John Proctor The Crucible Analysis
Contents
Context
Plot Overview
Character List
Analysis of Major Characters
John Proctor
Abigail Williams
Reverend Hale
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Summary & Analysis
Act I: Opening scene to the entrance of John Proctor
Act I: The entrance of John Proctor to the entrance of Reverend Hale
Act I: The entrance of Reverend Hale to the closing scene
Act II
Act III
Act IV–Epilogue
Expand
Important Quotations Explained
Key Facts
Study Questions & Essay Topics
Quizzes
Suggestions for Further Reading
How to Cite This SparkNote
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Act I: Opening scene to the entrance of John Proctorpage 1 of 2
Summary
The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692; the government is a theocracy—rule by God through religious officials.
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Ten-year-old Betty Parris lies in an unmoving, unresponsive state. Parris is a grim, stern man suffering from paranoia. He believes that the members of his congregation should not lift a finger during religious services without his permission. The rumor that Betty is the victim of witchcraft is running rampant in Salem, and a crowd has gathered in Parris’s parlor. Parris has sent for Reverend John Hale of Beverly, an expert on witchcraft, to determine whether Betty is indeed bewitched. Parris berates his niece, Abigail Williams, because he discovered her, Betty, and several other girls dancing in the forest in the middle of the night with his slave, Tituba. Tituba was intoning unintelligible words and waving her arms over a fire, and Parris thought he spotted someone running naked through the …show more content…
Putnam had seven babies that each died within a day of its birth. Convinced that someone used witchcraft to murder them, she sent Ruth to Tituba to contact the spirits of her dead children in order to discover the identity of the murderer. Parris berates Abigail anew and asserts that she and the girls were indeed practicing witchcraft. Putnam urges Parris to head off his enemies and promptly announce that he has discovered witchcraft. Mercy Lewis, the Putnams’ servant, drops in and reports that Ruth seems better. Parris agrees to meet the crowd and lead them in a prayer, but he refuses to mention witchcraft until he gets Reverend Hale’s
Samuel Parris 'Irony In The Crucible'
310 Words | 2 PagesAlthough Samuel Parris was sought out to be a respected reverend, his personal and physical actions make him an ugly selfish man. Samuel Parris shows that he is not an honest man throughout the play. Samuel Parris states early on that he didn’t see the girls dancing in the forest in court, while he constantly says to Abigail that he saw her, this is ironic because Parris gets defensive of others apparent lies. “Excelecy, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court.”
Tituba Research Paper
448 Words | 2 PagesYoung Elizabeth “Betty” Parris and Abigail Williams were cousins, but also best friends. The girls enjoyed playing together and listening to the stories of their slave, Tituba. Because of their connections with the church the girls had most likely grown up with Puritan beliefs and were strongly influenced by that culture. The girls knew all ten of the commandments and were familiar with what they were and weren't allowed to do by the ways of Lord. With this strong Christian influence, 9-year-old Betty and 12-year-old Abigail were the last people expected to get caught up in a witchcraft scandal.
Witchcraft Reverend Hale Analysis
52 Words | 1 PagesA reputable minister and expert in diagnosing witchcraft, Reverend John Hale has good intentions and sincere desire in devoting himself to his faith and work. However, Hale’s faith and work waver as he realizes that the girls have manipulated his own beliefs, realizing that he is sending innocent people to their death.
The Crucible Act 1 Summary
690 Words | 3 PagesThe Putumn’s come to Parris’s house and tells him their daughter Ruth is sick to. Goody Putumn tells Parris that she sent Titiba to try to conjure the spirits of her dead baby’s because Titiba knows how to speak with the dead. Goody Putumn has lost 7 children and is trying to find out who has murdered her baby’s. When Parris and the Putumn’s leave Abigail begins talking to Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren. Abigail threatens them if they say anything about what happened in the woods.
Responsibility For The Trials In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
669 Words | 3 PagesHe always worried that others wanted to take over his position as a minister and that John Proctor was the leader of those people. Parris made many enemies in the village which caused him to quickly sentence John Proctor and Giles Cory. Parris only cares about his reputation and tells Abigail that he “fought here three long years to bend [those] stiff-necked people to [himself], and now, just now when some good respect is rising for [him] in the parish, [Abigail] [compromises] [his] very character" because of her dancing in the woods (11). Still, Parris is all about his own reputation and his family’s. He supports the judges in exposing the witches because he fears some may accuse his family of witchcraft, therefore he distracts attention away from himself and his family by blaming others.
