The Crucible by: Arthur Miller Act 1 p. 908-935

1. The Crucibleby: Arthur MillerAct 1p. 908-935 English III CHS 2008-2009 C. Edge

2. Drama • (AKA play) a story that has been written to be performed by actors for an audience • The story is told through the words and actions of the characters.

3. Dialogue • The words that are spoken by the characters. • DRAMA IS DRIVEN BY _______________

4. Stage Directions • Instructions to help actors, directors, and readers visualize what is happening onstage. • Tell how characters should look, speak, act, and move on the stage.

5. Protagonist & Antagonist • The protagonist is the character around whom the action revolves. • The protagonist is usually in conflict with one or more antagonists.

6. Tragedy vs. Comedy • Tragedy – • Comedy –

7. Characters • A cast of characters is listed at the beginning of a a play. • A short description of the characters may be included. • The playwright may further describe the character when he or she first ______________ in the play. • The audience continues to learn about the characters through their _____________ and through the ___________________.

8. Setting • The time and place in which the events of a play occur. • The setting often helps to create the ________ of the play. • Typically described at the beginning and throughout as the setting changes (act and scene changes) • Setting can also affect the views expressed by characters.

9. Plot • The series of related events that revolve around a central ____________. • Conflict may be a struggle involving: • People • Ideas • Forces • Plot typically develops in the following pattern: • Exposition • Rising action • Climax • Falling action • Resolution • Denouement

10. Dialogue • Conversation between the characters • Helps reveal the ______________ and ________________ of the play. • The author must speak through the characters • As you read, decide which characters, if any, are expressing the _______________ real beliefs.

11. Acts & Scenes • They indicate a change in location or the passage of time during a play. • “Real time” vs. “drama time.” • Action in a play may occur over a much longer period of time than the performance takes.

12. As You Read The Crucible • Who is the protagonist? Is there more than one? • Who are the antagonists? • What is the central conflict?

13. Arthur Miller • Born – 1915 • Death of a Salesman receives Pulitzer Prize. • The Red Scare, fear of the spread of communism, took over the country. People in the entertainment industry were targeted. • Miller’s friend Elia Kazan decides to confess and name names during the McCarthy Trials. • Miller spends time in Salem, MA and writes The Crucible, which showcased on Broadway in 1953. The U.S. State Department refused to renew Miller’s passport in order to attend the Belgian production of the play in late 1953. • In 1956 Miller is called before the House Un-American Activities Committee but refuses to confess or name names. He is charged with contempt, fined, and sentenced to jail. In 1958 his sentence is reversed.

14. Focus Activity, p. 912 • Has your character ever been questioned? Or has someone you know or have heard about—perhaps even a character in a TV show or movie—undergone a test of character? • Create a flow chart to organize the details of that person’s test of character.

15. Background, p. 912The Time and Place • The Crucible takes place in _________ in and near Salem, a small town in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that had been founded in the early 1600’s by a group of Christians called ________________. • The Puritans had fled England for North America to escape religious persecution and to establish a religious community. • As industry grew in Salem, many people did not share the religious beliefs of the Puritan founders. • Many Puritans felt they were losing hold of their ideals. • Insecurity, frustration, and loss of control helped create a climate of ___________ and ________________. • In the winter of 1691-1692, several teenage girls began behaving strangely. This led to accusations of witchcraft and the execution of ____________ people.

16. About the Title • Crucible – a pot or vessel made from highly heat-resistant material. • Used for melting metals to test them for their purity. • Used by chemists to conduct chemical reactions that require high heat. • Has also come to mean – “a severe test,” or “a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.”

17. Vocabulary: Act I • compromise – v. to endanger the reputation or interests of; to expose to suspicion • contention – n. verbal argument or struggle; quarreling • subservient – adj. useful, in an inferior capacity, to promote an end; submissive • naïve – adj. lacking knowledge of the ways of the world; unsophisticated; innocent • pretense – n. a false show or appearance, especially for the purpose of deceiving; falseness • evade – v. to escape or avoid, as by cleverness

18. An Overture, p. 914 • What is an overture? • An overture is a prelude, preview, or introduction to a large, dramatic musical work. It can suggest actions to come later. • Why is Act I called “An Overture?”

19. Literary Elements: Atmosphere, p. 914 • What nouns describe the atmosphere at the very beginning? • fear • terror • superstition • mystery

20. Drawing Conclusions, p. 914 • What does the phrase “an endless capacity for dissembling” tell us about Abigail?

21. Dancing is BAD, p. 915 • The Puritans forbade activities that they considered “vain” entertainment. • Dancing • Theater

22. Literary Elements:Setting, p. 915 • What function does the forest serve? • The girls go there to hide their dancing. • It also serves as an atmospherical function. • To the Puritans, the forest was a wild, dark place—the abode of heathens and evil spirits.

