Analysis of The Crucible and its Basis in Historical Events Kevin Dunne, 2nd hour

           Oftentimes, historical events appear to be amusing and intriguing to those learning about them. People around the world are fascinated by the wars, love stories, and political sagas of old. However, on occasion, history is told in a manner so that its primary purpose is not to educate, but to entertain, and in these scenarios, historical events are often distorted to fulfill that purpose. Arthur Miller and Nicholas Hytner’s The Crucible serve as an instance of this phenomenon. The Crucible concerns the events of the 1692 Salem Witch trials, and while it does tell a compelling story, Arthur Miller’s great work often deviates from the facts. The Crucible alters plots changes characterizations – notably Abigail Williams and John Proctor, to allow his story to fulfill the basic needs of any literary work. It is established that The Crucible was written as an allegory to the cruelty of McCarthyism, and to allow audiences to understand that concept, Miller had to simplify many of his plot elements, and in the end, he was able to tell a wonderful story, yet he failed to accurately depict what happened during the Salem Witch Trials.

            Abigail Williams, the sly, orphaned niece of Reverend Samuel Parris is clearly one of The Crucible’s central characters. The Crucible portrays Abigail as the primary instigator of the witch hysteria occurring in Salem during this time, and it is her actions and influence that allow the symptoms of the “afflicted” to be appear so compelling to onlookers. Abigail was put in such a light not necessarily to reflect on the history of her historical self, but as a character who represented the actions and thoughts that all accusers in Salem Village possessed. Miller must have known that it would be impossible for his themes to be heard against the complex historical backdrop of the crucible. So, he needed to concentrate the elements of the factual account into the actions of a few characters, especially a character who represented the accusatory spirit of those living in Salem at the time. He found that character in Abigail. In some regards, the actual Abigail Williams did fit this definition. She was one of the original people to be “afflicted” by witchery, and her actions must have convinced her friends, in a pathological way, to act in a similar manner. In addition, “The Devil and Salem” (Robbins) states that “led by Ann Putnam and Abigail Williams, the afflicted cried out periodically against others”. This is a clear statement that Abigail held a considerable amount of influence over the actions of the afflicted, and that she could incriminate those that she (or her uncle, Reverend Parris) disliked - including the Proctors, who were arrested for identifying the absurdity of the events. It would take away from Miller’s themes (anti-McCarthyism) of the story to describe every last detail of the trials, so, in Miller and Hytner’s eyes, Abigail must represent all accusers of the Salem Witch Trials. To meet this need for simplification, several changes, both deliberate and undeliberate, were made to her character. The most obvious example is that her age was changed. The Crucible depicts Abigail as being seventeen, when, in actuality, she was only eleven at the time, to give her the intelligence and intimidation abilities that allowed her to influence so many. Now seventeen, her character was given the ability to seduce men, including John Proctor, which would form the basis of the plot, and to form philosophies including fear (of being alone), selfishness, and envy of attention. Many of those ideologies were shared by the accusers, but in a more broad sense, and so Miller was able to communicate his ideas more effectively by concentrating the accusatory spirit into one person. Abigail, one of the more prominent accusers, formed an excellent template onto which Miller could place the spirit of the accuser. However, to make Abigail’s actions more pronounced, he had to add elements including raising her age, her personality, and her relationships with others in order to present a more cohesive and comprehensible story.

            Every story needs a ‘good guy,’ and Miller’s The Crucible is no exception. Abigail was needed to condense and exemplify the attitude of intolerance that abounded in Salem. John Proctor was needed not to replicate the history of what happened during the trials, but to fulfill the basic needs of any literary work. He was a protagonist, the central character of the piece who learns and grows to overcome a conflict. Amid the chaos of the Salem Witch Trials, it would be difficult to identify such a person, and yet, Miller still required one to make his historical drama a story. John Proctor was a good Puritan man. According to “The Devil in Salem” the Proctors were only put on trial because they scolded their maidservant, Mary Warren, for accusing Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft. This clearly shows that John and Elizabeth were people of honor and reason. The Crucible does use these points as a basis for many of the couple’s characterizations. For example, in the pond scene, John openly scolded Mary joining the girls in accusing others of witchery.  Salem, during this time, was a place of fear and strife. A reasonable person like John Proctor, who, with his actions against Mary, would have appeared to be an island of reason in a sea of irrationality. For this reason, the Proctors were upheld in The Crucible as smart, reasonable people, who refuse to believe in witchcraft, and even, as the final scenes show, value the integrity of their character over their life.  However, it would be impractical and illogical, in the eyes of a director, to portray the Proctors exactly as they had been in history. Not only that, but the Proctors were ordinary people, not the gallant heroes that The Crucible makes them out to be.  So, several changes were made to their characters. Noticeable is their cold relationship at the beginning of the play. Elizabeth is very angry with John for having intimate knowledge of Abigail. Miller not only needed this fictitious storyline to showcase the selfish and fearful personality of Abigail, but also to show how the even the best in society are never perfect – a classic quality of a protagonist.  John had betrayed his wife, and Elizabeth remained distant for a while. All of this is fabricated, but serves the purpose of telling a good story. It allows the protagonists to grow and mature, learn from their mistakes, while the antagonist only suffers from them, which ultimately occurred, as John realized how mean-hearted Abigail was, and as he and his wife passionately forgave each other before his execution. According to “The Crucible: Fact or Fiction”, very little of this actually happened, and the very identities of John were different. John, in actuality, was a tavern keeper, and it could be true that he was not even respected in the pro-temperance society of the Puritans. Yet, Miller, based on a few qualities of the Proctors, was still able to take them to the heart of his story, and even though he was not historically accurate, he did succeed in transforming these events into an engaging narrative.

