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Exposition - What events have taken place before play opens?

Exposition - What events have taken place before play opens?. 1. Girls dance in forest 2. Abigail’s relationship with John and to the Proctors (servant and mistress) 3. Background of Tituba 4. Parris’ problems with his ministry. Act 1 purpose and ideas:. Introduces characters

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Exposition - What events have taken place before play opens?

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  1. Exposition- What events have taken place before play opens? 1. Girls dance in forest 2. Abigail’s relationship with John and to the Proctors (servant and mistress) 3. Background of Tituba 4. Parris’ problems with his ministry

  2. Act 1 purpose and ideas: • Introduces characters • Setting- suggests a melancholy mood; establishes a tense, suspenseful mood from the outset • Hysteria- act opens and closes with hysteria • Theme of guilt • girls’ confessions to each other about activities in the forest • John and Abby discuss his adultery • Theme of hypocrisy • Parris • Abby- as a dissembler • A major conflict established- innocent victim versus hysterical accuser

  3. Concepts of Authority: shown in Act 1 • Parris- village minister thinks he should be deferred to unquestioningly on all matters • Putnam-tries to use social and economic power as a landowner to enforce authority • Hale- authority is objective knowledge recorded in learned books

  4. Irony : Present in Act 2: 1. Mary Warren’s gift of a poppet to Elizabeth - (Meant as a gift; used as a sign of witchcraft against Elizabeth) 2. Hale asks Proctor to recite the 10 commandments- (The only one he forgets is the one he has committed against Elizabeth; cheated with Abigail. Also ironic- Elizabeth must remind him of it.) 3. Rebecca accused of murder of Goody Putnam’s babies- (The mid wife of the town is accused of killing babies.) 4. Ezekiel Cheever is considered an ally by Elizabeth- (He is the one who arrests her.)

  5. Act 2 ideas: 1.Theme of revenge a) Elizabeth suspects Abigail is trying to frame her. b) Proctor tells Hale “vengeance is walking Salem.” c) Ann Putnam- Rebecca over children and land d) Thomas Putnam-land 2. Analysis of Proctor’s marriage --John only alludes to adultery, but it obviously has affected their marriage.

  6. Act 3- Slanted justice established: • Martha Corey is bullied on stand. • Danforth refuses to admit Giles Corey’s evidence of Thomas Putnam’s greed. • Deputy Gov. Danforth (fail to judge Hathorne) arbitrarily arrests 91 people for “examination” for signing Francis Nurse’s petition (guilty by association). • Denies counsel for John Proctor and Mary Warren because of his pursued indignity • Doesn’t realize that the court cannot function unless people are in fear.

  7. Foreshadowing of persuasion of legal justice 1. Mary Warren tells of Good’s condemnation of mumbling and ignorance of commandments. 2. Hale carries a lot of weight with judge Interrogates Proctor

  8. Dynamic and static characters • Dynamic: Hale, John and Elizabeth • Static: Parris, Danforth and Putnam

  9. Dynamic Characters Hale- renowned for his scholarly expertise on witchcraft. Act 1 shows a sincere man who is severely limited by his narrow-mindedness. As he sees the manner in which the courts pervert fairness and justice, his attitudes change. He openly denounces the trials. This protest is too late to truly effect the situation and save the lives of the innocent like John and Rebecca. .

  10. Dynamic characters continued John- must choose between saving his own life or maintaining his integrity; he redeems his honor by remaining true to his conscience Elizabeth-sensible and courageous but still has doubts about John’s relationship with Abby. During the play, she becomes more understanding and forgiving of human frailty. By the end of the play, she understands her husband’s basic goodness and integrity

  11. Static Characters Parris- indecisive and hypocritical; he worries more about his own social position than about the health of his daughter and the spiritual welfare of his congregation. A weak character who indulges in petty arguments and retaliation for what he sees as slights against his authority. By the end of the play, he is reduced to terror when all his money is stolen and a threat has been made on his life.

  12. Static characters continued • Danforth- highest ranking representative of civil authority ; grave and intelligent; determined to uphold the court’s authority. His insistence on legal procedure and inability to admit error ironically lead to perversion of justice and execution of the innocent • Putnam- ill-natured bully who wants to throw around his weight as a landowner.

  13. Allusions: What is the comparison that is made between the event in the play and its Biblical allusion? • Wheels within wheels- Act 1 • Parting of the sea for the Israelites- Act 2 • Pontius Pilate- Act 2 • Cain and Abel- Act 3 • Raphael and Tobias- Act 3 • Joshua- Act 4

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