Hale truly believes that the accused have been marked by the Devil. | Certified Educator Arthur Miller clearly wants the audience to empathize with John Proctor in The Crucible, and we know this based on the principles for which he stands. Posted at 02:28h in motion to dismiss child support arrears by how does shakespeare present lady macbeth as ambitious. Demosthenes made fun of Aeschines, a famous Greek politician who was also an actor, basically . The hysterical atmosphere and the dramatic performances of some of the accusers cause people to believe they have seen genuine proof of witchcraft. In Act 2, the value of reputation in Salem starts to butt heads with the power of hysteria and fear to sway peoples opinions (and vengeance to dictate their actions). 118). Is reputation more important than truth? Nowhere is there any consideration of ulterior motives. Danforth explains his inability to free the accused people because, twelve are already hanged for the same crime. Essay prompts will ask about these themes in a variety of different ways. In addition to grubbing for a few extra pounds every year, Parris makes a show out of needing golden candlesticks for the altar to replace the pewter ones that have served the church since it was built. Why does Mary Warren behave differently when she becomes involved in the trials? If Danforth accepts Marys testimony, it would mean that he wrongly convicted numerous people already. An error occurred trying to load this video. Themes can be expressed in many different ways. She is enraged when Parris questions her suspicious dismissal from the Proctor household. Though the play is fictional, the characters are named after real people who lived in Salem during that time. Both Hale and Proctor don't want to live with the consequences of their mistakes, so they try to ignore or undo their past actions. How does reputation influence who is first accused of witchcraft? He is appalled by Elizabeths lack of emotion when he asks her to help the court get a confession out of her husband (pg. The authorities ignore any inconvenient logical objections to the proceedings because they, too, are swept up in the madness. Abigail's version of events is held to be true even after John confesses to their affair in a final effort to discredit her. Though hysteria overpowered the reputations of the accused in the past two acts, in act 4 the sticking power of their original reputations becomes apparent. When she is brought in for questioning and claims to see Marys familiar spirit, she says Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.Abigail herself has acted out of envy for the entire play. It caused many people, in Salem during this event to think fast, rash and jump to conclusions. Danforth and Mary Warren both embody hypocrisy, as seen when Mary says she cannot lie anymore and then lies when she becomes scared for her life, and Danforth when saying lying will send a person to Hell, but then forcing people to choose between lying and death. builds quickly as accusations of witchcraft proliferate throughout Salem. This immaculate proof that has led him to sign numerous death warrants is nothing but the fabrications of teenage girls and other townspeople seeking petty revenge. The madness begins in earnest with Abigails claim that Tituba and Ruth were conjuring spirits in the woods. Arthur Miller pokes fun at this in his commentary in the play and explains his intentions to the audience. Hypocrisy is "the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform". Proctor, a score of people have already testified they saw [Rebecca Nurse] with the Devil (pg. By Act 2, there have been notable changes in the power structure in Salem as a result of the ongoing trials. But these themes aren't always easy to explain or dissect in the context of the play, and they can be even harder to develop into essays. Hale pg. The importance placed on reputation helps perpetuate hysteria because it leads to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage of the reputations of others for selfish purposes. In a way. By Act 4, many of the power structures that were firmly in place earlier in the play have disintegrated. It is a somewhat fictional play about the Salem Witch Trials. For example, Bridget Bishop dressed in red, a color that was abhorrent in the Puritan eyes. This is ironic becausesearching for "the Devil's marks" as the potential cause of an ailment is inherently superstitious. The evolution of his character is due to vairous . Even Judge Danforth, supposedly a reliable source of justice and solidity, goes against what he knows to be true by forcing those arrested to either confess to crimes they did not commit or face the gallows, all to save his name and prevent it from looking like he had hanged innocent people. 