 Miller and Hytner are well versed in the creative arts. However, they are not historians. They are able to evoke emotions from an audience, and they know that that rarely comes from reading a history book. The Crucible only provides a small, cloudy window into the events of the trials, and by no means should it ever be considered a credible research source. Miller needed to tell be able to simplify the events of the trials so that his audience would have a better grasp of his themes. He changed the character of the Proctors so that he could transform this political saga into a drama filled with romance, betrayal, and tragedy.  Arthur Miller succeeded in making The Crucible a literary success. But historically, he failed to accurately depict what occurred in this time period, and only a small, cloudy window into the events of the trials given. By no means should The Crucible ever be considered a credible research source. Historical fiction is a fascinating topic. Novels such as Johnny Tremain and films such as Lincoln effectively entertain audiences. When an audience chooses to delve into historical fiction, including the aforementioned works and The Crucible, they must decide their purpose of viewing. Do they wish to learn of the fascinating events of years ago, or would they rather hear, much like The Crucible, an engaging tale of human achievement?

Cristian Balan Real vs. Reel Elements

Real vs. Reel Elements

By: Cristian Balan

If you watch the movie, The Crucible, without ever knowing the true history behind the village of Salem, you would think you would have seen it all, understanding what happened during the time period of the Salem witch trials and feeling like a historian, going around referencing the film to people on where you got your facts from. Well sadly, although The Crucible does have some factual information from the events of the trials, it has also created its own story by adding or taking away from the truth behind Salem either for audience attracting purposes or to better incorporate and easily understand what happened through the silver screen.

One way of how the movie, The Crucible, used fictitious elements in the movie to bring more attention to it was incorporating sexual themes throughout the film. An example of this is in the opening scene with the group of girls practicing witchcraft and dancing naked with Tituba. In the film adaptation of The Crucible, which is based off the play written by Arthur Miller, which is based off of the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials, the girls along with Tituba sneak out in the middle of the night and gather items to be thrown into the cauldron they prepared so they can create a spell to make the man they lust for fall in love with them. The whole time they were either screaming from excitement or dancing with the occasional nudity, and at one point the antagonist of the movie, Abigail Williams, strips all her clothes off and proceeds to kill a chicken and drink its blood in hopes that John Proctor’s wife will die. Now clearly this never actually happened in Salem, the worst that happened in real time was Tituba doing palm readings with the girls in her kitchen. This scene was also never included in the play version, so it was mostly added for shock value that they could easily implement with film to attract more viewers.

Another example of how the movie, The Crucible, used sexual elements to “reel in” rather than to provide real information on the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials was that Abigail Williams has never proven to work for John Proctor or his wife, Elizabeth Proctor; or the fact that her and John Proctor had an affair in real life. This relationship was added in so the plot line of the movie could revolve around these two characters as the witch trials were taking place, allowing for better story development and to create a relationship people could easily follow. The real Abigail Williams was only eleven and had no romantic connection with the real John Proctor, who was believed to be around the age of sixty.  However, Abigail did accuse John of witchcraft. No historical evidence suggests Abigail even knew John Proctor before she accused him of witchcraft.  On the one hand, we might assume that everyone knows everyone in a village, especially in Salem; therefore we might conclude that John Proctor and Abby knew each other.  On the other hand, the age difference between the real Abigail and the real John Proctor is vast, so the two might have never spoken to each other before.

Another way of how the movie, The Crucible, uses fictitious elements in the film to make watching it more enjoyable for the viewer by making the accusers sinister and children only. One example of this is  throughout the film, Abigail Williams and the other teenage girls from Salem pretend to be harassed by the devil and manage to get all nineteen “witches” and Giles Corey, killed, just so they wouldn’t be punished for being caught preforming witchcraft. During the Salem witch trials children might have done the same as represented in the movie, but they also might have been actually sick from illness, food poisoning, etc. causing them to think that the side effects they experience are the works of the devil, and since science and medicine was barely as advanced as it is today, the townsfolk would take the children’s word.

The accusers also weren’t all children like they are in the movie. Those who accused people of witchcraft were mostly wealthy adults looking to obtain more land for themselves. When the new pastor, Rev. Samuel Parris came into power, he and his family were one of the first to cry witchcraft, which mostly had to do with his neighbors and the changing economic and social world. Looking at a map from Salem in 1689 would show supporters for and against Reverend Parris fall almost exactly along geographical lines; those living in Salem Village vigorously supported Parris and his ideas, and those closer to town just as vigorously wanted him gone. This would soon turn into a childish game from push to shove as adults would go around accusing people whom they disagreed with. Whether the children overheard or were prodded by the adults, the accusations in most cases emanated from the village and landed at the feet of the people living closer to the town of Salem.

In conclusion, the film’s interpretation of the actual events that occurred in Salem during the late seventeenth century was not one hundred percent accurate. What they’ve included into the film was just to be able to tell a more engaging story that would attract more viewers into theatres. Although they did a good job being mostly historically precise with the amount of victims and their names, the people involved, the setting and many other details. So even if the film isn’t a documentary on the Salem witch trials, it’s a good movie if you know that what you are watching is a movie, and are educated about the witch trials that occurred in Salem.

The Crucible - Josie Staley

60 year old John Proctor and 11 year old Abigail Williams would not have a had an affair in real life, but in this film, The Crucible, and the play The Crucible, they did. In the movie and play their characters were tweaked from real life events. People in the entertainment business aren’t looking to make the movie or play accurate to history. But rather to make it engaging to the audience so they can make money and produce more false history reenactments. Nicholas Hytner, the director, and Arthur Miller, the playwright, are two examples of how this is use it to their advantage.

