Intro Notes

 AUTHOR: Arthur Miller  DATE: 1952  GENRE: Drama (Play) Historical Fiction  POINT OF VIEW: 3 rd person

 1500’s in England  Religious group – felt the English church wasn’t “pure” enough  Attacked for their beliefs in England  Why did they come to America?  Plymouth – 1620  Boston, Salem

1. THEOCRACY No Separation of CHURCH and STATE “Theo” = ___________; “-ocracy” = ___________ 2. Belief in “Predestination” 3. Emphasis on HARD WORK and SACRIFICE 4. Forced Religious Practice How is this IRONIC? IRONY: The difference between _____________ and ___________________________.

 STRANGE BEHAVIORS  Screaming, seizures, trance-like states  Unexplained behaviors  Superstitious – believed Devil was involved  PEOPLE INVOLVED  Low-lifes accused of being witches  Old grudges between families

 Results of Witch Trials  150 people jailed for suspicion of witchcraft  No confession = Execution  20 people executed (19 hanged)

310 Essex Street, Salem, MA Home of Witch Trials Judge Jonathan Corwin

 Mass hysteria, moral panic, mob lynching  Prosecution of any and all “enemies”  Guilty unless proven innocent  Salem  “McCarthyism” 1950’s  Post-9/11

 “McCarthyism” – Sen. Joseph McCarthy  1950’s – Investigated Communism  Accused actors, politicians of being Communists  Arthur Miller was accused and asked to testify – refused to name names

 Wrote The Crucible to criticize McCarthy  Saw witch-hunts as dangerous to America  Most famous work besides Crucible = Death of a Salesman “TRAGEDY OF THE COMMON MAN”

 JOHN PROCTOR  ABIGAIL WILLIAMS  ELIZABETH PROCTOR  REVEREND PARRIS  TITUBA  THOMAS PUTNAM  GILES COREY  REVEREND HALE  Ann Putnam  Mary Warren  Rebecca Nurse  Other girls  Townspeople  Ezekiel Cheever  Judge Danforth

 Salem Town Hall  Salem = “Witch City”  House of the Seven Gables  Pioneer Village

 Salem Witch Museum  Custom House

Pickering Wharf Salem Marketplace

 EXPOSITION  RISING ACTION  CLIMAX  FALLING ACTION  RESOLUTION  Sets the scene, characters, conflict(s)  Tension rises in story  High point in the story  Tension lessens  Conflicts resolves

 TRAGEDY Greek: Gods decide a hero’s fate English: Great heroes/kings (Shakespeare) American : Ordinary people cause their own downfall Usually because of too much PRIDE

LIT TERMS, cntd.  TRAGIC HERO Main character of a tragedy DYNAMIC character – has both good and bad traits  TRAGIC FLAW Character’s greatest strength is also greatest weakness  STAGE DIRECTIONS Not spoken dialogue, but tells actors what to do or how to say lines