130). Hale also contends with his guilt in act 4 for his role in condemning the accused witches, who he now believes are innocent. Elizabeth doesnt realize that John is willing to sacrifice his reputation to save her life. Arthur Millers portrayal of a town in the midst of a downfall The Crucible, tells the story of how mob mentality and hysteria can significantly influence not only individuals but the whole town. Is hypocrisy a natural human flaw? you are exactly right. It is not just, (Miller 129). The idea that a witch's familiar spirit is capable of stabbing people is too scary for the superstitious and now hysterical people of Salem to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. This means that much of the population that remains is comprised of the power-hungry, the selfish, and the cowardly. This attitude comes from a man who has shown no remorse for condemning people to death throughout the play. A character named Abigail lived with proctor and his wife and his two sons. How is Parris fate in act 4 ironic when considering his role in the events of the play? Though Rebecca Nurse's involvement has already been corroborated by other confessors, Danforth demands to hear it from John to confirm that John is fully committed to renouncing his supposed ties to Satan. She is clearly outspoken and dominant, but her initial position in society is one of very little influence and authority. Armed with the false proof of these coerced confessions, the court officials aggressively persecute anyone who is accused. Of course, we know that Danforth has been trading peoples lives for lies this whole time. Why does John decide to ruin his reputation in Act 3 by confessing to the affair? Why doesnt John immediately tell the court that he knows Abigail is faking? He refers to Johns refusal to confess as a calamity, looking past his own involvement in the larger calamity of the conviction that led John to this point. At first, Mary is being honest by admitting that Elizabeth . As Reverend Hale says to Danforth, Excellency, there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots cry will end his life - and you wonder yet if rebellions spoke? (Act 4, pg. A professor tells us that he has a strict rule about cell phones in the classroom, then he answers it midway through his own lecture. The town, already primed with rumors of black magic, is quickly willing to accept that the first few women who are accused are involved in black magic because theyre beggars and slaves. 41). Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!" In this environment, whoever yells the loudest seems to get the most credibility. The idea that a witch's familiar spirit is capable of stabbing people is too scary for the superstitious and now hysterical people of Salem to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. Abigails power skyrockets as the hysteria grows more severe. In Act 3, Abigails power in the courthouse is on display. Human flaws such as lust for power, greed and jealousy explain the errors many tragic figures from books make, from Mr Kurtz to Lord Voldemort. Rebecca Nurse is a pure soul, who always took care of other people's children. Hypocrisy, actually, didn't have a bad meaning until hypocrisy met politics in the 4th century B.C. The only power they have left is in refusing to confess and preserving their integrity. An example would be something like: "How are themes like hysteria, hunger for power, reputation, or any of a number of others functional in the drama? As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. How is Millers underlying message revealed in one of these themes and through the character?". AbracaDENIAL! Its easy for more respectable citizens to accept that shes in league with the Devil because she is an "other" in Salem, just like Tituba. Proctor changes from a normal citizen and sinner to a tragic hero with a high sense of morality. Hypocrisy is just one of many personality traits along many spectrums. Many people confess when threatened with execution, and this only heightens the paranoid atmosphere. Parris begs Danforth to postpone their hangings because he fears for his life if the executions proceed as planned. Each new false confession is thrown onto the pile of evidence of a grand Satanic plot, and as the pile grows larger, the hysteria surrounding it is fed generously. By the end of class, you should be able to: Identify basic elements of McCarthyism, including the following terms: The judges cannot force her to commit herself to a lie, and her martyrdom severely damages their legitimacy and favor amongst the townspeople. Danforth makes a shocking argument defending the way the trials have been conducted, insisting that only the victims testimony can serve as reliable evidence in this type of trial. Though their Bible would forbid murder, they condemn people to death with an excuse of witchcraft just to get land. In Act 1 he jumped on board with the hysteria to preserve his power, but he ended up losing what little authority he had in the first place (and, according to Miller's afterward, was voted out of office soon after the end of the play). Danforth explains that witchcraft is an invisible crime and that only the victims are reliable. They could either confess to being guilty and is punished and put into jail or deny any relationship with the devil and be hanged and killed. Being in contact with someone else means mediating between ourselves and the other. This attitude comes from a man who has shown no remorse for condemning people to death throughout the play. Though a character can have significant moral flaws, they can be wise enough to recognize their flaws and change their ways. He has sentenced people to death based on lies about their dealings in black magic, and he has accepted other false confessions from those who would rather lie than be executed. Abigail's strength in Act I is the strength that is within her ability to influence others. Well, it's not. Greed is a sin in the Puritan religion, so the people who supported the accusations were indeed hypocrites. Miller himself was blacklisted for refusing to testify in front of the HUAC, a committee that was created to investigate any person who might be a communist. She continues to act under the assumption that his reputation is of the utmost importance to him, and she does not reveal the affair. