Witchcraft

Shakespeare and other people during that time believed in the supernatural and were very weary about it. They wrote books on witches, demons, and eventually held trials for witches. Shakespeare incorporated their beliefs into Macbeth. In Macbeth, the supernatural is a force guiding Macbeth’s actions and is creating hallucinations, which is why he is not responsible for his actions. The supernatural is a very important subject in “Macbeth”. “Macbeth” is full of important supernatural elements that made the play more eerie and modern. From witches to floating daggers and apparitions, the supernatural was something that they believed highly in.

Out of all the supernatural elements they believed in, witches seemed to be the most popular. James the king of Scotland wrote a book about witches called “Daemonology, he stated that “witches were thought to be agents of the devil who used prophecies to tempt faith and virtue”(King James. Daemonology. 1597). People thought witches used their abilities to harm and destroy virtuous people. Shakespeare used that thought to show how the witches would trick and deceive people. When the witches are first seen they are talking about where the will go to meet Macbeth. The witches then utter their famous line “fair is foul, and foul is fair”(1.1.11). When the witches meet Macbeth they used “prophecies” to trick Macbeth into falling under their spell. The witches tell Macbeth:

“All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter.”(1.3.48-50).

By telling these prophecies to Macbeth, they put a spell like trance on him. Macbeth fell into the witches trap by listening and believing the prophecies. The way the witches tricked Macbeth it shows that the witches don’t care for humans but enjoy tricking and torturing them. Witches in the supernatural are known to be “particularly active during stormy weather.”(1.1.notes), which is why they’re only seen in dark or rainy times throughout the play. In act 3 scene 5, the witches are talking to Hecate, the ruler of the witches. Hecate is angry when she first appears, she thinks that the witches aren’t doing their jobs correctly. Hecate was forming a plan to cause Macbeth’s downfall. Besides the witches, Macbeth starts to have hallucinations, like the floating dagger.

In the first scene of act 2 we see Macbeth have his first hallucination, “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”(2.1.33). Macbeth saw the dagger when he was thinking about what the witches told him and what his wife wanted him to do. When Macbeth sees the dagger he starts to question its existence, he can see it but he can not touch it. Macbeth realizes that he is going crazy and seeing things but chooses to follow the dagger. As Macbeth follows the dagger it leads him to Duncan’s tent and where he then murders Duncan while he is sleeping. This hallucination was possibly a form of guilt that is soon to come from Macbeth. At the same time we see that the dagger is evil and pushes Macbeth to kill Duncan. After he seeks out the witches who call upon their “masters”.

When Macbeth seeks out the witches for more prophecies they start to deceive him more than before. Alexander Leggatt states that in act 4 the witches refer to “our masters” (4.1.63) who turn out to be the apparitions (1). When the witches call upon their “masters”, apparitions appear to Macbeth giving him more prophecies. The apparitions tell Macbeth:

“First Apparition: Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.Second Apparition: Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn. The power of a man, for none of women born, shall harm Macbeth.
Third Apparition: Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care. Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are; Macbeth shall never be vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” (4.1.71-94)

When the apparitions told Macbeth the prophecies he thought he would never die. Out of insanity he killed Macduff’s family. In the end Macduff kills Macbeth after he tells Macbeth that he was removed not born. By listening to what the witches told Macbeth he fell under a trance that led him to his death.

Ergot contamination was not known to exist in the United States before 1807; however, ergot contamination was commonly found in Europe and caused many epidemics there. It was not known until the mid 19th century that what seemed to be sun baked kernels of the grains was in fact a fungus. This fungus grows and thrives in rainy springs and summers that are damp and warm, summer rye is most affected to this type of contamination. According to Linnda Caporael, if one field had ergot contamination, and if there is another field across or near it, then that field may not be affected. Ergot is also known to not appear for years later afterwards after having it for a year. (27) Many people can get ergot poisoning that is the result of eating rye, wheat or other cereal grains that had been contaminated with the fungus. In some cases, ergot poisoning occurred more often in females, than males.

