Intro Notes – Mr. McGowan English 3

 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 ___________________________.

 1692  Local girls start acting in bizarre ways  Screamed, threw chairs, said strange sounds, crawled under furniture  Doctors could find no medical reason  Superstitious townspeople began to suspect girls were victims of WITCHCRAFT  Girls began to accuse townspeople of witchcraft  First – just derelicts like homeless and drunks  Then, more prominent people (Old grudges)  Over 150 people arrested and jailed for suspicion of witchcraft  If confessed, were spared. No confession = execution  30 people convicted – 20 died (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”  Assumed guilty unless can prove innocence  Salem  “McCarthyism” 1950’s  Post-9/11

 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

 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

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

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

 Salem Witch Museum  Custom House

Pickering Wharf Salem Marketplace