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. What Are The Human Flaws In The Crucible 1560 Words | 7 Pages. Interestingly, she was the first woman put to death in the trials. The petition he presents to Danforth is used as a weapon against the signers rather than a proof of the innocence of Elizabeth, Martha, and Rebecca. Hales involvement is taken to mean that there must be a supernatural element to Bettys illness. Thomas Putnam claims to be a holy, church-going man, yet his priority in life is to acquire land. Miller carries the theme of hypocrisy through Parris by giving the reverend a very greedy nature. A constant theme through out the play is your personal reputation, maintaining a good name. It's atoxic strategy that causes panic to spread quickly and fear for ones life to take the place of rationality. This is a lesson in how fear can twist perceptions of reality even for those who consider themselves reasonable under normal circumstances. Can a work of art bring about change in the world? Rational explanations are ground up by the drama of the rumor mill, and people see only what they want to see (whatever keeps them in the good graces of society andmakes them feel the best about themselves) in situations that don't appear to have easy explanations. Why is Cory arrested? People who were accused of witchcraft are wrongfully indicted, and those transgressions must be justified. 50). This makes him particularly averse to accepting that he's been fooled by a teenage girl. Proctor is infuriated. Explain the irony of Hales position at the end of the play as compared to his actions at the beginning. Danforth, who has the most authority, is also the most sold on her act, and it only takes a few screams to persuade him that hes in the presence of witchcraft. This is ironic because, Once the accusations begin, Parris initiates an ironic thought process that persists throughout. She says, "My name is good in the village! 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I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (pg. These are themes that could be considered subsets of the topics detailed in the previous sections, but there's also room to discuss them as topics in their own right. The girls are essentially given permission by authority figures to continue their act because they are made to feel special and important for their participation. The classic example of an incorrect use of irony is in Alanis Morisette's song "Ironic" when she says that "rain on your wedding day" is an example of irony. How does this philosophy perpetuate hysteria? 133). 6). Elizabeth is a victim of cruel irony in this Act when she is summoned to testify on the reasons why she dismissed Abigail from her household. The hypocrisy in this statement is almost funny. What makes Danforth so unwilling to consider that the girls could be pretending? Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. 129). Furthermore, this is destructive influence because by telling Elizabeth to tell Proctor to lie, this adds upon his sins. Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is a fictional account of the real life Salem witch trials, but the play has far deeper meanings than just a dramatic interpretation of the event. Hale also makes some unintentionally ironic statements in Act 1 when he begins his investigation. John Proctor sabotages his own reputation in Act 3 after realizing it's the only way he can discredit Abigail. Elizabeth's side of the story is disregarded because Abigails testimony is far more dramatic. Compare and contrast three authority figures in this drama: Hale, Danforth, and Parris. 67). This causes problems down the line as Parris allows his paranoia about losing his position to translate into enthusiasm for the witch hunt. This causes problems down the line as Parris allows his paranoia about losing his position to translate into enthusiasm for the witch hunt. Tituba is forced to accept her role as a pawn for those with greater authority and a stepping stone for Abigails ascent to power. A professor tells us that he has a strict rule about cell phones in the classroom, then he answers it midway through his own lecture. At the end this act, John Proctor delivers a short monologue anticipating the imminent loss of the disguises of propriety worn by himself and other members of the Salem community. succeed. Now that you've read about the most important themes in The Crucible, check out ourlist of every single character in the play, including brief analyses of their relationships and motivations. Abigails power skyrockets as the hysteria grows more severe. The attitudes towards women in the 1950s, when the play was written, are evident in the roles they're given. If Tituba was permitted to explain what really happened, the ensuing tragedy might have been prevented. What Is The Hypocrisy In The Crucible. She is enraged when Parris questions her suspicious dismissal from the Proctor household. The Devil is really a superstition hiding the townspeople, who are ''precise'' in their accusations because they want land from others. In steadfastly refusing to confess, Rebecca Nurse holds onto a great deal of power. The narrator tells the audience that there is very little good to be said of him (Miller 1100), yet as a minister the people of the town look to him to be a pious religious leader. He chooses to die instead of providing a false confession because he doesnt think life will be worth living after he is so disgraced. