1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)

2. Arthur Miller Married to Marilyn Monroe for a short time
During the “Red Scare,” HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) began targeting people in the entertainment business as communists. Committee led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
These targets were asked to “confess” involvement in communist organizations and also to name others who had similar views.
People who refused to cooperate were blacklisted, or denied employment.

3. These actions by the HUAC reminded Miller of the Salem Witch Trials.
Miller visited Salem in 1952, and his research inspired him to write The Crucible late in 1953.
It was staged on Broadway later that year.
Its relevance to the political climate was clear, even in other countries.
The U.S. State Department refused Miller’s renewal of passport. When he was later called in by the HUAC and refused to name names, he was charged with contempt, fined, and sentenced to jail. He won his appeal and did not serve jail time.

4. The Crucible
Setting: 1692 Massachusetts, during the Salem Witch Trials

5. Major Characters:
Francis and Rebecca Nurse—respected elders in town. Rebecca was midwife to wealthy Putnams, who blame her for the death of their children.
Reverend Parris—minister of the town;
responsible for witch trials,
very materialistic
Betty Parris—caught dancing in the
woods and pretends to see spirits
Tituba—Rev. Parris’s slave; she teaches
the girls about spirits
Abigail Williams—Rev. Parris’s niece;
leads the girls in the accusations; had an
affair with John Proctor

6. Characters (cont.) Thomas and Ann Putnam—
wealthy land owners; powerful
and hold grudges
Mary Warren—works at the
Proctor’s house
John Proctor—opposes Rev.
Parris; well-known and respected,
has 2 children.
Elizabeth Proctor—very chaste;
cannot lie
Rev. John Hale—”witch expert;”
called in to investigate
Deputy Governor Danforth—witch
trail judge; rules by the law and only
sees situations in black and white

7. Themes: Pride Fear Puritan Ethics Honesty Revenge
Conflict of Authority
Self Interest

8. Context:
In the winter of , many of the teenage girls in the village began behaving strangely.
Many people suspected the girls were victims of witchcraft.
These events and the trials that followed form the basis for Miller’s play The Crucible.

9. Act I Vocabulary:
Compromise—[v] to endanger the reputation or interests of; to expose to suspicion
Contention– [n] verbal argument or struggle
Subservient—[adj] useful, in an inferior capacity
Naiive—[adj] lacking knowledge in the ways of the world
Pretense—[n] a false show or appearance, esp. for the purpose of deceiving
Evade–[v] to escape or avoid, as by cleverness
Goody—[n] short for “Goodwife,” a term of polite address for a married woman
Aye (pronounced “I”)—meaning yes or in agreement

10. Act I Voc. (cont.) Clapped in the stocks—a
punishment for someone found
guilty of a crime
10. Covenanted—describes a
person who has made a
commitment to the church
testifying to his/her faith
11. Defamation—an attack on one’s
good name or reputation
Discomfit—to confuse and
frustrate
13. Licentious—describes a person who disregards commonly accepted standards of right and wrong
14. Midwife—a woman who assists other women in childbirth

11. Act II Vocabulary: 8. Lechery—excessive indulgence of sexual desire
Reprimand—[v] to reprove or correct sharply
Base—[adj] morally low;
dishonorable
3. Covet—[v] to desire, in an
excessive degree, something
that belongs to another
Misgiving—[n] a feeling of doubt,
distrust, or anxiety
5. Indignant—expressing
righteous anger
6. Poppet—a handmade doll
7. To dote on—to show extreme affection for or to pay excessive attention to
8. Lechery—excessive indulgence of sexual desire

12. Act III Vocabulary: Guile—[n] cunning, deceit, slyness
Affidavit—[n] a written declaration sworn to be true, usually before a judge
Effrontery—[n] boldness and disrespect
Ipso facto—Latin legal term meaning by the fact itself
Probity—[n] moral excellence, integrity and honesty

13. Act IV Vocabulary:
Conciliatory—[adj] trying to gain the good will or another by friendly acts
Indictment—[n] a formal legal accusation, charging the commission or omission of an act, which is punishable by law
Gibbet—[n] the gallows used for hanging
Sibilance—[n] a hissing sound