The spectral evidence used in the movie seemed kind of out there and like a hoax, this was one example of the entertainment made parts of the movie. In addition to this being a hoax, it was also dramatically told to the judges, for example fainting, getting cold, and pointing in the corner of the ceiling saying they see the devil were all used in this movie. But if they can see the devil doesn’t that make them a witch too? Another way the director, Nicholas Hytner, made the movie entertaining is when Betty wanted to jump out the window to see her mom because she was scared. When John Proctor and Abigail were behind the meeting building and he told her that he would cut off his hand before reaching for her again. Her actions were not what would be expected of women of that time period. She may have used words over physical contact but to make it more interesting the director chose to make it intimate. If this would have happened at all even with the giant age difference these two wouldn’t have a relationship like this. In the text we read in class it states that they didn’t dance or celebrate holidays. But the judges didn’t look or act very shocked when they were told of the dancing; possibly showing that even though it set of these trials that it isn’t the main focus of the movie but just an intriguing way to open.

Pariss seemed to like children a little more in the film but, in the play it said he didn’t like them at all. He cared whether or not his child got better from her “illness” showing a difference between movie and play where he didn’t care as much. The actors couldn’t show symbolism as easily in the play unlike the movie. For example three people standing in a triangle, in the movie the camera was pointing down on them sort of like a bird's eye view to show the formation, but in a play the audience couldn’t see this. Another example is when John, Abigail, and Elizabeth were standing in the line and the judges asked Elizabeth if John had committed adultery, how the angles were switched and how it focused in intensely in the pause Elizabeth had before answering yes or no to his adultery confession. The actors could not have shown this, because in a movie they can make the point of interest by zooming in on the person's face or actions. The play also couldn’t show the water scene as seen in the movie because they would have needed a big pool for the cleansing and rebirth of the towns folk. This is very inaccurate because not all the townspeople would be there to witness this event but it was shown that about everyone was there cleansing. But this scene is crucial because that is when Mary Warren decides that she will say that she saw the devil accompanied by John Proctor so that she would be saved. Mary also didn’t want to go against her friends, especially because Abigail was threatening all the other girls to follow what she was doing. In the beginning Tituba was brewing in cauldron and saying “spells” in a different language but in The Devil in Salem passage she was in the kitchen reading palms and telling stories of magic. Another example on how the movie could do more than the play.

As shown in this movie and the play people should check up on facts of historical events before assuming the movie or play they’ve seen is accurate. To sum it all up both directors were talented at changing some details so that the normal person wouldn’t notice but to us Globies we caught on right away.

Reel Witches: Fact or Fiction -- Kathryn Dave

Reel Witches: Fact or Fiction?

“God is dead. God is dead in Salem!” (The Crucible, 1996) God was actually dead in the overly-religious town of Salem. Driven by madness and fear of the unknown, the people of Salem lashed out, blaming witches and hanging people who denied the accusations of witchcraft. The movie The Crucible showed the real events of the Salem Witch Trials. This movie was a window into the trials, the executions of accused witches, and the personal life of the townspeople. Well, these portrayals weren’t completely accurate. Numerous things were dramatized so that the events could be turned into a play, and then a movie.

One thing that contrasted the true history of Salem right off the bat was the relationship between the two main characters John Proctor and Abigail. In the movie, these two had a secret adulterous fling for a while.  Abigail hated John’s wife and wanted John to leave his wife to run away with her. So, she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of bewitching her. The true people back in the 1600s were likely to not have had an affair because Abigail wasn’t seventeen-years-old. She was eleven-years-old, and John was in his sixties. John wasn’t a farmer either, he was a tavern keeper. His role was probably changed so he’d seem like a hard worker and more proper. Moreover, the afflicted wasn’t just a group of girls. The afflicted were men, women, and children.

Another significant thing that was different from the real events were the executions. First, Giles Corey wasn’t executed because he refused to give the name of the man whoaccused Putnam. He was executed for not confessing he did witchcraft. In the movie, he was pressed to death, which is true. It took him two days to die during the trials. Second, the last scene in the movie had three characters; Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor, and Martha Corey; lined up on the gallows together. Rebecca started reciting the Lord’s Prayer. The other two joined in. They were all pushed before they could finish. Actually, these three were not hanged together. They were hanged on different days. They also hadn’t said the prayer, it was a different person who had. Lastly, they wouldn’t have been executed while praying because a person was allowed their last words and prayers. The trials did not end because people refused to confess. They ended because of Governor Phips and people would confess to save their lives.

When examining any historical fiction, you must take it with a grain of salt. Not everything is true. It is understandable that characters were changed or removed to make the film better. Some things are changed to add emotion, like the three on the gallows praying, or to add drama, like the impossible affair. The writers and directors took a lot of poetic license to make it more appropriate for viewers of the time. They didn’t accurately portray the atrocities that people suffered. They glossed over the torture these people were put through. If the afflicted was the original mixed group, the movie would have a different outcome.

Crucible Reflection -Ben Griffith

Ben Griffith 1/2 Hour

11/27/15

Crucible Reflection

Harry Potter, better in the book or the movie? The Fault in Our Stars, better in the book or the movie? Whatever the answer may be what do most books that are turned into movies have in common? The commonality is that characteristics and plot elements are manipulated in some way to entertain the audience and ultimately make a profit for the film. I found when watching The Crucible that this still holds true. From minuscule insignificant details to prominent plot changes The Crucible is a prime example of how Hollywood alters real life events for the pleasure of the viewer.

