Summary “The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry Into the Salem Witch Trial” by Marion L. Starkey is a historical novel based upon facts of people and events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. The format of the book is a narrative, with dialogue from actual trial records. The trial records are applied with a modern psychiatric knowledge, surrounding the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey recreates the sense of pity and terror that surrounded Salem and the suffering that many innocent people endured during the time. “The Devil in Massachusetts” presents an account of the accusers, accused, prosecutors and defenders surrounding the trials at Salem.
The Crucible In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the character John Proctor uses the bible quote, “Do thou good and no harm shall com unto thee” to give advice to Mary Warren while she is on trial. This quote can be used as the theme of almost every occurrence during the play. The first performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was on January 22, 1953, and tells of the events of the Salem Witch Trials. During this time, religion was very important among the people. And fearing God was the greatest rule.
I also observed that it was the bench clerks role to use a microphone from the courtroom, that was linked to the waiting area of the court building, to call defendants into the court room as they were required for their hearing. The defendants’ legal agent worked with the prosecutors discussing the crime being alleged and the charges the defendant faced. At times the legal agent would talk in whispers to the defendant, however these whispers would be verbalised aloud to the prosecutor and to the Magistrate once the legal agent and defendant had agreed on 4. what had been said. The legal agent is the person who represents the defendant on a legal level in regards to any charges a defendant is facing. The legal agent presented background and personal information regarding the defendant to the Magistrate for consideration should the defendant be found
In doing an epidemic broke out of witchcraft. The character that evolved the most during the course of the play was Reverend John Hale of Beverly. Reverend Hale was a man that came from a high class in Beverly. He has gone to Salem on his own will. Page 63 act two.
Akshay Goel Bethea English p.5/6 11/28/2012 Trial by Fire The action of the play is based on a historical event, the Salem witchcraft trials which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. The drama centers on a husband and wife, John and Elizabeth Proctor and a girl, Abigail, with whom John Proctor has committed adultery. In most cases, we know truth always wins even if it is powerless but what about this story? This story is written by Arthur miller, and the title of the story The Crucible. In the same way as the crucible difference between the impurities and purities, my topic is concerning about powerful and powerless people, means powerful people are those having great power and strength .Clearly then powerless people have lacking of strength.
Rachel Morpeth Honors American Lit- 2 Ms. Story December 1, 2009 Reverend Benevolent Reverend Hale is perhaps the most complex and dynamic character in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. At the start of the play Hale is summoned from East Hanover to Salem when fear and rumors of witchcraft have just begun to spread. He is an expert in the demonic arts and is adamant in his belief that he will bring nothing but sanity and righteousness to Salem. However, as the story evolves, Hale finds himself caught up in the mass hysteria that he helped to create. Hale’s purpose, contributions, and conflicts in the play are all much more profound than what may appear on the surface and significantly impose on his one hundred eighty degree character spin.
People have struggled with the concept of Mental Illness since the middle ages. In the Middle Ages if someone was behaving is an abnormal manner they were thought to be possessed by demons and they will be exorcised by priests. In the 1900s lobotomy was widely known as the cure for mental illnesses. In the 1940’s Walter Freeman went on a crusade to offer lobotomy to everyone that needed it (and some that didn’t) and in his career it is estimated that he performed 3500 lobotomies, even when the scientific basis for this was not very strong. In the 1960’s a group of psychiatrists’ formed the anti-psychiatry movement and stated that psychiatry had no validity.
The Development of Reverend John Hale Show how Reverend Hale undergoes a transition within the ‘Crucible’ of the courtroom in Act 3. In your opinion does he end the play as a more morally complete character compared to earlier acts? Are the changes necessarily for the better? “The Crucible” is a play written on the witch hunts that took place in 1692, Massachusetts, specifically the town of Salem. In the town, all people were Puritans and a strong rule in the Puritan beliefs was that dancing was forbidden.
This paper discusses The Crucible by Arthur Miller, as well as examines the character of Reverend Hale in the play. The Crucible by Arthur Miller This paper discusses The Crucible by Arthur Miller, as well as examines the character of Reverend Hale in the play. Through the prose passages that interrupt the dialogue and action of the play, Miller establishes the particular quality of Salem society that makes it especially receptive to the repression and panic of the witch trials. The Puritan life in Salem is rigid and somber, allowing little room for persons to break from the monotony and strict work ethic that dominated the close-knit society. Furthermore, the Puritan religious ethic permeated all aspects of society, promoting safeguards
The belief in witches existed for centuries before the trials at Salem. Over time, a considerable body of folklore developed about how to identify witches. A contemporary writer explains the most popular methods. Perhaps the reason witch-hunting has gotten a bad name is that some practitioners used rather crude methods to separate the guilty from the innocent. The notorious judges of the Holy Roman Empire, for example, simply applied thumbscrews until the unfortunate suspects confessed.