Arthur Miller

The Cruciblebackground on McCarthyism and the witch trials

This is the basis for ArthurMiller’s screenplay, TheCrucible. Who was executed, why?

1. Abstract – adjective Considered apart from

concrete existence; theoretical

2. Allegory – nounThe representation of

abstractideas or principles by

characters.

Most of those accused of being witches were women.

Many were healers, and used plants to heal people.

Many were without family, and this made them easy targets.

They were people who did not fit in with the mainstream for some reason.

The Witches' Sabbath,

painted in 1606

HTD68835 The Witches Sabbath, 1606 by Frans II The Younger Francken, (1581-1642),

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, (Out of Copyright)

You are going to explore this painting on the next

page.

Skull –

The skeleton of the head.

These were often used in paintings as reminders of death and the afterlife.

Could they provide a link with the dead and spirits from beyond the grave?

Consider how superstitious people were at this time.

Q. What are the skulls lying on?

Q. What has been put with them?

Remember how important religion was at this time.

Demons- An evil spirit or a

devil- Many people thought witch craft was the work of the Devil

- Some pets were thought to be demons, or familiars

- These could disguise themselves as common animals and do the bidding of the witches

Skull –

The skeleton of the head.

These were often used in paintings as reminders of death and the afterlife.

Could they provide a link with the dead and spirits from beyond the grave?

Consider how superstitious people were at this time.

Q. What are the skulls lying on?

Q. What has been put with them?

Witch Somebody who practices magic (in

this case ‘dark’ forms of magic.

It was thought at this time that witches were sometimes

accompanied by a a devil or ‘familiar’ spirit.

Lots of witches together are called a coven.

Q. What do you find strange about the two witches at the front of the

picture?

Q. What do you find strange about the appearance of this witch ?

Do you expect a witch to

look like this?

Cauldron

A large round pot made of metal which is used

for boiling food.

Cauldrons could also be used for mixing

potions….

Q. Can you link this with any other part of the picture?

Witch

When people think of witches they tend to think that they will be female.

Men were also accused of witchcraft. A male witch is

sometimes called a Warlock – a wizard or sorcerer.

Q. Are all of those present within this painting female?

A Familiar

This was thought to be an evil spirit that had taken on the form of an animal

A Spell book Contained incantations, chants and spells

Q. How many creatures can you see in the

picture?

Q. Describe some of these creatures.

Familiars could even look like common pets!

Could this be a reference to Doctor Faustus (made famous in a play by Christopher Marlowe in

1604)? Ask your teacher about this.

Sprites

Supernatural beings or the souls of people. They can

sometimes take on a ghostly appearance.

Levitation

Rising into the air using supernatural powers.

Witch Tests and Trials

Witch examinations often involved looking for a witch-

mark. This was supposed to be where familiars sucked

blood from

the witch.

Sometimes large pins were pushed into the witch-mark. If

the person did not cry out in pain (or if she did not bleed from

the wound!) she was a witch.

Other witches were ducked or thrown into water with their

hands tied. If they sank (and drowned!) they were said

to be innocent and if they floated they were guilty

and hung or burnt.

One of the ways most witches were accused was with the use of “spectral evidence.” If someone said they had seen the accused with the devil in a dream, or that the accused had visited them in the night, or had hurt them, it was taken as evidence that the devil was at work.

20 executed

Between 175 to 200 imprisoned

How did it start?In 1692, several girls in the village of Salem, Massachusetts became intrigued when a West Indian servant told them stories of magic and voodoo from her native land. Bored and restricted by the oppressive Puritan life, the girls slipped into the woods one night and “conjured” love charms and hexes. One girl, Betty Parris, slipped into unconsciousness when her father caught them. She wouldn’t wake up, and this started the discussion of witchcraft. To avoid punishment, the girls created the story of the “witches” who made them dance and conjure the spells.

Why did it happen?

It began as a way for the oppressed girls to avoid being punished. It then became an ideal way to get revenge on anyone whom you disliked.

People started accusing their neighbors of being witches so they could steal their farmland.People accused others of being witches if they wanted to steal their husbands or wives or possessions.

Those accused of being witches were most often found guilty. Sometimes they were sentenced to be tied to a rock dunked in a pond, and if they sank, they were declared innocent. Innocent. If they somehow survived the dunking, they were obviously witches, and they were executed.

Most of those found guilty of witchcraft were hung.

One man was pressed to death with rocks because he refused to plead guilty or innocent, insuring that his sons still inherited his lands.

Why wasThe Crucible written?The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1953 as an allegory for McCarthyism or the so called (second) Red Scare. Miller felt manypersonal convictions to McCarthyism as a result of a multitude of events that happened in his life. Wanting to point out to the world the amazing parallel between the unjust Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and the (second) Red Scare from 1948 to 1956, Miller wrote The Crucible to make a powerful statement about the dangers of hysteria and the dehumanization that can result.

During McCarthyism, the United States was terrified of Communism's influence. Like the witches, communists were seen ingrained within every aspect of society. Miller was sent to jail for withholding information from the court, namely the names of those assumed to be communists. Many of Miller’s peers fearing the wrath of the court provided names of suspected communists in an attempt to save themselves.

Arthur Miller offers his explanations for the factors that caused the Salem Witch Trials.-He uses the real people from the trials as characters, but created his own story to point out the problems in Puritan society.

-Ask yourself the following question as you read:

“How much evidence of the supernatural exists in this play?”

This play shows the concept of mass hysteria.Mass Hysteria -a form of groupthink, in which several people with something in common begin to think in the same way. In mass hysteria, the group members all develop a common fear that often spirals into a panic. The group members feed off each other’s emotional reactions, causing the panic to escalate.

Miller was motivated to examine the Salem Witch Trials because he was witness to one of the other greatest mass tragedies in the United States, The McCarthy Era.

The McCarthy Era was an era in the 1940s and 1950s when individuals were accused of being Communist. Individuals were often targeted with little proof.

Miller’s Inspiration

Individuals were “blacklisted” and prevented from obtaining work.

Many lives were destroyed.

Many of the accused even committed suicide.

In the years following the McCarthy Era, the actions of the government were recognized as cruel and unjust.

Miller created this play to show the similarities between the two eras in American History, and examine the hidden motivations behind the atrocities that occurred.