The most obvious use of theatrics displayed in Nicholas Hytner’s The Crucible was in the portrayal of the Salem witches. Aspects of the witches in the film included gatherings in wooded areas and using a cauldron and potions in efforts to receive love from the man of their choosing, all taking place during a night with a full moon. Compared to the historically accurate article we read, “The Devil in Salem”, it stated that many of the accused witches of the time period were women who sometimes brought too much attention to themselves and/or they were in the profession of healing or nursing. These characteristics would stick out because women of the time were not supposed to speak out or have a say in public life. This made it extremely easy to accuse them of witchcraft because in society it knocked them back down a step or back to where the standards for them were set in a quick and easy manner. Another example of reel versus real elements of the film was the characterization of the true life main characters. Tituba in the film was portrayed as a gloomy, mysterious, satan-worshipper because she had led the Sabbath in the woods and was the “head chef” in the making of the potion. While stated in our “Devil in Salem” handout Tituba was an indentured servant from the island of Barbados who had a passion for caring for children and was known for being in the kitchen. She ended up becoming accused because of her simple palm readings and kitchen magic tricks to entertain the children who later became afflicted.

Next, another reel aspect of the movie was the depiction of the afflicted girls. It demonstrated that when awakened for the first time after becoming bewitched, Betty had what seemed to be a satanic outburst. She screamed for her mother and with abnormally fluid motion moved around the room and her bed, similar to the way exorcisms are demonstrated in more modern movies nowadays. Also the most major symptom she had was not being able to wake up, comparable to a coma. She also tries to jump out the window with intent to draw crowds out of the the nearby church to view her outburst. Yet, in our reading, “The Devil in Salem”, it says that Betty Parris had simply jerking body motions as symptoms, not nearly to the extent shown in the movie. The article we read when taking the pop quiz this week states that Betty’s mother during the time was well and alive. Her memorable, luciferic words mentioning her mother demonstrate how intense tack-ons and edits on the facts can get, which drew the movie further and further away from the true events. Another difference is created when Nicholas Hytner chose to have Betty reveal to the townspeople she was afflicted through her hysterical fits. This made people in the movie so very blatantly concerned because their characters saw a more prominent terror. The actual history contrasted this because the affliction of the girls was revealed to the town by passage of the tight-knit network of small town gossip.

As a genre Historical Fiction highlights parts of not only our American history but world history too, but as implied it encompasses fiction as well. The Crucible molded real life people into more theatrical roles, exaggerated actions of characters and, placed symbolic meaning throughout. Without learning about the history of Salem, Massachusetts in class in the past few weeks I probably would’ve never have been able to differentiate the reel from the real. After grasping this new knowledge and comparing elements of fact and fiction, I ask myself: is this bit of history better left in a textbook or more well represented in a motion picture? The Crucible, better in the book or movie?

Charlie Kowalske Crucible Paper
        The sun was shining and students filled the classroom. It was another beautiful day at Stevenson High school. Many minutes later the film finally loaded. Today the class was watching The Crucible. Everyone was excited and eager to start. Mrs. Roberge and Ms. Vanhorn shared with the class how interesting the movie would be. Some of the students wanted to watch the movie, while others were preparing to take a quick snooze. Charlie Kowalske was one of those students that wanted to watch the film. The movie begun and heads started to sway, however the majority of the class had their eyes peeled to the screen ready to learn. The teachers taught the class what really happened during the Salem witch trials, so the class was super ready to watch The Crucible and see if the motion picture was like the real life events.

Opened eyes filled the classroom as the students started an adventure in time. The film was The Crucible. The motion picture was intriguing from the beginning. Speaking of beginnings, the first scene started in a dark, scary forest. The director included entertaining scenes like this one throughout the beautiful film the class watched during class. Right from the beginning the interesting, yet scary movie, caught the attention of everyone. The movie started in the woods, different from the play, with the girls going out with determined minds. They wanted to get boys to fall in love with them, but suddenly they randomly started screaming. Then one of them got naked and the scene was over dramatic. This is different from the real Salem witch trials because as this could have happened, the scene was extremely unlikely.  The crazy scene was blown out of proportion. Also another thing was in the film Abigail Williams stole money and ran away. In real life she would never be able to get away with stealing all that money. Most likely it would have been in a safe, thus she didn't have the power or skills to retrieve the coins. In real life if this event was actually true she would have been forced to stay in town because she had no way out and this would have changed many scenarios that played out throughout the movie.

A movie can never really show what real life was like and the class knew this going into the movie. I knew this motion picture wasn't going to be exact, but the interesting film was quite off. The first thing that was noticed was there were only three judges. In the trails there were ten judges and to go from ten to three was quite ironic. It was ironic because if you wanted to make it look like real life why didn't they just keep ten judges? Keeping ten judges could and would have been the easiest thing about producing the movie. Another item I noticed was the child faking being passed out on the bed. In real life all you would have to do is tickle them and they would wake up or they were actually possessed. People were annoyed at this point. However, don't get people being annoyed mixed up with them enjoying the movie because the film was enjoyed from start to finish. The film was entertaining, educational and had a little spook in it. The last thing that was noticed is right at the end, before they were hanged, the three of them started saying the Lord’s Prayer. While they are saying the prayer, the officials that are carrying out the hanging, continued on their way with murdering them. Many people wouldn't know this, but in real life, during the trials, the “witches” would never have been hanged while praying. If you were in fact a witch, then it would have been impossible to pray, therefore when they started to pray and were still hanged, the scene started to make no sense. All in all, if the director wanted to portray real life events, he should have hanged them without the three of them praying.

In conclusion the movie The Crucible really brought an end to the learning of the Salem witch trials. In class Mrs. Roberge taught the class that in America, people came over and lived in Salem. Soon they started accusing their own people of witchcraft and Salem went down from there. Ms. Vanhorn had the class read articles about the Salem witch trials. Watching the movie concluded all of the learning that was done in the past three weeks. It was sad to learn that the movie wasn't like real life because it would have been interesting to learn what really happened by seeing it in a video form. However, the movie was entertaining and still educational. The fact that the movie was more of a fairy tale than real was disappointing, however everyone still enjoyed the motion picture.