The most common grain that was planted, in Salem, at this time, was wild rye, which was an excellent host for the fungus. This rye would be harvested around August and would be stored in barns to be threshed at a later time, when it was needed. This would have given the fungus time to contaminate the other rye. By the time Thanksgiving occurred the contaminated rye would have started to be used in the breads and baked goods for their meals. Within a short period of time the symptoms, of the ergot poisoning, would be exhibited. The Puritans, not knowing about ergot poisoning, would have mistaken these symptoms for possession of the person by evil spirits or the devil. Some of the symptoms, of ergot poisoning, can lead to a convulsive disorder characterized by muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms, all of which were present in the records of the Salem witchcraft trials. (Ergot poisoning)

Ergot poisoning may not have been the only cause of the Salem Witch Trials. There is much evidence that ergot poisoning, along with the strict Puritan religion and beliefs, could have been the two main causes for these Salem Witch Trials. The Puritans were a society, of people, who adhered to strict Christian rules, disciplines and beliefs and were required to read the Bible, which they believed, showed their religious dedication. They also believed that the Bible was God’s law and provided a guide for all to live by. To them the spiritual world was as real as the world they lived in now and their belief in the devil and his evil powers over the earth make it easy for them to believe in witchcraft and persecute innocent people as witches. For every evil deed, the Puritans believed that the devil was behind them. The Puritans also believed very strongly in marriage and were opposed to illicit sexual activities.

Adultery was punishable by death and sexual intimacy could be punishable by whipping. Sunday was a very special day for the Puritans. Many forms of work were banned and woman caught doing unnecessary work on this day could be sent to the stockade. Even going for a simple walk could lead to a fine, unless they were going to church. When at church men and women where even required to sit on opposite sides of the church. Puritan children were expected to adhere to the same strict Christian codes, rules and ethics as their adults. They were expected to respect their elders, do chores, and attend church services. They were also discouraged from playing hide-and-seek, tag and other childhood games because playing was a sign of idleness, and idleness allowed the Devil to work his mischief. The children had very few books that the elders deemed suitable and appropriate.

The only book that they were encouraged to read was the Bible. Other books that they were allowed to read had to do with evil spirits and witchcraft, as related to religious beliefs. The children were routinely warned of bad and evil behavior and that they would suffer severe punishment, even death, for sinful acts. Because of the lack of books and activities, the children of Salem did not have a lot of imagination and they were captivated by stories and fortune-telling games. Besides believing in God they believed in the supernatural and the devil. Those who followed Satan were punished by death as it was one of their greatest crimes.

The woman did not have as much freedom as men. Men were allowed to be outside the home to work in their fields, in various trades, and provide food by hunting and fishing for the family along with exploring; however, woman were to work at home cleaning, sewing, washing and cooking. Clothing that the people wore was dictated by the church on what they could and could not wear. There are many theories of what caused and influenced the Salem Witch Trials. Some of the theories, for the trials, range from adolescent hysteria, strict religious beliefs, economics and the imagination and fears, of the people.

There is even a theory that ergot contamination, of the food supplies, could have been the one of the causes for these trials; however, there is no definite answer as to what was the root cause of these witch trials. Another question that should be asked is why where women and girls under the age of twenty-five, who were the most active accusers and who would normally be ignored by male magistrates, were suddenly given absolute credence. The Salem Witch Trials began when three young girls, Anne Putnam, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams start to exhibit muscle spasms, delusions, hallucinations and a host of other symptoms, after engaging in forbidden practices. Because of these strange and unusual symptoms these girls where thought to be possessed by the Devil. In order to avoid any punishment these girls, along with the other girls, who engaged in these doings, accused three other women of being witches.

These women were then convicted of being witches and sentenced to jail; however, the accusations did not end here. More people were accused and more people were convicted of delving in the supernatural or witchcraft and in some cases the accused were put to death. In the end, it was still unclear what caused these trials and why so many people were accused and some even put to death. Was it indeed ergot contamination of their food crops, the strict Puritan religion, fear of the supernatural or a combination of all these and other factors that was responsible for the Salem witch trials?

An article/essay featuring the abuse of power in The Crucible (by Arthur Miller) using quote analysis and other literary devices used The use of Power in The Crucible Would you live your life with a tainted name or die protecting it? Article featuring: the destructive and redemptive power of love in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and why Arthur Miller is the master of drama in the 20th Century. The Crucible, a modern tragedy, 1953, is a sombre play and an analogy of the McCarthyism era by Arthur Milleras it denotes aconflict of authority, self-interest and most importantly the abuse of power that leads to the killing of nineteen men and women and one man, Giles Corey, who is pressed to death; which is all a mimesis that dates back to 1692, a time of Salem witch-hunt, of Miller’s own writing, where the society is subject to communism, or parallelincidence tothe ‘witch-hunts’.

