The Crucible Rhetorical Analysis

During the hysteria of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, many people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Therefore, their reputation, was ruined. Other people committed many sins in order to keep their reputation clean in town. For instance, some characters had to lie, fight, and accuse other people of witchcraft which could get the individual out of trouble and keep their hands clean. when a person got accused of being a witch, the person’s reputation would get ruined and the person would go to jail or be hanged. John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams were worried about their reputation in town, and they were willing to commit many sins and harm others to prevent this from happening.

In this passage, Ezekiel Cheever responds to John Proctor’s curiosity about what a needle in a poppet signifies and why his wife Elizabeth is being accused of using witchcraft against Abigail Williams. Cheever’s response explains his knowledge of how Abigail was afflicted, his possession of strong evidence against Elizabeth Proctor as a court official, and both his and the town of Salem’s tendency to turn to superstition to explain mysterious events.

Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. During this time, many people are hung for being accused of performing witchcraft, but who is there to blame? During this time, many people feared for their lives, and others used this as a time to get rid of people. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Deputy-Governor Danforth are responsible for the witch trials in Salem.

In the book that handle is known as “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, goes into detail about what happened in the Salem WItch trials in the duration of 1692. Miller used the Red Scare as motivation to write the book. In the book Abigail and some of her friends are dancing in the woods, when Mr. Parris ( her uncle) catches them. At this point Betty, Mr. Parris daughter and Abigail’s cousin, faints. We later find a doctor trying to wake her, then someone starts singing psalms and she tries to jump out a window for she wants her mommy ( who is dead but we don't know how she died) then all the girls start to accuse people of witchcraft ( none of them are a witch) then they call in several different people including Judge Danforth and Mr Hale. One thing leads to another and there are 33 different deaths, 19 hanged, one squished to death, and 13 died in prison. Is Abigail Williams responsible for the events that took place in the Crucible? I believe not, for I believe that she is a part of the reason but not the only reason, and why this is the case.

Arthur Miller wrote play The Crucible, which is based on a real story; play begins in a very interesting moment and ends in a very dramatic scene. At the time, when the play was written, witchcraft was a big thing for people. People used witchcraft to accuse other people and take their property, or because they just don’t like them. The story shows us, how do characters have changed from the beginning of the play and until the very end. The Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible. During the whole play, we can see how Proctor changes. One of the main themes in The Crucible is no matter what changes people if they get into the situation where they have to make a decision about what has more meaning to them.

In The Crucible there are many people condemned and hanged for witchcraft, one of these, John Proctor, I believe to be innocent. A man with as much integrity and honesty as John Proctor, could never perform the act of witchcraft. Undoubtedly he wasn’t a perfect man but no one ever is. As we are proved time and time again, John is an honest, hardworking man; who is haunted by his past misdeeds. Throughout the events in the crucible we see his struggle to gain his wife’s forgiveness, and his own.

“’She makes me drink blood”’ says Abigail (Miller 160). The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller. The play takes place during the Salem Witch Trials, where many people were accused of witchcraft. The accused were either jailed or hanged. In the play many characters are blind to the truth and are changing the path of life. In The Crucible the characters who are blind to the truth, do not realize they are being deceived and they end up deceiving others, which is best illustrated by Judge Danforth, Reverend Parris, and Abigail Williams.

“The Crucible” is a play, by Arthur Miller, about the Salem Witch Trials. After reading “The Crucible”, you will be asking yourself, is it necessary for a person to suffer? The answer to the question is shown through the characters, Giles Corey, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Abigail Williams.

In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws: lust, vengeance, and jealously that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunts in Salem. Abigail Williams started the entire suspicion of there being active member of witchcraft throughout Salem, Massachusetts. She did this for her own benefits and used trickery to get what she wanted. Abigail was corrupt and only cared for her own desires. There are many reasons that these flaws are crucial to the outcome of the play. These flaws will be her downfall.

In the drama, “The Crucible”, the story of the Salem Witch Trials takes place. Many are to blame for this tragedy and among them is Reverend Samuel Parris. Reverend Parris is to blame for making the trials worse and not helping at all to stop the situation simply because he cares for nothing other than his reputation with the community. He has been Revered for many towns before Salem and every time he goes to a new town, he ends up leaving because nobody likes him. He lied to the court to protect his name, he talks about nothing other than the damnation of hell in church, and he refuses anything other than golden candlesticks upon his lectern.

One of the main elements that eventually build up to the main plot in the play is power. Many of the characters in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible have a strong desire for power. The Salem witch trials empowered several characters in the play who were previously marginalized in Salem society. It gave them the chance to misuse it leading to horrible suffering and even deaths of some innocent people in the town. Some of these characters are Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris.

John Proctor is a farmer and business owner is Salem Village, a village outside of the bigger Salem Town. Proctor is not only innocent, but is also one of Salems best residents because he puts his family first. Mr. Proctor has been accused of witchcraft by Mary Warren on false accusations. I am arguing in the case that John Proctor is innocent and Mary Warren has only accused John on the fear of being accused herself. On the day of Proctors hanging, he gets to talk to his wife Elizabeth and decides that he will not confess because he is a good man and that would soil his name and he would be telling a lie which only shows he is a good and pure man at heart. John is not only an innocent man, but is also a very good man that cares for his family and fellow Salem citizens.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play which contains a multitude of complex characters . In the play, the characters’ motivations and inner processes are explored. Because of the historical setting, the characters live in a society of judgement and extreme religious devotion. This is a factor that places any of the characters’ choices and morals in a public balance to be judged by others. Abigail Williams is the main character of the play and acts with an utter selfishness and obsession.

What is a tragic hero? A tragic hero most times affect the nature of the individual or character. Tragic heroes are always known to countenance their downfalls with dignity. According to Aristotle once said, “The tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle.” There are many reasons why John Proctor was considered a tragic hero in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He was a tragic hero because he had a tragic flaw like the rest of the tragic heros.

When people think of the play, “The Crucible”, they usually picture the witch trials and women being hanged, but Arthur Miller depicts the witch trials in a completely new light. He shows through a story that the witch trials were much more than just people calling others witches. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. We witness the lives of people she impacts, what happens to them, and how many times she lies to get her way. Abigail does all this for the man that she loves and had an affair with, John Proctor. If the reader begins to focus on John, his actions and what he stands for, they are easily able to recognize he portrays characteristics of the flawed nature of an individual. It is shown through the fact that he had an affair, isn’t able to forgive himself, and at the end of the book, is unable to give up something dear to him to save himself and others.