Difficult position Essay

The play the crucible was written by Arthur Miller .The play was based on a hurricane of mass hysteria .The crucible has been adapted from true life events .The play shows the cry of witchery evolve and grow out of hand .Written by Arthur Miller based on personal problems which have effected his life .The McCarthy trials in which he found himself in an very difficult position, but also very similar to those of Massachusetts in Salem in the 17th Century. Miller used this play to show opposition to McCarthyism in which it was seen as Un- American to be a communist. Anti-communism was strongly encouraged .Thousands of Americans were accused and they were aggressively investigated and if you wanted to prevent yourself from paying a heavy fine you had to point the finger at someone else, he described this as â€Å"Quite crazy†. He was really interested by the strong correlation with Communism and the Salem witch hunt . And even went to Salem Massachusetts to research the witch trials. Arthur Miller in the play shows the significance of ones name and the value within it.  Abigail Williams a small girl created madness falsely accusing innocent people to seek revenge .She felt once Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife was dead she will have him all to herself she believes that John Proctor and her haven’t finished yet, from their previous affair .Accusing John Proctor of â€Å"Putting knowledge in her heart†. Accusing him of destroying her innocence by taking her virginity .So for a time when the church is suppose to be a big part in everybody’s life he knows it wont look good on his behalf .She has malicious intentions, initially intending to get Elizabeth killed .It started as dancing in the woods and drinking blood which was a supposed ritual. She had a real plan for everything to go haywire. John Proctor’s guilt over affair with Abigail makes his position uneasy because he is guilty of the very hypocrisy he scorns in others. It silences his voice to speak out. This adds tension because he’s craving to testify against Abigail. But initially doesn’t this also adds dramatic irony.  Giles Corey is very fearful and died due to this; a lot of tension was caused by this. Tension is caused by him not confessing or accusing someone else of witchery consequently encountering a slow and painful death. Forced to plead guilty by pressing heavy stones on his chest he died by being crushed under the weight of these many stones .A slow painful death made it aching to read about and curious to find out what was going to happen next. Stage direction enabled us to visualise what was going on, on the stage. As it amplified the scenes and tension was added because the bigger and better the stage direction meant the scene was more detailed.  Act 4 began with the isolation of a jail in Salem the stage direction tells us that Sarah Good and Tituba both in rags tells us they have been ill treated. There in darkness and light only seeps through the bars creating a depressing, sorrowful and gloomy atmosphere. Making the unavoidable more daunting .The iron bars symbolises that they are prisoners locked away from their basic human rights and the world. Dramatic tension is caused by the setting of the scene because their probably yearning to see the outside world. Instant pity is felt for them they have had to suffer the excruciating pain of being locked up for a long period of time. For a crime they did not commit.  Parris is fearful of the situation he finds a dagger outside the door. This adds suspense and tension it left the audience wandering for his future existence. It could have been done simply but it was really dramatic because the audience are clueless about who put it their and why. It could have been done simply. But the dagger in the door made it more dramatic and the scene was dark which made it more spooky it was a clear threat and meant his life was at stake. Abigail’s unexpected disappearance because of her unachievable goal puts more pressure on Parris. As he is also feeling gradually more isolated in the village. His congregation has also dropped in size .This heightens the tension because if Abigail’s disappeared without a trace her doings and the doings of the other girls who cried witchcraft will be questioned. Abigail does not want her name to be soiled it’s so important to her she is seen as a good girl â€Å"My name is good in the village I will now have my name soiled†. So she might have her doubts about everyone finding out the whole thing was a lie so the best thing to do was to runaway. Parris is also worried that he stole all his money  To change Proctors mind to confessing to witchcraft in order to save his life Elizabeth is required. She is heavily pregnant but she agrees but makes no promises Hale asks her to make him confess to witchcraft.