The play, however, is still relevant to this day as the terrorism experienced nowadays can be viewed as the modern equivalent of both communism and ‘witch-hunts’. Miller also constructs an ideal combination of the destructive power, mainly through Abigail’s resentment and scorn, Putnam’s corrupt greed and Danforth’s haughty abuse of power, with the redemptive power of love, by means of John’s will to die to defend his name, Elizabeth’s white lies for her husband and Giles’ willingness to die in contempt of the court. The text of The Crucible also indicates why this modern drama is the best our society has ever come across as Miller achieves a flawless integration of tragedy by the use of language techniques, symbolic plot, characterisation and the use oftension and climax, which this play is all about. Miller largely signifies the power of destructive love with the character of Abigail Williams as she is the antagonist of the plot, which is made apparent by the fact that she danced in the forest and how she schemed nineteen people to their deaths bythe false witch craft accusations to safeguard herself from her own punishment, as she states to Betty Parris upon her interrogation, “Shut up! All of you. We danced. That is all, and mark this, let either of you breathe a word or the edge of a word about the other things, I will come to you in the black of some terrible night, and I will bring with me a pointy reckoning that will shudder you!”and “I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down…”

The playing on fears and the extent of language used to manipulate her fellow girls denotes just how ruthless, wily and vindictive Abigail is. This also denotes the intense malevolence destructive characters have to benefitthemselves from the terrified Puritan community, which believes in the existence of demonic possession. Also, Abigail uses the witch craft trialsto her advantage when she becomes witness of the court and hopes to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor for her dismissal from her service, by accusing her of witchcraft, as she is responsible for her resentment and scorn. Other characters that portray the power of destructive love are Mr and Mrs Putnam, who use their daughter as well as theother witnesses of the courtto accuse people whose property they covet, by giving them names, such as of Martha Corey, which reflects on how McCarthyism worked during the writing of this play, parallel to the ‘witch-hunts’. Also, Mr Putnam threatens Giles not to go through his land, contiguous to John Proctor, by saying, “… you load one oak of mine and you’ll fight to drag it home,” which portends the apparent action Mr Putnam would take to suffer Giles’ family with calumniation later in the play, as well as connoting the self-interest and the narrow bounds of human egotismas seen in the Puritan community in Salem.

Another character who depicts the power of destructive love is the Deputy Governor Danforth, who, with entire conceited misjudgement, fails to examine the evidence critically or act rightfully to stop the hysteria. Even at the end, when it is clear that the society is disintegrating, he refuses to see the role that the witchcraft trials and hangings have played, as he intimidates Marry Warren, by saying, “You are either lying now or you were lying in the court, and in either case you have committed perjury and you will go to jail for it,” combined with his exploitation of people, such as John Proctor, by making his private affairs public and attached, which is manifest to the reader, Miller displays an autocracy in the theocratic government of Salem, as Danforth is the only character with absolute power in the whole play, who considers his right to abuse as he misjudges the hysteria of the witch trials around him and the fear of the people; which creates the issue of conflict of authority, signalling that his character isdriven by the idea that mankind must be protected from knowledge; which also connotes to the allegorical possibilities inherent in the domestic familiarity of love, such as authority is a given to a father figure, and also that from the past the man of the present acts prudently so as not to peril the future.

Miller also signifies the power of redemptive love in The Crucible, mainly through John Proctor, who promptly indicates retreat from his earlier mistake: the private business, upon questioning with his wife, as he promises her, “because it speaks deceit, and I am honest! But I’ll plead no more! I see your spirit twists around the single error of my life, and I will never tear it free!” John also denotes his inner goodness at the time of his wife’s arrest as he confesses with Hale: “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 we always were in Salem – vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we 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 my wife to vengeance!” This also marks the boundaries of the society and the laws which embody them.

