Morgan

 Throughout //The Crucible//, or, studied here, Act One: pages 48 to 53, I have taken great care to include detailed and precise stage instructions amidst the dialogue. This has helped me to develop the character of John Proctor and how it is driven so greatly by the great burden of guilt he carries for sleeping with Abigail. The directions do not just include actions the character carries out such as //“he goes and looks up at the sky”//, but encompass the intimate emotions and thoughts behind them that could not be interpreted from dialogue and sight alone, almost as though one is reading a novel, adding depth to the instructions; //“//With good feeling//, he goes and looks up at the sky”//. I slowly developed the everlasting feeling of guilt Proctor feels. I started with the sense of his forced good nature and his attempts to maintain the content and peaceful relationship he and his wife strive for, as though to compensate for his previous mistakes. With directions such as //“with good feeling”// and //“as gently as he can// [Proctor says…]//”//, John’s attempts to keep the atmosphere a happy one are seen, but his lack of success is shown as he sits //“with a certain disappointment”// and as //“a sense of their separation rises”//. These detailed directions allow the reader to understand the exact non-physical senses and feelings of the characters and general atmosphere. John’s short temper is developed by my progressively angry and violent stage directions with regards to his tone, mounting from //“angering”// to //“his anger rising”// to even a //“violent undertone”// present in his voice. As his temper wanes, Elizabeth speaks tentatively, //“fearing to anger him”//, suggesting John has lost his temper before and abused Elizabeth physically or verbally. Being a proud man in a society that depends so heavily on reputation, John is frustrated that he cannot deny he was in the wrong when he had an affair with Abigail. His guilt plagues him, forcing him to try and make it up to his wife. This is emphasized when he clearly restrains himself from lashing out at Elizabeth and blaming her for his problems or wrongdoings. I carried this sense across by directing Proctor to //“//[hold] //back a full condemnation of// [Elizabeth]//”// and give her a //“solemn warning”//. John can clearly be construed as torn between his escalating temper and his guilt, which results in his releasing his temper against the first person he can find who has actually wronged him, Mary Warren, who disobeyed him and went to Salem; //“as soon as he sees her, he goes directly to her and grabs her by the cloak, furious”//. He seeks her out because, while he cannot control his temper, his everlasting guilt prevents him from wronging his wife again. Proctor’s progressive and escalating temper mirrors the ultimate message behind the entire story of the Crucible; the concept of small things spiraling into something uncontained and large, even dangerous, whether it is annoyance to violent temper, or a rumour to mass hysteria. With the assistance of the narrative and emotive stage directions, the audience receives otherwise unattainable insight into the character of John Proctor, making his character more believable, easy to empathize with and ultimately, human. Humans are more than just the words they speak or the actions they carry out, they are thoughts, feelings and pasts. Without the stage directions I included, it would be much more difficult to interpret John Proctor as a proud country man conflicted by his strained and violent temper and his constant guilt for his previous adultery. The tension between he and his wife, emphasized by John’s forced attempts at contentment and normalcy, would also not have been so clearly illustrated without the stage directions.
 * Topic 1- How I, Arthur Miller, use stage directions as a means to develop the character of John Proctor in Act 1 **