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out." There are many characters in the Crucible who are guilty of taking innocent lives, but there are three major characters who, without a doubt, are the most at blame. Miller depicts through characters such as these that humans cannot exist without the flaw of hypocrisy. The accusers cannot present concrete evidences, and their wrongful convictions must be further scrutinized. 61). The only power they have left is in refusing to confess and preserving their integrity. Sure, you don't expect or want rain, but it's not the polar opposite of getting married. The power of collective hysteria ultimately becomes insurmountable because it grows larger than the influence of the few rational voices in the community. Download it for free now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '688715d6-bf92-47d7-8526-4c53d1f5fe7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '03a85984-6dfd-4a19-93c8-5f46091f5e2b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. makes them feel the best about themselves. The overall message is that. Reverend Parris, the paranoid widower and heaven-ordained minister of the town of Salem, was, simply put, a hypocrite. He's already accepted her testimony as evidence, so he is happy for any excuse to believe her over John and Mary.John finally comes to the realization that Mary's truthful testimony cannot compete with the hysteria that has taken hold of the court. How are themes like hysteria, hunger for power, reputation, or any of a number of others functional in the drama? The price he has to pay in reputation to save his own life is ultimately too high. Act 4 is Danforths turn to shine in the irony department. In each paragraph these traits will be further explained . 44) but realizes that her word against Abigail will not stand. The ruthlessness with which the suspected witches are treated is aimed at purifying Salem, but it achieves the opposite outcome. Believer, Baltimore City IEP Chair, and 2:39 marathon runner. Throughout "The Crucible", Abigail Williams commits the largest act of hypocrisy. Will you confess yourself with him? (pg. Elizabeth notes that Mary's demeanor is now like that of the daughter of a prince (pg. This is also the commandment that he has violated most explicitly, so youd think it would be the first one to spring to mind. The life of such man is ruled by the desire to seek the truth and justice in all that surrounds him, including himself. This vicious cycle continues to claim the lives of more and more people as the play progresses. Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris become even more rigid in their views when they feel they are under attack. They're also revealed though events in the plot. Do you not know that God damns all liars? 91). Hale doesnt realize that his own fears and suspicions are the real powers of the dark. There are two examples of Ad hominem from The Crucible in Act 2 and Act 3. flashcard sets. Danforth also acts out of concern for his reputations here. Goody Good, an old beggar woman, is one of the first to be named a witch. In this environment, whoever yells the loudest seems to get the most credibility. The power of mass hysteria is further revealed when Mary is unable to faint outside of a charged courtroom environment. The prisoners have lost all faith in earthly authority figures and look towards the judgment of God. This lie essentially condemns both of them. Arthur Miller's 1953 play, ''The Crucible,'' features hypocrisy as a recurrent theme. He claims that they must not jump to conclusions based on superstition in their investigation of Bettys affliction. Abigail, in particular, has quickly risen from a nobody to one of the most influential people in Salem. In reality, true irony only happens when a situation is the exact opposite of what you would expect. As mentioned in the overview, religion holds significant power over the people of Salem. This hysteria-based evidence of witchcraft includes the discovery of the poppet in the Proctor household with a needle in it. One path to higher standing and greater control would be in becoming John Proctors wife. Later in Act 4, Danforth becomes angry at the implication that Johns confession may not be the truth. By Act 2, there are nearly 40 people in jail accused of witchcraft. Anns extreme conclusions are gradually accepted because rational people are too afraid to challenge the consensus and risk bringing accusations upon themselves. One of humanity's biggest flaws is that people would do anything to help themselves. No one thinks a teenage orphan girl is capable of such extensive deception (or delusion), so she is consistently trusted. 121). Miller writes: ''As for Rebecca herself, the general opinion of her character was so high that to explain how anyone dared cry her out for a witchwe must look to the fields and boundaries of that time.''