Which Reel is Reel? Maggie Brumar

Which Reel is Real?

Maggie Brumar

            Not everything can be absolutely accurate. Every time a story is told, something is bound to change. The Crucible was set in 1962 during the Salem Witch Trials and was originally a play and later made into a movie. Although the true reality did shine through, the movie altered aspects to adhere to Hollywood’s standards. Facts of the time were modified to conform to the needs of the stage, as well as the audiences.

        Countless adjustments exist within the movie The Crucible as well as the play. Arthur Miller, author of the play, even admitted it. In “A Note On The Historical Accuracy of This Play” he explains some of the changes he forged to better fit his play. Among these was the number of judges. Miller explained that there were several judges during the trials, but he symbolized them all with just the two; Hathorne and Danforth. This was changed in both the film and the drama. This alter made the play easier to follow, as less people on stage means less people to keep track of. Not only did the number of judges change, but the number of girls involved in the “crying out” also did. This is because the number of people on stage is strategic. If there were too many people, the scene would get overly chaotic and likewise confusing for the audience, thus by reducing the amount of girls on stage, the audience could follow the plot with less difficulty.

               The movie The Crucible was directed by Nicholas Hytner. Hytner formed adjustments to history much like Arthur Miller did. One change that both Hytner and Miller made was reducing judges involved in the trials. Unlike Miller, Hytner chose the number three. He valued the number three extremely significantly in his movie, whether it be three heads in a shot, three windows on a building, a stack of three books, or three horses in the background. Another change Hytner made to real life was dramatizing events. We all know that hollywood has a tendency to tweak information to make it appeal to people, after all, it's all about the ratings. In order for a movie to get good ratings, it has to capture the audience and make people yearn to watch it. This means the audience has to stay intrigued and involved. What better way to conquer this task than a romantic twist. Hytner also raised Abigail's age to seventeen from eleven. John Proctor's age was not specified in the film, however the sixty year old man was shown to be a young and handsome working man. This created a perfect opportunity for the secret love story. The role of love was also hyperbolized in the movie. The reason the girls hid the truth and played witch was because Abigail was in love. When in reality, fear of punishment had a more prominent role than crying devil in hopes of a love story.

               Movies and plays are not comprehensive to the truth. The movie The Crucible demonstrates this in various ways. Changes are made to the characters ages and relationships. The number of actors on stage was permutated for the use of symbolism. The Crucible signifies the importance of the separation between Hollywood and reality

Real vs. Reel

    The Crucible by Nicholas Hytner is a film based off of the play written by Arthur Miller. The movie and play help give a general understanding of the nightmare that had taken place in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts during what is now known as the Salem Witch Trials. I got to learn a little about the Salem Witch Trials prior to seeing the movie, by reading The Devil in Salem by Peggy Robins, but The Crucible really brought the events to life in a way that images and story can’t. The film is not all historically accurate, in both the film and the play, like in most films, directors have to throw in some aspects to pull the audience in, and that is exactly what Nicholas Hytner did. From girls dancing naked in the woods to the relentless John Proctor fighting the court, Hytner kept us drawn into the captivating film.

In the movie The Crucible Nicholas Hytner added in the role of the afflicted teenage girls for the purpose of drama. One example is the opening scene of the film where the group of girls lead by Tituba were dancing in the woods. In the movie, Reverend Parris found the girls dancing, some naked, around a cauldron with herbs cooking inside. But there was never any documents or evidence or anything that said this had ever occurred in real life. Another example of this is, all of the “afflicted” girls acting as if they saw a bunch of people with the devil. History never mentioned all of the “afflicted” girls of the town being in contact with the devil and seeing him with those witches in Salem. But in the movie these girls would be in the trial and pretend to faint every time they “saw” Lucifer with the person on trial for witchcraft. The actual afflicted group of Salem pretended to see the devil with whom was on trial, but they never fainted in groups or ran around the courtroom pointing at empty spaces. History also says that the afflicted group in Salem included people of all ages, both male and female. But the afflicted in the film consisted of only teenage girls. Nicholas Hytner used the afflicted girls for the purpose of the movie and a more sensible storyline to follow along with.

In The Crucible John Proctor was portrayed as a vigilante who kept fighting till the very end. Which was very true, but John Proctor was never released from jail to be given one last chance to admit to being a witch. But the movie showed him and Elizabeth being released the day planned for Johns hanging to admit to Johns sins by having him sign a piece of paper. In fact the movie said, that if he signed the paper him and his wife could go back to their home and live their lives. When in reality when they were thrown in jail the sheriff emptied out their house completely of all belongings, so they wouldn’t have been able to anyways. Instead of all that movie drama, John Proctor was hanged on August 19 after being in jail for 14 days for accusations of witchcraft. Elizabeth Proctor was able to elude death because the witch trials were over by the time she was ready to deliver her baby. Hytner showed in the film that John Proctor in his mid thirties and Abigail Williams at age seventeen had an affair. But in 1692 John Proctor was sixty years old and Abigail Williams was eleven years old, at these ages and the great space between them, it was highly unlikely a affair would have taken place. Nicholas Hytner portrayed this affair to create a storyline and a reason for Elizabeth Proctor to be accused of witchcraft by Abigail.

Although the movie and play weren’t all historically factual, The Crucible by Nicholas Hytner and the play by Arthur Miller are very insightful and and truley help you learn the basics of what had taken place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Both Miller and Hytner added in some false aspects of the history of the trials for the purpose of the show, which most authors and directors tend to do. All in all, The Crucible did bring to life what my textbooks and articles couldn’t and that really helped me grasp a better understanding of the knowledge I had just gained. I do suggest watching this movie to anyone looking to learn about the Salem Witch Trials because although not all accurate it is very informational and entertaining.

