In the play by Arthur Miller The Crucible, the town of Salem is in pandemonium under the non-existent threat of witchcraft. Every character is either lying to save their lives or to end others, or dying for not admitting to a lie. One character who stands out among the chaotic conflagration is the tragic hero John Proctor. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is defined […]

“He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side” Miller about Parris and how he doesn’t belong to the community but belongs to religion pg13 “To the European world the whole province was a barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of fanatics” Belonging to a place – Miller says this about Salem 13 […]

‘Here. Now. It’s all clear,’ whispered Abigail coarsely, choking back a cough. Mercy squeezed through the small gap in the fence to join Abigail the other side. Together, grasping each other’s hands for comfort, they darted through the trees, into the forest that served as a barrier between the sea and Salem. They ran along a faint path of trampled grass, till they arrived at […]

Fear Causes Irrationality A government requires very delicate balances; the slightest disturbance will cause it to come crashing down. For example, governments must have a balance between their values and their desire to make things happen. In 1933 Germany’s balance was disrupted when Adolf Hitler became chancellor. He tipped the scale away from values and morals, and eventually led to the collapse of a previously […]

Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do and have been put on trial for it? Well, in the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, many people were put on trial, and 20 were killed. The Crucible was based on a true story about the belief of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. And it all started with a lie from a group of girls. […]

Belonging- Crucible essay It is instinctively assumed that belonging to the group can better protect the individual against external threats; however Arthur Miller’s The Crucible shows that such instinctive assumptions are flawed. The group can destroy itself without the voice of the individual, capable of thinking rationally, because the herd simply acts instinctively and its members conform out of fear of alienation or the very […]

Introduction Vinegar Tom was written by Caryl Churchill, a feminist, in 1976 but set in the 17th Century. The play was inspired by the women’s rights act of 1970, and the discrimination of women. The title comes from the name of a horrible creature which is supposed to be a witch’s familiar. It is about how four naive and innocent women’s lives are affected throughout […]

How and why does the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor change over the course of The Crucible? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John and Elizabeth Proctor are introduced as a young, married couple whose relationship had a tense undercurrent. Their actions and reactions towards one another prove that they are at odds with each other. John and Elizabeth seem to be trying to […]