Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
Only in rare cases is something so impactful on a story caused by solely one person. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, luckily, is not one of those cases. There would be much less of a story if it was that simple. The blame of the hysteria that is revolving around Salem is upon many shoulders. The three people that are most intertwined with this are Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. The origin to the chaos was Abigail Williams, a young girl who had had an affair with John Proctor, a middle-aged farmer. This was introduced in Act 1, along with Abigail’s conclusion that if she couldn’t have John Proctor, she would have to kill his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, instead. Her intentions are clearly shown when Betty says “You drank a charm …show more content…
She has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well!”(Miller, 66). Though Proctor has been trying to forget about what he has done with Abigail, he comes to realize that, while he despises the idea, Abigail will stop at nothing to be with him, even if it means killing Elizabeth Proctor; John Proctor has come to think that keeping his affair in the dark is a better choice than confessing to his sins, when the truth is that it’s only the easier choice. Because Proctor refuses to face his fear of confession, many people are accused by Abigail, including his own wife. Furthermore, Proctor is taking a greater risk by not confessing, for Abigail Williams can use the affair as leverage, and the longer he waits to confess, the worse the punishment will be, especially if he isn’t the one to give himself …show more content…
With John Proctor and possibly Elizabeth Proctor to be hanged, there isn’t much that anybody can do to save the accused. At the end of Act 3, Proctor has said “God is dead!”(Miller, 125), which naturally caused outrage in the townspeople, and Proctor was charged with conversing with the devil. Though he is given an offer to sign a confession during Act 4, he decides it would be better to save his name than to save his life, so he tears the confession to shreds. By doing this, Proctor redeems himself for some of the chaos he has caused, because when the townspeople see a good man hanged, they realize the pure insanity of the witch trials which have taken
Hysteria In The Crucible
1146 Words | 5 PagesWhat causes hysteria in a society and how do people react in these situations? In the Crucible by Arthur Miller the town leads straight to mass hysteria because of the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller's purpose in the crucible was to present to the reader the hysteria that can come from people who think they are doing the “right” thing. When the town erupts with the thought of witchery everything goes crazy. People accuse people left and right.
Hysteria In Salem In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
561 Words | 3 PagesAbigail Williams, a girl who was accused of witchcraft uses her situation to get payback on John Proctor, a married man she had an affair with. Abigail is obsessed with Proctor to the point she will do anything to be with him. This is seen in Act 1 when Abigail says “I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a point reckoning that will shudder you.” (20) Abigail will do anything to get to John Proctor which would even include murder. To get John back Abigail went as far as stabbing herself and accusing his wife of voodoo.
How Is John Proctor Corrupt In The Crucible
1245 Words | 5 PagesProctor’s past sins of adultery are another reason it is so hard for him to give up his name; since he already views himself as a fraud, he does not deserve the glory he will get by signing away his name. Not only does Proctor care about his name, but he also cares about the other respectable citizens, such as Rebecca Nurse, who are willing to die for what they believe is right. If he signed his name for a false confession, it would have caused him to “blacken all of them… the very day they hang for silence” (Miler 207). The people who were accused and did not confess to false witchery were hanged in public as a result of their choices. By Proctor following through with giving the church his name, the impact made by the people who gave their lives would have been diminished and forgotten.
How Did Abigail Williams Occur In The Crucible
772 Words | 4 PagesShe didn’t think anything through nor did she know exactly what she was getting into. Abigail was desperate for love and as everyone knows, love can make you do crazy things. “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart!” From start to finish, it was all miss Abigail Williams. She created this mass hysteria that blanketed Salem like low hanging
Fear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
238 Words | 1 PagesFear in The Crucible Fear plays an important role in the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. Fear motivated the accusers and accused in the play like Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. Abigail Williams was really scared in the beginning of the play because she was drinking blood in the woods well all the other girls watched and danced. Another one of her fear was getting convicted by the court so she kept lying to the court so she would not get in trouble.
The Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
882 Words | 4 PagesHave you ever had those nosy neighbors that start rumours about you or the people that live around you? Having those people around you can lead to discomfort and drama. People were accused of being communists in the 1960’s. Arthur Miller was exposed to it. The mcCarthy hearings inspired Arthur Miller to write The Crucible.