Essay On Tituba In The Crucible
671 Words | 3 PagesIn Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Reverend Parris, a solipsistic and impatient minister of Salem, Massachusetts, possesses a 40-year-old Barbadian slave named Tituba. Tituba is misunderstood and genuine; she was neglected by the Parris' due to her perceived lack of intelligence, which clarifies when the girls were caught dancing in the woods and accused Tituba of being "with the devil" because she had been seen dancing with Betty, one of Reverend Parris's daughters and Abigail, Reverend Parris's niece. Abigail also claimed that Tituba reached out to her with "the Devil’s book" in dreams. Miller portrays Tituba as a gullible slave who fibs to shield herself from being tormented by her master, to show her devotion to the Parris family, and to
Self Preservation Of The Character In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
777 Words | 4 PagesHowever, this has not technically been proven yet. Thusly, the next section of the essay is reached. Parris does everything in order to keep others from rising up against him. He denies witchery, then upholds it, he claims he never saw them dance, but then that he never saw them dance naked, he upholds the trials, then tries to postpone the hangings. He changes his stance several times, but his intentions are clear.
Who Is To Blame For Abigail Williams
416 Words | 2 PagesPeople believes it now because Betty Parris will not wake up. Mr. Parris explains, “Then why can’t she not move herself since midnight? This child is desperate,” (8). Since Betty Parris can not wake up, there is rumors going on that Mr. Parris has witchcrafts in his house. All the girls are scared of Abigail Williams because of what she did in the forest.
The Crucible John Proctor Guilt Analysis
872 Words | 4 PagesGuilt is emotional torture that transforms one's psychological operation. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, before the Salem witch trials emerge, John Proctor cheats on his wife Elizabeth Proctor, with young Abigail. Causing him to live with an eternal shame that generates dispute. Proctor’s endeavour is to elude from his wrongdoing, but he cannot because of the disgrace he feels himself to be when around Elizabeth. Miller shows that John Proctor's emotional and behavioral conflict rises from his guilt.
Betty Parris's Power In The Crucible
721 Words | 3 PagesPutnam claims that “There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark. Let your enemies make of it what they will, you cannot blink it more” (16). Putnam is yet another powerful male figure in Salem Betty has taken a grip over in the town. He, in this quote, truly believes that the devil is among the town of Salem based on Betty’s current condition. Reverend Hale, encouraging Tituba to give more names of witches, tells her to look at Betty’s “god- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her; Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a pure lamb.
The Crucible Parris Character Analysis
540 Words | 3 PagesParris has a twisted view on people, life, and his community in general. He is a self-centered and absorbed man who cares only about his reputation. Throughout Act 1 he is only worried about Betty or Abigail tainting
John Proctor The Crucible Essay
1031 Words | 5 PagesThe ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, "Definition of a tragedy: a hero destroyed by the excess of his virtues". The reader finds this statement to resonate with the character, John Proctor, in Arthur Miller’s play, "The Crucible". Arthur Miller, a talented American playwright, wrote "The Crucible" in 1953. The play is used as an allegory to criticize Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist investigations during the McCarthyism era. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, this play delves into many themes and characteristics, including mass hysteria, greed, and hysteria.
The Crucible Reflection
1005 Words | 5 PagesThe well-respected Rebecca Nurse is visiting the Parris household and calms her. Prophetically, Rebecca warns Parris that identifying witchcraft as the cause of
Examples Of Heroism In The Crucible
609 Words | 3 PagesThe witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”
Motivation Of Act 1 In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
539 Words | 3 PagesHe starts off in the Act, kneeling down beside Betty’s bed, praying, the reader starts off thinking he is a good man, but soon realize the only reason he was praying was to make sure his reputation stays in tact. He fears people will see him as a bad man and he will be ran out of town. He blames his niece, Abigail, for what is happening to Betty. By blaming her, he shows that all he is doing is pointing fingers; Parris won’t even go out and pray with the people fearing that the talk of witchcraft would intertwine with his niece and daughter’s names. This shows the reader that Rev. Parris’s motivation is the slandering of his own name, he cares more
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