Historical Background forArthur Miller’s The Crucible

Salem Witch Trials

The

What is a witch hunt?

• Literal: an effort to find and eliminate people who are practicing witchcraft

• Figurative: an effort to discover and expose disloyalty or subversion, accusations of which are generally based on weak or inaccurate evidence

- e.g. Witch hunt for Communists in America during the Red Scare

- e.g. Witch hunt for terrorists after 9/11

Burning a witch at the stake was a method of execution used during the Inquisition

People had real fears of demons and witchcraft

What were some common beliefs about witches?

• The Bible condemns the practice of witchcraft• Witches considered servants of Satan• Puritans were extremely fearful of witchcraft and

black magic• Puritan communities wanted to eliminate witches

because they desired a pure, Godly society• Witches were tortured and often executed by state

and church authorities• Puritans considered women, children, and people

with mental disabilities weak and therefore more vulnerable to the Devil’s advances

What were some methods used to test suspected witches?

• “Swimming a witch”• Searching for the “Devil’s mark”• Testing knowledge of the Bible

Looking for the “Devil’s mark”

How did the trials begin?

• Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, two young girls, show signs of “affliction”

• Tituba, the servant in the Parris house, is accused of teaching the girls witchcraft

• Tituba claims that there are other witches in Salem• Hysteria spreads through the community• Other outcasts in the community are soon accused• Official court is established to question the accused

What happened next?

• More girls claim to be “afflicted”• Accusations escalate• Over 100 people in Salem and the surrounding area

are accused• Soon, even respected members of the community

are accused• Some start to question the girls’ claims, and they

are soon accused as well

A women pleads with the court as her accuser writhes on the ground

What evidence was used to convict the accused?

• No actual evidence• “Spectral evidence” allowed by the court• Spectral evidence was a claim by an afflicted girl

that a witch’s evil spirit had attacked her• Only the girl who was being attacked could see the

evil spirit• The court believed the girls’ claims• Ironically, a confession of guilt saved the accused• Denying an accusation resulted in conviction

How did the trials end?

• The afflicted girls start to accuse people outside of the Salem area, including the wives of prominent ministers and the wife of the governor

• The girls lose credibility because of these outlandish claims

• Governor officially terminates the court• In the end, over 200 people were accused• 19 were hanged for practicing witchcraft• 4 died in prison• One man was crushed to death for refusing to

cooperate with the court

What are some theories that have been developed to explain the trials?

• Puritans were trying to rid their communities of outcasts who didn’t meet their holy standards

• The girls were bored and wanted some excitement• Tensions in the community caused neighbors to

turn on each other• Tainted grain caused the girls and others to

hallucinate (ergot poisoning)• The girls actually believed they were possessed

What are some characteristics of Puritan culture that contributed to these events?

• Wanted to create a “city on a hill” in the New World, established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in modern-day Boston area

• Believed they were on a holy mission to purify society• Religion was at the center of all aspects of life• Theocracy• Extremely strict• Intolerant of disparate views• Stressed importance of community and therefore did

not encourage individualism

How do modern people generally think of the Puritans?

• Negative view of Puritan culture• Excessively strict• Self-righteous• Intolerant• One good thing: the Puritan work ethic• Another good thing: Puritan schooling system

When and why did Arthur Miller write his play The Crucible?

• Wrote the play in 1953• Used the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory (a

symbolic story)• He was comparing the Puritans’ irrational fear of

witches to his society’s irrational fear of Communists

• Fear of Communism was rampant during the 1950s• Many were suspicious that Communist spies were in

our country gathering information for the Soviets• People with liberal social and political views (many

artists) were unfairly accused, and their reputations were damaged as a result

Arthur Miller

Play: 1953 Film: 1996

Crucible

The

RedScare

The

Tituba

Abigail Williams

Reverend Parris

Thomas Putnam

Ann Putnam

John Proctor

Elizabeth Proctor

Mary Warren

Giles Corey

Rebecca Nurse

Judge Danforth