"Reel" vs. "Real"

It’s unquestionable that cinema today strives to bewitch its viewers in an enchanting way. The director of the motion picture The Crucible, Nicholas Hyther, contrived several aspects of the film to enhance the tragedies of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the late 1600’s, and resulted in the deaths of about twenty innocent lives. Though The Crucible educates its viewers on the true essence of the trials, some of the most gripping scenes in the film are the most fictitious.

Particular parts of The Crucible were formulated to capture its audience. One example of this is displayed in the opening scene of the The Crucible. In this depiction, dozens of teenage girls from the village were found in the forest dancing and performing witchcraft with Tituba, the Parris’ servant. This scene was fabricated to entertain because in real life, Tituba was merely reading the palms of girls in the Parris’ kitchen, according to the article “Devil In Salem”. In a similar manner, Hyther spiced up the movie with a stagy love affair between adulterer John Proctor and adosolent Abigail Williams. This scandalous relationship added heartache, bitterness, and lust to the flick. Historically, 11-year-old Abigail Williams was 60-year-old John Proctor’s maid, but there is no accredited indication that this dramatic and highly unlikely affair took place. Nicholas Hyther managed to synthesize real history with “reel” history so even the insidious town of Salem, Massachusetts lured you in.

The Crucible, though filled with false facts, told the horrendously hooking story of the Salem Witch Trials. The video embodied numerous educational truths about the seventeenth century witch hysteria. Importantly, the film included various vital characters actually involved in the trials. Reverend Parris, Tituba, Giles Corey, and Sarah Osborn are merely just a few names of authentic figures that were pulled from primary sources, such as trials records, town censuses, and property licenses. Additionally, the landscape exhibited in The Crucible represented what the scenery might’ve been like in this time period. The vast majority of buildings were constructed of wood, and plains stretched as far as the eye could see. Historically, people of this time would have had trees as one of the few available resources to build houses, and since they were still living in early America, it made sense that there were undeveloped lands surrounding the village. The Crucible once again successfully incorporated legitimate reality with Hollywood entertainment.

The Salem Witch Trials were put into perspective through the movie The Crucible. The film showed the true horrors of the late 1600’s , while also entertaining with drama and love affairs. The witch slaughters of this time can be compared to modern terrorist acts performed by feared theocracies, such as ISIL. Equivalent to some terrorist groups, the Puritans from this time period stretched to drastic, violent measures to ensure that their religion was being practiced by everyone in the way they saw appropriate. The Crucible helped paint a fine, vivid line between acts of religion and acts of terror.

Salem's Dark Past- Mallory Green 2nd hour

Mallory Green

11/23/15

2nd hour

Salem’s Dark Past

The Salem witch trials 1692-1693, a horrific misunderstood event in history that continues to be misunderstood today. During this terrifying year hundreds of innocent people were jailed, and twenty killed for no valid reason. Today it would not be considered a valid, but back in the seventeenth century witchcraft was very easily justified with spectral evidence. Although the movie The Crucible was very captivating, it failed to add accurate historical details. The film The Crucible, did include multiple aspects of the trials but embellished or changed them for entertainment purposes. Out of the many, two stood out to me. The alterations of character traits, and the dramatization of witchcraft. I was able to uncover both of these false aspects through the reading “The Devil in Salem”.

A large portion of the movie The Crucible included the embellishment of witchcraft in Salem. One of the best examples of the dramatization of witchcraft happened in the first fifteen minutes of the film. In the opening of The Crucible we are greeted with what looks like a classic witch ceremony, lead by Tituba, involved in the ceremony is dancing, sacrifice, and the creation of potions. While it was interesting it was not historically accurate. Although Tituba did perform witchcraft in Salem, her “magic” was not as profound as it was made to be in the movie. According to “The Devil in Salem” (3) Tituba merely read the Salem girls futures, no ceremonies or dancing was ever recorded. If this ceremony had actually happened and Reverend Parris had caught them, the event would have surely be mentioned in the article. Yes, back in early Salem palm reading would've been considered serious witchcraft, but not as severe as being involved in ceremonies. This was the first of the many examples of the severity of the witchcraft performed being dramatized in the film. Another example of witchcraft being exaggerated was during the questioning of Mary Warren. In the middle of Mary Warren being questioned about her connection to the devil. The accusers, lead by Abigail Williams, began to scream in pain claiming that Mary’s spirit was coming upon them. The accusers did use spectral evidence as a tactic to find “witches” guilty, but there is no mention of accusers being present at questionings in “The Devil in Salem”, specifically Mary Warrens. Once again highlighting how the director exaggerated the witchcraft in Salem.

This movie was not only historically inaccurate involving witchcraft, it also included false information about the people of Salem during the witch trials. One character who is an example is John Proctor. In the movie John Proctor is portrayed as a young farmer, with two young sons both from the same wife. The real John Proctor was in his sixties when the trails happened, owned a tavern, and had multiple older children from his two previous marriages. This information can be found in “The Devil in Salem” (. One true characteristic of John proctor was shown in the film, his strong faith. John Proctor did refuse to confess, because he knew it was a lie, and believed it was better to die pure then live as a sinner. Ruth Putman is another character who was falsely portrayed on screen. Firstly her name is incorrect, Ruth Putman is supposed to represent Ann Putman. Ann was her real name, as mentioned in the trial records and “The Devil in Salem” (2), and she was named after her mother. Her name was replaced in the movie to avoid confusion. It is true Ann putman was “bewitched”, but during her convulsions she suffered from physical fits and tantrums according to “The Devil in Salem” (2), not an endless sleep. Again illustrating the false traits of characters being added in the movie.

