Judge Hathorn: Helps with court proceedings • Reverend John Hale: Expert on witchcraft from Beverly • Thomas Putnam: Wealthy landowner; vindictive and bitter; daughter caught dancing in the woods • Anne Putnam: Believes there is a paranormal reason her babies are stillborn; sends daughter to woods to conjure their spirits • Marshal Herrick: Guards the jail cells; usually drunk • Ezekiel Cheever: Clerk of the court who serves arrest warrants to the people charged with witchcraft

  26. Those Who Represent Authority

  27. The Accused • Tituba: Rev. Parris’ slave from Barbados; with the girls in the woods and attempted to conjure the spirits of Anne Putnam’s babies; first to be accused • Giles Corey: Combative and comical old resident of Salem; accidentally turns the court’s attention to his wife; is pressed to death • Martha Corey: Giles’ wife accused of witchcraft because she reads • Rebecca Nurse: Most noble and well-respected citizens in Salem; midwife to Anne Putnam and blamed for the death of her babies; voice of reason in the play • Sarah Good: Homeless woman accused of witchcraft; eventually confesses to save herself • Sarah Osborne: Accused of witchcraft • Elizabeth Proctor • John Proctor

  28. The Accused

  29. Human Frailties Vice Character Who Has It John Proctor Reverend Hale Reverend Parris Mrs. Putnam Giles Corey The girls Abigail, the girls, John Proctor • Lust • Pride • Greed • Revenge • Ignorance • Self-Indulgence • Dishonesty

  30. Pay Attention to Each Character’s Motivation • Motivation: A reason for someone’s behavior • Example: psychological, sexual, financial, theological, or political

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