During “The Crucible” many characters are brought through the courts because of accusations of witchcraft or working with the devil. The word crucible is used to define a pot able to withstand great temperatures, giving it the ability to melt down tough metals such as iron and steel. The word crucible is also used to describe a severe test or trial. The title “The Crucible” is a metaphor to explain the way the courts went about their trials. During the Salem Witch Trials, when people were accused of witchcraft, the main goal of the courts was to get a confession from the accused. Although there were some who would not confess and were sentenced to being hung or pressed.
One of the reasons the court wants a confession is so that they can try and save the accused of the devil’s workings. A prime example of this during Act One was when Reverend Hale says to Tituba, “You have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks a wish to come to Heaven’s side” (Miller 46). Tituba’s original intention was most likely not
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Danforth tells Proctor this to remind him that the court has means of figuring out what the accused are not confessing. Throughout the time that Proctor is at the court trying to prove his wife innocent along with his friends’ wives; Rev. Parris continuously accuses and gives reasons to Danforth about Proctor being no godly man. He brings up topics such as the fact that Proctor plows on Sundays and doesn’t come to church any more than once every moment. Later on, when the court is questioning Mary Warren as Proctor pressures her to tell the truth; she finally goes crazy and runs out of the court and turns the tide on Proctor and gives a final blow by accusing of being a devils man, which in turn lands Proctor in
A synonym to “crucible,” which also ties in with the first definition (A hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects), is “metallurgy.” This word means to shape as desired (referred to metal heating). Throughout The Crucible, there are many instances where Abigail tested the powers of the court, and tried to lie to save
A crucible is defined as a severe trial. The title, The Crucible, refers to the many moral tests shown throughout the book. Many accused witches underwent tests of moral strength and truthfulness via the trials. Elizabeth was tested of her truthfulness in court, the girls being tested of their loyalty and truthfulness during the trials of the accused, and Proctor being tested by his lust for Abigail and his desire to live during the trials.
John Proctor is a person who lies to save himself and for his benefit. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He lied in his confession so he could be with his family. But many people saw him as a honest respectable man.
Teddi Sweeney Mrs. Grigg English 11 October 26, 2015 TITLE The Crucible is a play that was written in 1953 by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a fictionalized story of witchcraft trials that happened in 1692-1693 in the province of Massachusetts Bay. The Crucible means “heat resistant container in which materials can be subjected to great heat” which reflects on this story in many ways. Most people would agree that “change is good.” Being that someone is unhappy with the way they are, they might change their surroundings; in other cases they might change themselves or others around them.
Honesty is something we all want. Honesty describes person’s nature and builds more trust. Abigail gets affected by the witch craft and they try to find who is behind all of this. Honesty is a key to describe your nature. The crucible has a really unique story.
The Crucible was about the Salem Witch Trials. The duration of these “trials” were a time of general revenge based on jealousy, lust, and possibly the effects of ergot poisoning. More than two hundred men and women were accused of witchcraft. Twenty of which were executed, along with one man being brutally pressed to death for not admitting to witchcraft. These “trials” could very well have been started because of jealousy.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller has many lessons to learn from. One of The major lesson I thought that is important is honesty. The accusations throughout the story were built on lies from those trying to protect their own name, and putting the town into confusion. Nobody in Salem, Massachusetts felt like they could trust anymore, after all of the false allegations made. If Three characters in the story would have been honest from the beginning, the town would not have been in such confusion.
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations.
1.Crucible is a great test or trial, therefore the title is an apt description of the novel's happenings. This title fits because of the events occurring in the novel. The town has rumors about witchcraft and some believes and some don't and everyone tries to blame each other and it creates dominos effect and it kinda of trial of trust and honesty. 2.The overture of "The Crucible" provides relevant and interesting background information on the events during the Salem witch trials.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatic play that expresses a very important message and that is how far people would go to save themselves from the hands of death. 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. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. The main point that the story revolves around is that people would rather lie and blame someone else instead of confessing and accepting the punishment.
It is ironic that the innocent people such as Nurse are punished, while the wicked go unpunished. The Salem witch trials can be compared to a crucible. A crucible is a pot used to melt metals and other substances. However, a crucible also symbolises a difficult test or trial. In the context of the play,
Proctor is astonished by what Mary is saying, and she continues to accuse him. Mary says, “I’ll not hang with you! I love God, I love God” (Miller 261). She is now telling the judge that Proctor has made a deal with the devil and is working with him. Mary Warren blatantly lies to Danforth and throws Proctor under the bus just so she can walk free.
Mary admitted that, “it were pretense”, ( Miller p85). John Proctor told Danforth that what he wanted is Elizabeth to be freed and the truth to come out, but Judge Danforth was so certain in his calling to expose the Devil he could not accept this. Danforth thought that Proctor had an ulterior motive which was to, as Danforth says, “undermine the court”, meaning he believed Proctor wanted to subvert the course of justice, or Danforth’s idea of justice. Judge Danforth also displayed signs of self obsession when Giles Corey and Francis Nurse came to Danforth to explain how well thought of members of the community their accused wives are, and that there was no way they could possibly be capable of such a thing, and that there was proof Danforth said, “Do you know who I am Mr. Nurse?”, (Miller p83). Judge Danforth was not capable of taking judgement in his field of expertise and was furious that anybody would even dare to question him.
The novel displays many decisions made by the people, in which, they are aware that one must be with the court or they are against it. Members of the community know they cannot sneak by interrogations without fully believing in the court or else they will be hanged for witchcraft. Putnam states, "there is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark" (Miller 16), but perhaps the real murderers are right in front of the people the whole time, calling themselves a
In the play " The Crucible " by Arthur Miller the term or idea of a crucible is not just used in the title, it is also used in the plot and in the dialogue of the character 's their self. A crucible is a severe test or trial in a place or of an occasion. This term relates to the title because in this play many characters are tested with regards to their faith and are put on trial for witchcraft. Another meaning of the term "crucible" is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. This term relates to the title because all throughout the play people are being accused of witchcraft and being sentenced to death or thrown in jail.