The Crucible although an entertaining film missed many of the main historical aspects, for example, the witchcraft that took place and the characters. The Crucible is not the only film does not accurately mimic the previous literature it was based on. One of my favorite series The Hunger Games is an example, the novels in the series included important details that were never mentioned in the movie. While these details would have been helpful to have, similiar to The Crucible, the movie was still very enjoyable. The changes that Arthur Miller made to the play, in my opinion, were for the best. He knew what his audience was looking for, love and action, and he eloquently provided with a touch of history. Also, I think everyone in this class can agree that if the movie was historically accurate, it would have been less exciting. We can learn from examining historical fiction. For example, in The Crucible we are able to achieve a better understanding of how unjust the trials were. Acting as a reminder that we should all work together to prevent this from happening again, not turn against each other. We should also frequently reflect on our morals as a society, and speak up when problems arise.

Real vs. Real in Salem

Marissa Smith

Real vs. Reel in Salem

In the twenty-first century, it’s challenging to tell the difference between realities and fictions when our society tremendously revolves around media influences and the images we see on television and the big screen. When watching a movie that begins with “Based on real events in history”, I always make the assumption that the entirety of the movie will be completely accurate on the accounts of real incidents. This false belief has grown throughout the American community over countless years. The Crucible, originally a play by Arthur Miller, then translated into a movie, is incorrectly believed to be fact in all of its properties. Research of the horrific Salem witch trial in Massachusetts, in primary sources shows otherwise; proving that not everything people see in movies is accurate.

For the sake of movie entertainment, it was apparent that some aspects of the film, The Crucible were edited from what actually happened in history. The movie version of the witch trials appear more dramatic and engage with the audience. In the opening scene of the movie, Tituba leads the young girls into the woods at night where together, they perform dancing rituals and create potions in a cauldron. This depiction in the film is closer to the way we would think about witches today and farther from the truth. Even to our generation; acting in that way would be seen as abnormal and outlandish. In reality, Tituba and the girls occasionally did minor activities together such as palm-reading and telling stories of magic in the kitchen. This behavior would be considered harmless fun in this decade. This scene in the movie was most likely created to wrap the audience’s attention and keep people interested, which is understandable from the perspective of a movie writer and director. Another example of how the story was exaggerated in the film, was by changing Abigail’s age to make for a better storyline. Making her appear to be older, showed her as a strong and threatening leader, and symbolized the power and authority she had. Not only over the other girls who helplessly followed her in the acts of accusing dozens of people of witchcraft, but over the entire town. However, history tells us that Abigail was considerably younger when the majority of the Salem witch trials happened.

Besides overstating certain incidents, parts of the base storyline in The Crucible were completely changed. Take the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams as a prime model. Truthfully, there is no substantial evidence whatsoever that John and Abigail even knew each other before the witch trials, let alone had an inappropriate and intimate relationship together. Abigail was shown as seventeen on screen, while John was shown as forty. Nevertheless, in reality, their ages were about eleven and sixty, leading to no probable cause that they ever interacted. In the movie, it is said that the two had an affair which caused the constant tension and later was the cause of John himself being accused of witchcraft. The main characters were not portrayed accurately together at all, just for more intensity and drama. An additional idea that stood out was on the subject of Giles Corey. The film showed the detail correctly in regards to Giles being pressed to death by heavy rocks placed on his chest. However, it wrongly portrayed that the court of law was only torturing him for going against the court and refusing to give up information on who provoked him to accuse Reverend Parris of stealing land. The article “The Devil in Salem”, tells that Mr. Corey had been one of the accused witches by the young girls which was why he was pressed to death.

These changes mentioned are but a few that were most noticeable throughout The Crucible, especially after researching and learning about the topic of Salem witches. For the producers and directors, the entertaining movie was a complete success. Yet for the historians, the depiction of the trials was an unfamiliar and twisted tale of one of America’s scariest times. Although this film did entertain countless individuals, it also misinformed the public about what really happened in the devastating year of 1692. This situation is not unique to the world’s “historically based” movies and it’s all a matter of opinion. While some prefer to just be entertained, others, like me prefer to be properly educated.

Historical Inaccuracy in The Crucible- Courtney Stein

 

Historical Inaccuracy in The Crucible

The Salem Witch Trials were a tragic yet highly misunderstood event in history. Although they are very well known and are often the subject of scary stories throughout the country, they have been dramatized from their historical accuracy through the use of movies and literature. The play and movie The Crucible have helped to educate people about the Salem Witch Trials but have also spread common misconceptions about them. Both the play and movie include historically inaccurate details of this event in history that should definitely be recognized.

In the movie The Crucible there are many aspects in the storyline that are true to the history of the actual Salem witch trials. However there were also many details that were put in to the movie that were not historically accurate. Arthur Miller, the author of the play, altered the view of “witches” at the time to fit our more modern motif of witches. When brought to mind, when most people think of witches they think of the classic stories of them brewing potions in the woods or having secret meetings at night. In the beginning of the movie, Tituba, the Indian slave and the first accused witch, held a meeting with the young girls in the woods while the moon was still up, creating an eerie vibe. Then Tituba began stirring up something in a large cauldron and throwing ingredients in—a classic stereotype in stories about witches. After this the girls started running wild and dancing and even taking off their clothes as if they were “bewitched.” This entire part of the movie is rather exaggerated from the real thing based on historical evidence. Tituba was the first accused witch and was leading the girls in activities that may have been seen as witchcraft at the time, but it was not this extravagant. In reality, Tituba had held gatherings with the girls to read their palms or predict their future husbands. This is something that young girls would probably still do today for fun, and we would think of it as harmless fun. This would’ve been considered witchcraft at the time of course, but in modern times it isn’t seen as anything close to “evil” or “scary”. This is why Arthur Miller probably felt the need to change this detail to make the scene seem more enticing and dramatic to the audience.

