The Crucible
"Arthur Miller schreef dit filmscript in de jaren vijftig van de twintigste eeuw juist toen, omdat
senator Joseph mcCarthy in die jaren jacht maakte op communisten in de Verenigde Staten. Men was
toen zo bang om verdacht te worden dat men andere mensen ging aangeven om zelf niet de dupe te
worden. Dit deed hem sterk denken aan de heksenjachten in Salem en besloot er een toneelstuk
over te maken om de mensen als het ware te waarschuwen.
Ik kan wel begrijpen dat Miller deze link maakte, omdat er ook net zoals in de middeleeuwen
bepaalde voorwaarden voor de jacht aanwezig waren. Men had bijvoorbeeld een bepaald beeld over
communisten gecreëerd wat in werkelijkheid niet klopte net als de mensen in de middeleeuwen een
beeld hadden gecreëerd van heksen."
The play the Crucible was written in 1953. From 1940 until 1950 there was an American politician
Joseph McCarthy who was extremely against communism. Eventually, there was the term:
‘McCarthyism’. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations without proper regard for
evidence. Joseph McCarthy accused people of being communist, and that was a very bad thing at
that time.
Hundreds of Americans were accused of being “communists”, it was easier to blame other people.
This way they did not become a victim their selves.
In the play, there is a thing comparable to McCarthyism but instead of accusing each other from
being a communist, they accuse each other from witchery and conspire with the devil.
OVERTURE (opening)
Arthur Miller: ‘I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest
and most awful chapters in human history’
The people in Salem mind a lot about other people's businesses. The witchery was an open invitation
to express all the frustration between the people in Salem. They could all accuse others. The witch
hunt exposes the failure of the operating system.
ACT 1 (Betty is bewitched)
Reverend Parris is kneeling to Betty’s bed. Susanna says that the doctor doesn’t have an explanation
for Betty’s illness and that he should consider sorcery. Parris questions the activities of the girls in the
woods. Putnam enters and she is happy witchery is finally being discussed. Susanna says that Ruth
and Betty called the spirit of the devil. The girls around the fire admit to witchery because they were
disobeying the law. The witch hunt is driven by the selfish motivations of the citizens.
ACT 1 (The courage of John Proctor)
John Proctor enters Betty’s room and Abigail starts to flirt with John, they had an affaire but John
wants to save his marriage. Betty wakes up and screams, this was because of the fight between John
and Abigail but Abigail says it was because of the neighbors reading the Bible, Betty is accused of
conspiring with the devil. Reverend Parris wants to continue the witch hunt. The main conflict of the
play is the struggle of person against person.
ACT 1 (Reverend John Hale arrives)
John Hale tries to get the devil away from Betty, it doesn’t work and Abigail accuses Tituba from
witchcraft, Tituba denies but mentions a lot of names of who she thinks are involved in witchcraft.
Betty wakes up and she also gives the names of ‘witchcraft involved people’. They use the power of
suggestion and the guilt by association
"Arthur Miller schreef dit filmscript in de jaren vijftig van de twintigste eeuw juist toen, omdat
senator Joseph mcCarthy in die jaren jacht maakte op communisten in de Verenigde Staten. Men was
toen zo bang om verdacht te worden dat men andere mensen ging aangeven om zelf niet de dupe te
worden. Dit deed hem sterk denken aan de heksenjachten in Salem en besloot er een toneelstuk
over te maken om de mensen als het ware te waarschuwen.
Ik kan wel begrijpen dat Miller deze link maakte, omdat er ook net zoals in de middeleeuwen
bepaalde voorwaarden voor de jacht aanwezig waren. Men had bijvoorbeeld een bepaald beeld over
communisten gecreëerd wat in werkelijkheid niet klopte net als de mensen in de middeleeuwen een
beeld hadden gecreëerd van heksen."
The play the Crucible was written in 1953. From 1940 until 1950 there was an American politician
Joseph McCarthy who was extremely against communism. Eventually, there was the term:
‘McCarthyism’. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations without proper regard for
evidence. Joseph McCarthy accused people of being communist, and that was a very bad thing at
that time.
Hundreds of Americans were accused of being “communists”, it was easier to blame other people.
This way they did not become a victim their selves.
In the play, there is a thing comparable to McCarthyism but instead of accusing each other from
being a communist, they accuse each other from witchery and conspire with the devil.
OVERTURE (opening)
Arthur Miller: ‘I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest
and most awful chapters in human history’
The people in Salem mind a lot about other people's businesses. The witchery was an open invitation
to express all the frustration between the people in Salem. They could all accuse others. The witch
hunt exposes the failure of the operating system.
ACT 1 (Betty is bewitched)
Reverend Parris is kneeling to Betty’s bed. Susanna says that the doctor doesn’t have an explanation
for Betty’s illness and that he should consider sorcery. Parris questions the activities of the girls in the
woods. Putnam enters and she is happy witchery is finally being discussed. Susanna says that Ruth
and Betty called the spirit of the devil. The girls around the fire admit to witchery because they were
disobeying the law. The witch hunt is driven by the selfish motivations of the citizens.
ACT 1 (The courage of John Proctor)
John Proctor enters Betty’s room and Abigail starts to flirt with John, they had an affaire but John
wants to save his marriage. Betty wakes up and screams, this was because of the fight between John
and Abigail but Abigail says it was because of the neighbors reading the Bible, Betty is accused of
conspiring with the devil. Reverend Parris wants to continue the witch hunt. The main conflict of the
play is the struggle of person against person.
ACT 1 (Reverend John Hale arrives)
John Hale tries to get the devil away from Betty, it doesn’t work and Abigail accuses Tituba from
witchcraft, Tituba denies but mentions a lot of names of who she thinks are involved in witchcraft.
Betty wakes up and she also gives the names of ‘witchcraft involved people’. They use the power of
suggestion and the guilt by association