Debatably, there are multiple catalysts, or people responsible for the subsequent events and hysteria, in The Crucible. It could be argued that Elizabeth Proctor’s disassociating Abigail from the Proctor family, Abigail and John Proctor’s relationship being kept secret, Parris’ obsession with denying any mention of witchcraft, or the Putnam’s opposite goal of enforcing witchcraft in any way, were all catalysts in some sense. I believe instead that these circumstances were too small to act as the catalyst and they were merely contributing factors to the creation of a setting that allowed the true catalyst to succeed so easily. All of these factors and events link back to the incredible dependence on personal pride and the obsession with reputation in the Salem society. Elizabeth and John Proctor distanced themselves from Abigail and kept John’s adultery a secret to protect his reputation as a man of society and protect him from punishment. Parris feverishly denied any notion of witchcraft under his own roof to prevent his enemies from ‘ruining him’ and to protect his career. The Putnams wanted some cause to blame for the loss of their children, so Goody Putnam’s image as a mother and Mr Putnam’s distinguished family legacy were protected. All of these factors created an unstable, tense and emotional setting within the play. None of these minor factors or this state was large enough to start the snowballing of events on its own. They merely created the opportune environment for the catalyst, which I believe to be Abigail Williams, to instigate the witchcraft movement. Abigail has been described from the beginning of the novel as someone with //“an endless capacity for dissembling”//, so it was predictable and completely of her character to act as the catalyst, ‘dissembling’ the entire theocratic society in which Salem functioned. Abigail was the only character in the novel that had the manipulative selfish desire to take advantage of the environment and spark events into motion. T he need for a decent reputation within the village acted as the motive for Abigail’s actions; //“I will not have it said my good name is soiled!”// When Abigail’s plans to achieve selfish desires failed and endangered her reputation, Abigail first tried to deny the act. W hen she remained in danger, however, she chose to take advantage of the situation and protect herself, also manipulating the world around her to get what she initially wanted. Towards the end of the novel, when the belief in Abigail and her talk of witchcraft faltered, she fled Salem, not wanting to face the spoiling of her reputation. There are multiple definite points that could be argued as the origin of the entire movement, such as Abigail’s vow to protect her name or her first instructions to the other girls that indicate her plan to lie and manipulate to protect herself; //“Now look you. All of you. We danced… And that is all… breathe a word… and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.”// But I believe that Abigail’s personality was an inevitable catalyst, in turn spurred further by the smaller catalyst of being denied John Proctor. To conclude, Salem’s pride-based society set up the perfect catalyst for the manipulative and selfish Abigail to set about the events that lead to mass hysteria and havoc in the village.
 * Topic 2- Abigail Williams as the ‘catalyst’ in The Crucible **

In this scene, tension builds as Abigail’s ulterior motive for her actions is realised along with her incredible determination to manipulate everyone to achieve her goal, John Proctor’s affection. As her great ambitions are emphasized, the audience starts to anxiously anticipate the lengths she will go to to obtain her goals. Tension is very easily and inevitably built up with the drastic transitions of tone made over a very short period of time. When directing this scene, I would make some slight changes and additions to the stage directions Miller has already included to better build tension. Initially, the characters give off a very shallow and light-hearted atmosphere as Abigail flirts with John Proctor to which he responds in kind. While the initial feeling of this scene and the lines delivered by the characters are quite frivolous, an underlying sexual tension is radiated mainly from Abigail and her obvious intentions that are cast as malicious with stage directions such as //“with a wicked air”//. The sexual tension could build to the point of nearly breaking if Abigail, instead of simply //“//[springing] //into his path”//, could attempt to kiss Proctor. With Proctor’s refusal of //“No, no, Abby… That’s done with,”// the sexual tension will remain hanging, as the avoided kiss was unable to break it. With the relationship between the eager and determined Abby and the reluctant and responsible John Proctor clearly established, the audience feels tension as they anticipate Proctor’s reactions. In this second section of the scene, Proctor’s anger starts building at Abigail’s persistence, and this change of demeanour in addition to Abigail’s constant trying of his temper builds tension again. The way in which Abigail is described to speak //“tauntingly”// to him is crucial as the audience will await the breaking point of Proctor’s temper. When Proctor and Abigail soften and Proctor admits he has looked up at her window, the sexual tension returns again, this time stronger as Abigail is being more frank and demanding with Proctor by saying //“I have a sense for heat, John”// and //“You must// [look to my window]//”//. The audience also tensely awaits the return of the angry, challenging atmosphere that was suddenly lost. Abigail changes mood very suddenly with //“a flash of anger”//, and this makes the audience feel tension as they try to anticipate her next unpredictable change in mood. Proctor and Abigail continue to argue, and should do so in tones escalating in anger and volume. In this section of the scene, Proctor and Abigail’s characters should become more active, Proctor making to slap her when she insults Elizabeth and exaggerating Miller’s stage direction of //“shaking her”// and threatening to whip her. If I were to direct this scene, I would not at any point –especially during this particular exchange- have Abigail cry. Intense anger to the point of near hysteria builds much more tension with the audience. If she were in tears, her breaking point would have been reached and tension would start to ease. If she continues to anger and speak louder, she could almost appear insane, her anger without limits, and tension would rise considerably. The volume and lack of control emanating from this scene should be emphasized by the psalm’s volume rising in time with Abigail’s voice as she shouts at Proctor. Full hysteria is unleashed when the tension, along with Abigail, breaks and she leaps into John and shouts for him to //“pity// [her]//!”// At this moment, Betty, previously inert, screams, to emphasize the breaking of the tension. Betty’s screaming mirrors Abigail’s loss of control and rushing into Proctor, and also acts as foreshadowing into what uncontained hysteria will evolve from Abigail’s terrible path towards achieving her goals.
 * Topic 3- The conveying of an underlying sense of tension and hysteria in Act One, page 20 to 22 (from “ABIGAIL: //Gah! I’d almost forgot…”// to “ABIGAIL: //John, pity me, pity me!’//) **