Further historically inaccurate details were more minor things that were changed for the purpose of the movie. Abigail Williams, the girl who started the accusations, was supposed to be seventeen years old in the movie and has an affair with the thirty-five-year-old farmer John Procter. This adds the essence of drama and tension to the film. However in real life she was an eleven year old girl and John Procter was a sixty year old tavern keeper, so it was highly unlikely that the two ever had any romantic relation whatsoever. There were less significant changes made in the play and movie such as the amount of judges and victims of witches. During the real trials, there were more than just three judges during the hearings and there was a bigger group of girls who were accusing people witchcraft than there were in the movie. Although these smaller details didn’t make too much of a difference in the movie, they were probably changed for the convenience of the original play, because having too many characters would’ve been confusing to the audience, harder to fit on a stage, and decrease the dramatic effect.

Of course, movies and plays need to embellish certain aspects of storylines to entertain their audiences. Similar to the Crucible, children’s movies such as Pocahontas have been altered in regards to their historical accuracy. The Disney movie Pocahontas tells the love story between British explorer John Smith and the daughter of a Native American chief Pocahontas. These two people really did exist and they did know each other and bring peace between their people. However in reality Pocahontas was a very young girl and John Smith was much older making their romance very unlikely. Nearly every movie that is based off of true events includes aspects in it that are untrue or extremely exaggerated. Although this is necessary to please the audience, it can also cause misinterpretations in the viewers’ minds. In further movies and plays I believe that writers and directors should try to keep to the true story of the event so as to not spread falsities whilst still educating people about a topic.

 

 

Madi McLaud facts vs entertainment

Facts vs. Entertainment

Madison McLaud

2^nd hour

            Love can drive you crazy but how crazy? Abigail Williams was head over heels for John Proctor but how real could this statement be? Witches bewitching you, dancing around the fire casting spell for young love to thrive but instead it causes more panic than a small town can handle. The Crucible a film about the Salem Witch Trials with more drama than you can handle switching up the facts for the story we want to hear about love and witches. Even though they have switched up the story with more elaborated details the movie was able to show a lot of symbols as having things shown in groups of threes. Overall to address what is real or fake does take more than just some time spent watching a film written about a historical event because clearly not everything is true.

Movies that are based on true events in history or movies based off of books tend to have a little more dramatic changes or exaggeration; this gives a little more spice or understanding to the film. In the movie The Crucible they had really altered the character Abigail Williams from who she was in real life, for example she is only an eleven year old girl but to add a little more drama to the movie they made her a seventeen year old girl.  The director could have changed her age in the film due to the fact she was known to have an affair with John Proctor who she was currently was working for but was kicked out of the house by Johns wife Elizabeth when she began to grow paranoid. Although in reality Abigail was never their maid it was always Mary, they would make this change because it’s interesting and much disapproved in those times for an affair and still today affairs are very frowned upon. Abigail was always known to talk about the devil lustfully but in the film she talks to John lustfully which also gets you wondering how much change is really thought into.

            There are plenty of stereotypes towards witches such as a cauldron, toads, and dancing around fires all of this was portrayed into the movie to better connect to the viewers because it’s what we know. Even though the play doesn’t mention this instead of Tituba conducting the dance to charm the girls she does this in the kitchen and they don’t dance to try to get their “lovers” to fall for them she reads their palms so the young girls will find out who they are going to marry because what girl wouldn’t want to know all such truth to their future. The movie starts off with the  girls giving Tituba items like herbs and other offerings and asking for spells for their ‘”lovers” to fall for them as I once said before, the girls get caught dancing and they all turned it onto Tituba saying she made them do such things because they figured she was a very easy target because she is a slave from another country, but we’re able to believe that there is a bigger picture because even though Abigail is to be seventeen they have her character playing such a childish role accusing those who are innocent to protect herself which is a very childish thing to do but also very stereotypical in teens. Kids will do everything possible so they can to avoid getting in trouble or they will use it for getting what they wanted.

            We are always just assuming that when movies are based upon real historical events that they completely accurate, but in most cases they are not. As we really look into the articles and more research we had found that may of this movie was altered to spice it up and make it more interesting for the audience. Like in the movie Pocahontas John Smith was rumored to have a romance with Pocahontas but she was only a at the age of ten to twelve and with John Smith as a grown man this would have been very messed up, just as shown in The Crucible with Abigail and John  the age different was huge. Furthermore we have the understanding of many films trying to blow out the love stories to spice up the drama but little do we know make accurate films not so accurate anymore. Even they will change facts into more relatable situations like the do with the dancing around the fire because witches are known to woods, fire, toads, and dancing really gets more connection to who is watching the film but it is also untrue. In conclusion to all the facts and switching around details it really does get the message out there about the trials  and the time period and what it was like back in the past.

The A-Z list about me!

America - my home until next summer.
Boats - I like to sail them.
Climbing - A sport I enjoy.
Dortmund is my favorite team. Heja BVB!
England - I've been there twice.
Frankfurt am Main, the city I was born.
Germany - The country I'm from.
Hamburg - that's where I life, In der schönsten Stadt der Welt.
Italy - That's where we go hiking
June - The month I'll leave the US. :(
Knowledge is power - It's true, isn't it?
Lasse - he's my best friend.
Marching Band - The best thing that happened to me.
Nicknames - Something I don't have.
O Canada - For me it's just am minor 3rd.
PHP - a language I can write.
Quagga - a band I like to listen to.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - My favorite Christmas song.
Saxophone - The instrument I play.
TSV Sasel - My soccer team in Germany.
Username Legolars or Pluto.
Versatile - That's how I would describe myself.
Winter is my favorite season.
Xam - That's my name backwards.
YFU - The organisation with which I'm here.
Zweiter März Neunzehnhundertneunundneunzig - My birthdate.