Moreover, John selflessly confesses to witchcraft as well as opening up his private affairs with Abigail to the court without incriminating others, thereby sacrificing his life for the false witchcraft accusations, as he says, “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it,” which also connotes to his admitting fault in the affair with Abigail, and yet not pointing his finger at her. Although John confesses to witchcraft, he does not sign the confession as his name is at stake, a reputation which he attempts to save by withholding his confession of an adulterous affair and telling the truth: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” Another character who also displays the redemptive power of love is Elizabeth Proctor, who redeems herself by apologising her husband for her quick willingness to suspect him of wrongdoing, as she confesses, “John, I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! Suspicion kissed you when I did… It were a cold house I kept;” moreover, she motivates her husband with her best intention to do what is right, like she knows that if John tells the judges and ministers that Abigail is generous then it might cause embarrassment for her family, yet it is the right thing to do to save lives.

Also, the white-lie that she did not dismiss Abigail from her service for harlotry proves to be of moral redemption as she takes the risk of damning herself by lying for John, although it is manifest to the reader that she should have told the truth to stop the hysteria of the witch trials, yet she does this with the best intention as there is a lack of knowledge. Finally, in the end, Elizabeth makes what must be the most difficult decision between a husband and wife: Elizabeth’s willing to lie for her husband to save his life, but she selflessly cannot ask him to do the same; it is no coincidence that Miller chooses the choice of her words in her confession with Hale, “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep if from such dogs… He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him,” signalling her recognition of the completion of his quest and the audience’s catharsis at the curtain of the play.

Another character who contributes to the power of redemptive love is Giles Corey, who in an attempt to defend his incarcerating, innocent, wife from witch trials, led by his own blundering actions, gets caught in contempt of the court, as he states that at least one accusation is based on Mr Putnam’s corrupt greed for a bit of his land without proof. Giles’ incredible strength of character is indicated in the end, when he neither confesses to, nor denies, the charges of witchcraft. By doing so, he ensures that his following generations can legally inherit his property. Despite being brutally tortured, by having crushingly heavy stones placed on his chest, the only thing Giles says is “More weight.” With his inclination to atone the mistakes of his past, Giles certainlydepicts and attains moral redemption. Furthermore, Millerseamlessly makes the play dramatic with a range of techniques. Firstly, the use of language devices help Miller achieve a great standard as he uses intransitive verbs to make a transitive sentence intransitive combined with the ingenious and violent use of language in phrases, like: “I will come in the black of some terrible night… and bring with me a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,” (Intransitive verb italicised) help Miller denote a strong action without the necessity of using any action words, and at the same time convey the sense of evil (with all its connotation of succubi and incubi) more dramatically, a feature many authors hardly think of.

Also, the choice of words by the author not only make the play appealing, but also intensifying, such as black of some terrible night. Another technique employed by the author is the symbolic plot, such as dualities, which occur all over the play, symbolising the good and the evil; or love and hatred and so on, for example temperature, which connotes both heat: which is sexuality and cold: which is unsexual (unresponsive), and black and white, connoting the blackening of the name and the whitening by tearing the light out of eyes, or the Salem society and forest, connoting the Church and the evil, or order and freedom, connoting the authority, or rule, and self-freedom, or spring and autumn, connoting the season of growth and the conspiracy that goes to fruitation, and so on, helps Miller shape the story and generate sense from it just the way he wants us to perceive it, thereby helping him shape it as flexible and persuasive as possible. Another technique Miller uses is the characterisation, using dynamic characters, such as Reverend Hale, despite the factthat he is not the protagonist of the plot, as he changes his viewpoint from belief (and all the false pride associated with it) to doubt, which is made apparent with the fact that Hale, who is called to Salem to accuse people of witchery in the beginning, later gets convincedthat the towns people are actually innocent and stands up to the court. This feature helps the play stand out unique from the rest. Miller also uses tension and climax to make the play dramatic as The Crucible is a drama of conflict and tension.

Throughout the play there are scenes when conflict arises between people, adding tension to the scene, and this has a good effect on the audience as it keeps them interested and makes them wonder what would happen next. Most scenes that build up tension usually lead to a climax, or the fall of that intensity, such as in Act 2 as the tension builds up with the conversation of John, Elizabeth and Hale, and the arrival of Cheever breaks the tension and brings the climax as he arrests Elizabeth. Miller flawlessly integrates this technique in the court room as well as the start and end of acts, throughout the whole play, such as the end of Act 3 builds intensity in the court room through hysteria, which declines to a comic start, in an underground cell, at the start of Act 4; and the use of a range of techniques displays just why Miller is considered as the master of drama in the twentieth century.