Nicholas Hytner’s interpretation of __The Crucible__ was overall a brilliant adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play. With every adaptation, however, come minor adjustments made for clarity when watching the film or stylistic effect that can quite dramatically change the effect a scene has on the audience and their interpretation of specific characters, themes, ideas, etc. The introduction of __The Crucible__ is crucial in establishing characters and general atmosphere of the production and it is, interestingly, one of the key aspects in which the written play and the movie adaptation differ greatly.  Hytner’s film commences with the girls in the woods, dancing and taking part in the “ritual” that is later labeled as witchcraft. The innocence and ridiculousness of the entire engagement is emphasized by the girls’ giggling and wishing for specific men in the village to take a romantic interest in them. Even Tituba, the leader of the procession, laughs along with the girls, giving the impression that it is merely a trivial game. The shock the girls so obviously display when Betty and Ruth are accused of being “witched” further supports that they considered the ritual to be harmless fun.  While Hytner would have chosen to commence the film this way to make it easier for the audience to understand what the girls had been doing in the woods, I find that it is precisely this clarifying that destroys much of the tension built up in the first act of the play. In Arthur Miller’s theatrical production, it is the fact that the extent and severity of the actions of the girls in the woods is unknown that builds much of the tension as the audience can draw up their own conclusions. Tension builds as more and more is revealed about the happenings in the woods and the audience becomes more and more curious. The audience starts to form suspicions of actual witchcraft or something much darker when Betty accuses Abigail Williams of “drinking blood”. When the play commences, Betty has been incapacitated for an indefinite amount of time and Parris is introduced as already seriously worried. In the film, however, Betty is seen awake and speaking in the woods. The severity of her condition cannot be established over so short a period of time and therefore the audience’s concern for her is limited. When the audience knows precisely what happened in the woods and what happened to Betty, their curiosity cannot build the tension that is so thick in the play production of Act One where so much more is left unsaid. I believe that the adapted introduction better introduces the character of Abigail Williams. Abigail is shown as the only girl who takes the ritual in the woods seriously, being in a trancelike state and trying to control the ‘ceremony’ when Tituba herself will not do the “bad thing” Abigail demands. Her nature is much more confident, arrogant and angry than the air of //“worry and apprehension and propriety”// she carries in the play. These small aspects allow the audience to gain an accurate negative impression of Abigail, whereas in the play her character is much more slowly revealed to be manipulative, selfish and destructive. In the play production, before the mention of Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail seems quite quiet and obedient despite the written description of her as someone //“with an endless capacity for dissembling”// in the stage directions. In the play, the tension is built off the audience trying to piece together the limited information they are provided with, whereas in the film, tension is built through the established wicked character of Abigail and the audience speculating her next horrible act or for her true character to be revealed to the town.
 * Topic 4- Differences in introductions of Arthur Miller’s play and Nicholas Hytner’s film adaptation and the resultant affect on the audiences’ interpretations and the building of tension **

