Crucible Notes

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Crucible Notes

• Composition Book page 13-15

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• Salem witch trials
• series of hearings
• trials to prosecute witchcraft
• February 1692 and May 1693

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SALEM WITCH TRIALS

• Cautionary tale
• dangers of religious extremism,
• false accusations,
• lapses in due process,
• governmental intrusion on individual liberties

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CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

• RELIGIOUS
• Puritans
• Invisible spirit world around our world
• Devil was very real feared

• LOCAL
• Town disagreed about choice of Samuel Parris as
  first ordained minister

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Fear of the unknown

• Religious zeal
• Natural disasters death wrath of God or Devil
• Epileptic fits
• Seizures
• Voodoo
• Poor or societal outcasts

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Timeline

• January/February 1692
• Parris children began to have epileptic fits
  exhibit strange behavior
• Other young girls in town have similar behavior
• March 1, 1692
• 3 women accused, arrested, and jailed
• May 1693
• Last of the witch trials

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Death Warrants Executions

• 150 arrested imprisoned
• At least 5 died in prison
• 29 convicted of the felony of witchcraft
• Hung
• 14 women
• 5 men
• One man crushed to death

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Death of accused witch
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Introduction to The Crucible

• Playwright Arthur Miller
• Written in 1950s
• Political allegory Sen. McCarthys House
  Un-American Activities Committee hearings
• Play about the human condition
• Politically charged time in US history

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Arthur Miller

• Born 1915 Died 2005
• 1936-37 Hopwood Awards.
• 1949 Death of a Salesman, won Pulitzer Prize.
• 1953 The Crucible produced and published.
• 1954 Denied passport for European premiere The
  Crucible.
• 1956 Testified before House Un-American
  Activities Committee
• Married Marilyn Monroe 1956-1961

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Characters (16)

• 3 columns
• Name
• Trait
• Example pg
• Keep list of the following characters
• Add character traits important details as we
  read the play

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• Parris
• Abigail
• Betty
• Tituba
• Putnam
• Mrs Putnam
• Ruth
• Mercy Lewis
• Proctor
• Elizabeth
• Mary Warren
• Hale
• Danforth
• Rebecca
• Francis
• Sarah Good
• Goody Osburn
• Giles Martha Corey