Witch Trial Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
337 Words | 2 PagesIn the Crucible, grudges and personal problems play a key role in creating the witch trial hysteria. The very first event in the play was spurred on by a grudge. Abigail, wanting to be with John, slips out into the woods with her friends and drinks a charm to kill his wife. After being nearly caught, she accuses Tituba of doing witchcraft to save herself. Tituba then accuses two other women to save herself as well.
Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
222 Words | 1 PagesThe Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller. One of the major themes of “The Crucible” is hysteria because people are exaggerating things like they saw people dancing in fires and the girls pretending that they are being attacked by a demon or a an evil spirit. In act III Abigail is pretending that she sees a bird in the beam. Abigail said “ Why--? Why do you come yellow bird?”
Examples Of Hysteria In The Crucible
709 Words | 3 PagesWhat do fatal outbreaks of laughing fits, men fearing the sudden loss of their genitals, and the Salem Witch Trials have in common? Mass Hysteria. Arthur Miller wrote the Crucible based on the historical event, the Salem Witch trials. It follows the protagonist, John Proctor, as he navigates Salem overrun by hysterical Puritans dealing with the accusations of witchcraft on its residents. Mass hysteria can lead people to act irrationally.
Reverend Hale's Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
624 Words | 3 PagesReverend Hale holds the most blame for the outburst of hysteria because he is seen as an expert in what he does and he takes pride in that. Reverend Hale is seen as a very intellectual man who has studied witchcraft extensively and because of this, people tend to take his word seriously even if it may be false. When Reverend Hale questions Abigail about what happened in the forest, she tries to stay calm but begins to get scared when Hale states that “it may be your cousin is dying. Did you call the Devil last night?” (Miller 42).
The Crucible Abigail Williams To Blame Analysis
465 Words | 2 PagesThis affair was never fully proven, but Proctor did say, “Abby, I may think of you from time to time but I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again” (Miller 1140). Abigail was madly in love with Proctor and wanted Elizabeth out of the picture so she could have Proctor all to her self. Abigail was very jealous of Elizabeth. She thought that if Elizabeth would die, she would get Proctor all to her self. She accused Elizabeth of being a “cold, sniveling woman”(Miller 1140).
Abigail Williams Flaws In The Crucible
799 Words | 4 PagesAbigail seeks vengeance after her affair with John Proctor. She is still madly obsessed with him. After John rejected her, she makes up lies in court in desperate attempt to get Goody Proctor hanged. She thinks if she gets rid of Goody Proctor she will be able to have John all to herself. One quote that supports this is “I do sir.
Fear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
628 Words | 3 Pages“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - Franklin D Roosevelt. Fear plays a major role for the tragic ending of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, because fear is upon the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts, it leads to unanticipated accusations, power, and hatred. This feeling, has occurred in everyone’s life at some point, which is more overpowering than some might think. Once hysteria arose about the girls dancing in the woods, due to all the fear it leads to unanticipated accusations, being a slave, Tituba was accused by Abigail to avoid any punishment.
Who Is To Blame For The Hysteria In The Crucible
1608 Words | 7 PagesHysteria can be defined as the exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement, especially among a group of people. This definition proves true and exists throughout the course of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In The Crucible, a group of girls go dancing in a forest around a cauldron, some even naked, and along with a black slave named Tituba. Reverend Parris, the local minister, then catches the girls in the act. As a result, Betty, one of the girls and Parris’s daughter, goes into what it seems like a coma.
Is John Proctor Justified In The Crucible
967 Words | 4 PagesLikewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his
More about Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
Hysteria In The Crucible
1146 Words | 5 PagesHysteria In Salem In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
561 Words | 3 PagesHow Is John Proctor Corrupt In The Crucible
1245 Words | 5 PagesHow Did Abigail Williams Occur In The Crucible
772 Words | 4 PagesFear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
238 Words | 1 PagesThe Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
882 Words | 4 PagesWitch Trial Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
337 Words | 2 PagesHysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
222 Words | 1 PagesExamples Of Hysteria In The Crucible
709 Words | 3 PagesReverend Hale's Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
624 Words | 3 PagesThe Crucible Abigail Williams To Blame Analysis
465 Words | 2 PagesAbigail Williams Flaws In The Crucible
799 Words | 4 PagesFear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
628 Words | 3 PagesWho Is To Blame For The Hysteria In The Crucible
1608 Words | 7 PagesIs John Proctor Justified In The Crucible
967 Words | 4 Pages