The Crucible is a multi-layered play about Salem tragedy, which developed from the paradox of the cold war in America; which is an allegory of the Un-American activities to prove those accused innocent. While the witchcraft trial is about fear, ignorance and prejudice, Miller constructs a play seizing the destructive and redemptive power of love and beautifully represents three contexts: the context of the play, the writing and ours, displaying the flaws and laws that build up the boundaries of our society, which is relevant to this day, as it teaches us to act prudently in the present so as not to peril the future. The use of a wide range of techniques to make the play dramatic, which is matchless to most others, Arthur Miller earns himself as the master of drama in the twentieth century.

In “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, fear was portrayed as an essential role in degrading the integrity of humans, through the different aspects of social, political, and religious perspectives. In the theocratic society of “The Crucible,” fear engendered the first accusation made by Tituba, which served to imply the first hint at moral unrighteousness. The lies that sprung out of fear also played as the invisible hand that forced upon the promotion of corruption in the government of Salem. Besides uncovering only similar facets of fear in social and political perspectives, religious fear revealed a different aspect of human nature, through their desperacy to be “good”. Following the eyes of these three prospects, the author shows how easily humans submit to one of their most innate emotions, fear, and subsequently, to their fate.

From the social perspective, the girls took fear as an excuse for murder and vengeance, yielding to their fears and to their fate. Tituba’s accusation eventually resulted in the deaths of all the people, who were accused and did not confess, in Salem. The fear in her heart for really having been involved with witchcraft and the fear of losing her “name” to the people of Salem, led to the downfalling integrity of her, who, “frightened by the coming process….I do believe somebody else be witchin’ these children” (Miller 45). This fear, as Miller had described, was simply another form of siding with the Devil: “I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud…” (Miller 120).

The metaphor used to compare the Devil to people, as righteous as Proctor and Danforth were, emphasized the dangerous truth of the society’s immorality, that humans, subject to fear, succumb without retaliation when faced with a threat such as being accused, to the Devil. In addition, the lies told by the girls were also incentives that compelled the corruption and decay of justice. Danforth, a symbol of justice in the story, also symbolized corruption. He claimed, “…witchcraft is…an invisible crime… Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it?

The witch and the victim…Now we cannot hope the witch will accuse herself… Therefore, we must rely upon her victims…” (Miller 100). The repetitive words of “Therefore… Therefore” highlighted that the point was reasonably argued. However, this justified statement proves its wrong when asked with these questions: “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s finger” (Miller 77)? Speaking of God’s finger, an allusion to the Ten Commandments, the quote compared accusers to be as “clean” as to follow all the commandments. However, they did not, or at least Abigail did not.

The children lied when fear prompted them to, because they feared their lies would be discovered. Danforth, believing in such nonsense of the children, led to the corruption of the Salem government: “…a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between…we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world” (Miller 94). The diction by which the author uses, reveals that the corruption of justice was developed through rapid progression, and thus reflects the gradual faltering desire of the people to live faithfully, both to themselves and to God. In respect to the fear seen from social and political perspectives, through Proctor’s eventual refusal to confess, fear seen from the religious value of the Puritan society uncovered a different side of humanity.

In “The Crucible,” Proctor was depicted as an irresponsible man. He had an affair with Abigail, yet did not bother to give her a name; his silence towards the girls’ accusations led to the numerous deaths of the people, yet did not speak out until the last minute. He held his pride, but he did not live proudly. Proctor’s fear of betraying his loyalty to God, however, brought about his human side: “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” (Miller 145)! Tracing back to the origin of the Salem witch trials, it was caused by the vengeance running in Salem, but now, Proctor creates an image of the good side of humanity. Proctor’s fear of shaming his name also produced the same effect: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!

Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (Miller 143)! The intensity in Proctor’s tone creates a sense of desperation. He was dire to cling onto his life with an untainted name. Through Proctor’s character, readers realize that even amongst a corrupted society, man can lead a noble life, but at the same time, give in to fate. Through the use of fear as an integrating component in the story, to encompass the three perspectives, readers realize human fragility. “The Crucible” described the evilness emerging out of a supposedly pure society. Facing the Devil, humans see themselves begging on their knees. Yet, we still hold on to every hope to save ourselves. Even if we fear to lose ourselves in the process, we know we have battled with our lives, as Proctor had done before the eyes of the Devil. Nobody would ever want to give in to their fate. But fate, as figurative as it may seem, has been decided once we are born.