23. Theme, p. 916 • The idea of a person’s good name will be a central theme to the play. • Abigail: My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled?

24. Enter the Putnams, p. 917 • What adjectives would you use to describe Parris’s attitude toward the Putnams.

25. Thomas Putnam • Miller considered Thomas Putnam one of the play’s principal villains. • He was vindictive, had many grievances against his neighbors, and was involves in disputes ownership of land. • Seems to have played a key role in the accusations of witchcraft.

26. Reference, p. 917 • “the Devil’s touch is heavier than sick. It’s death, y’know, it’s death drivin’ into them. Forked and hoofed.” • These are references to the traditional Puritan view that represents the devil as a creature with a forked tail and cloven hoofs.

27. Cultural Note, p. 918 • Superstition holds that sneezing might indicate that a possessed person was expelling demons through the nose. • This might be the origin of the practice of saying “God bless you!”

28. Abigail, p. 919 • Describe the change in Abigail’s behavior after the adults leave. • Is her attitude here believable? Why or why not?

29. Literary Elements:Figurative Language, p. 919 • “What a grand peeping courage you have!” • Double meaning: • The act of looking cautiously or sneakily. • The weak sound of a newborn bird, especially a chicken. • This is an example of scorn for Mary Warren’s courage.

30. PREDICT, p. 919 • “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor.” • Why might Abigail want John Proctor’s wife dead?

31. Literary Elements:Characterization, p. 920 • “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” • What do Abigail’s threats toward the other girls reveal about her character?

32. Dialogue, p. 920 • Notice the difference in what names are used in the dialogue. • Mr. Proctor vs. John • Abigail vs. Abby • What does this reveal about relationships in the play?

33. Evaluate, p. 920 • Evaluate the offhand way Abigail describes events to Proctor in light of what we know about her character. • She illustrates her ability to adapt her manner to suit a situation. With her uncle, she feigns concern and righteous indignation. With the girls, she is domineering and cruel. With Proctor, she is coy and seductive.

34. Plot, p. 922 • What is revealed about the central conflict in the conversation between Abigail and John Proctor?

35. Literary ElementsCharacter, p. 923 • Analyze how the Putnams differ from Proctor and Rebecca on the issue of witchcraft. Support your conclusions with specific dialogue references.

36. Think Critically, p. 923 • Why might Ann Putnam hate Rebecca Nurse?

37. Characterization, p. 924 • Notice how Proctor is very vocal about his displeasure with Parris’s actions, but allows Rebecca to silence him. What does this show about Proctor’s character? Rebecca Nurse?

38. Irony, p. 925 • Parris: I do not preach for children, Rebecca. It is not the children who are unmindful of their obligation toward this ministry. • What is ironic with this statement?

39. Summary, p. 926 • Summarize the argument between Parris and Proctor.

40. Acts & Scenes, p. 927 • In the absence of scenes, the appearance of a new character may indicate a shift in focus. Predict what Mr. Hale’s arrival means.

41. Confession of Witchcraft, p. 928 • Who is guilty in the play? • Why is she not charged???

42. Irony, p. 929 • Parris: “Why would he choose my house to strike? We have all manner of licentious people in the village!” • Hale: “It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?” • What is ironic here?

43. Thinking Critically, p. 932 • Who is the first person to name specific individuals? What can you infer from this?

44. Irony, p. 932 • Hale: You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us. You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village. • Identify the irony.

45. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #1 • What is Reverend Parris praying about at the beginning of act 1? What else might explain why he is praying so desperately?

46. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #2 • What reasons does Abigail give Parris for her discharge as the Proctors’ servant? What might be another reason? What can you infer about Abigail’s character from her words?

47. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #3 • Describe the feelings the characters have toward each other: the Putnams toward John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, Proctor toward the Putnams and Parris, and Parris toward the congregation. What effect might these feelings have on the future action of the play?

48. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #4 • How does Tituba first respond to Hale’s accusation of witchcraft? How does she change her response? Why might she, as well as Abigail and Betty, make accusations at the end of act 1?

49. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #5 • Which character or characters arouse your sympathy most? Explain.

50. Responding to Literature, p. 935Question #6 • What is the overall atmosphere, or prevailing mood, of act 1? How does Miller create this atmosphere?