The Crucible - Reason and Intelligence are powerless
The play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a suspenseful and thought-provoking drama, concerned with a theme of rising over adversity to stand for truth and righteousness. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th Century, the play reiterates the story of mass hysteria, which was experienced during the Salem witch-hunt in 1692, as the community was stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia, malice, and the terrifying power of false accusations. Through John Proctor, Miller reveals the absurdity of the incident as the reader follows the struggles of his main character, in his effort to restore truth and righteousness. Throughout the play, Miller explores the influence of this outburst of human darkness, as reason and intelligence became powerless in Salem, 1692. The human darkness of vengeance and vindictiveness, and the power of lies and deceit, are seen to overpower the reason and intelligence of the Salem community, as seen through the characters of Reverend John Hale, and Rebecca Nurse. A fear of repercussions, a fear of isolation, and a fear of the invisible world, force reason and intelligence to become powerless before human darkness, and it is these ideas, which Miller explores so diligently in his play.
MARY WARREN: "Abby, we've got to tell. Witchery's a hangin' error, a hangin' like they done in Boston two year ago!...Abby, she's going to die! It's a sin to conjure, and we -" ABIGAIL: "I say shut it, Mary Warren!" PROCTOR: "If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give
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Approximate Word count = 4576
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page double spaced)
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