** Topic 5- Disagreement with the article, “Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Miller's The Crucible: A Feminist Reading” ** The article, “Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: A Feminist Reading”, suggests that Miller’s play promotes the fear and distrust of angry, wicked or wise women. I completely disagree with this suggestion for various reasons. I believe that because of the strong female character of Abigail Williams being the antagonist, the author of this article has drawn conclusions from only her character, neglecting to take into account evidence against these negative conclusions about the female image, such as the characters of Rebecca Nurse or Elizabeth Proctor. I believe that if Arthur Miller’s play, __The Crucible__, makes any statement about women, it is that they should not be underestimated and should be considered equal and a powerful asset to the community. The key representation of women as distrustful and scheming is Abigail Williams, yet her gender is hardly relevant and could be argued as coincidental. Abigail’s manipulative character is not defined by her being a female. While she attempts to seduce John Proctor, the emphasis is put on the seductive aspect of her specific character, not the idea that the female race is seducing and selfish. The fact that Abigail and her supporters are female implies their ‘ritual’ in the woods is childish and trivial as they are merely attempting to ‘charm’ various men in the village into noticing them in a romantic sense. The stereotypical view of women at the time encompassed women being less intelligent or influential. If anything, their being female emphasizes how this prejudice was a ridiculous concept that ultimately resulted in the humiliating demise of those that believe it, as shown by the court’s imbecility in assuming the girls’ innocence because of their age and possibly their gender.

The article seems to discount the very positive portrayals of wise female characters in Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, both who are almost revered in the town as saintly //“good soul//[s]//”//. Elizabeth’s honesty and righteousness is constantly envied by the strong male character of Proctor. The powerful Reverend Hale is respectful and in awe of Rebecca and her charitable work. These are prominent female characters that are cast in a very positive light by Miller, but the article fails to mention them. The article comments on the fact that most of the ‘witches’ accused and hung were female, and that this shows prejudice against the gender. However, I believe women were more prominently accused of being witches because the girls had personal vendettas against them. These girls were lusting after the women’s husbands, as in the case of Abigail for Proctor, or blaming the women for their own faults, as in the case of Goody Putnam against Goody Osburn. Multiple prominent men were also accused of being ‘witches’ and dealing with the devil. Proctor, male and arguable the principal figure of the play, was accused and hung. Giles was tortured to death as they attempted to get him to confess to all he was accused of. One of the first accusations ever even made in the play was George Jacobs. Men, in the play, are generally emphasized as the more ignorantly wicked and simple characters. I find Miller reinforces how dangerous these characteristics can be when displayed in powerful figures, in this case men. Focus is not put on intelligent women being feared, but instead on male characters that should have been less ignorant. This is especially seen in the case of Reverend Parris, Thomas Putnam and the judges involved in the Salem trials, as they are cast in a severely negative light for being very close minded and unintelligent, allowing them to be taken advantage of very easily by characters that happen to be female. To conclude, I do not believe that Miller is attempting to make a statement through __the Crucible__ with regards to gender. I believe that the article has mistaken Miller’s creation of multiple strong female characters, the strongest of whom being a wicked character, for an attempt to illustrate the negative aspects of intelligent women. I believe that Miller is instead using these intelligent and, in the case of Abigail, manipulative characters to emphasize the danger of the ignorance of those in power and the virtues of independence and intelligence.

Wendy, Schissel and Harold Bloom. “Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Miller’s the Crucible: A Feminist Reading.” //Literary Reference Centre.// Last updated Mar 09 2005. Viewed Nov 23 2009. Available at []

Excellent Morgan. This is detailed and focused at the same time, which is not an easy skill. Your responses show an intricate knowledge of the complexities of the play and you appreciate greatly the central thematic issues and how they affect character. Your level of diction is appropriate to the task and you explain yourself with maturity throughout. Most pleasing is that you show great enthusiasm for the play and your paragraphs demonstrate a depth of thinking in regard to literature. Look at your writing and try to rework structures or vocabulary to make sure your writing does not have a repetitive feel ( a minor criticism) Top of Form __Knowledge and Understanding - 5 __  __Appreciation of Literary Features - 5__  __Interpretations of the Text from the Written Commentary - 5

15/15__