Macbeth, written in 1606, is one of Shakespeare’s most adventurous plays filled with ambition, fate, deception and treachery, centred around the character of Macbeth, telling of extraordinary things from the witches mischievous magic to Macbeths change in fortune and personality. First his bravery, loyalty, and morality are conveyed to the audience; before Shakespeare goes on to tell of his tragic decline into evil and of how he brutally obtains power and control over others. At the time of the play’s creation, society believed intensely in the Chain of Being; the concept of God’s strict, natural structure over the universe.

The people stuck by this for fear of the consequences. They didn’t question nature’s vicious wrath because if they were to turn against it, it would be to defy the will of God and so had only God to answer to, dictating that it was therefore sinful for their subjects to resist them. Throughout Act 1:1-3, Shakespeare’s audience is given countless reasons to think of Macbeth in a positive way, depicting him as the strong, heroic character, conveying to them all of his many laudable traits. This is firstly shown through how others act towards him and what people think of him.

He is related to a ‘lion’ and ‘eagle’ by the captain showing he is thought of very highly and is respected. Confidence, fierceness and determination are all ‘lion’ like qualities that are reflected in the character of Macbeth. This is proved when he heroically fights on in the battle as it continues. Secondly ‘noble Macbeth’ questions the witches as he contemplates their prospects for him. He feels ‘to be King stands not within the prospect of belief’ so will leave it to ‘chance’ as he knows that sudden ambition is wrong.

This declarative statement emphasises his refusal to act wrongly. Everyone values Macbeth and all believe he is an incredible fighter and to emphasise this, Shakespeare uses a simile to show it to be true ‘like valour’s minion curved out his passage’. This portrays how Macbeth puts others before him and cares about them. Lastly you can see Macbeth’s loyalty as he talks to the witches because he has potential and wants to be a leader but does not do anything about it; when he is told he will be of a higher status he is shocked and refuses to believe that it may come true.

This shows that he is good because he doesn’t want to do anything to the King but protect him conveying his patriotic traits. Macbeth however could also been seen as having a potential for evil in this scene. He is described as ‘valour’s minion’, this portrays him as a brave servant when he is a leader to many. This could also be seen as him being a vassal and that he is easily commanded highlighting his weaknesses challenging the idea of him soon to become King.

During the battle he is also said to have ‘carved out his passage’ showing a ruthless and angry side to his personality later in the play when he murders innocent subjects. This could be exploited by his easy susceptibility later in the play by people such as the witches or his wife towards evil. The fact that the witches are going to meet Macbeth could suggest he is evil, as the witches are deemed evil and meddlesome. Being around the witches’ associates him with them and their evil doings, this is emphasised through their meeting place, ‘A desolate place’ which is also lit by thunder and lightning.

Because of its description it can be seen that they are almost removed from the rest of the world and disconnected from God and the rest of humanity, which only makes it more villainous for Macbeth to be there. The witches also prophesy that he shall become the thane of Cawdor; this is ironic because the previous thane was a traitor and tried to kill the king. This could suggest that Shakespeare is trying to make Macbeth fit the mould of the previous thane, which would make him evil as well.

Lady Macbeth and her husband’s strong relationship is built on how they treat each other. For example, in scene 7 Lady Macbeth finds her husband weak and pathetic when he is not doing as she wants. She is able to manipulate him as she is stronger minded and he is ‘too full o’th’ milk of human kindness’ which portrays his positive traits and her negative attitude. Lady Macbeth is not happy unless she is in control so in order to make sure she is she uses repetitive phrases such as, ‘wouldst thou’ in scene 7, line 41 and again in line 42.

This is effective because it shows her point clearly making the reader believe she’s right as she does to Macbeth later. She wants to teach Macbeth evil so he becomes like her as she thinks he can be figured out too easily – ‘your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters’. Lady Macbeth’s ‘ambition’ is to ‘win’ and nothing else. This is shown through the language she uses. Lady Macbeth thinks highly of determination and confidence but not only that, she won’t settle until she has got what she wants which shows power.

Lady Macbeth addresses her husband as ‘thou’, this infers that she already has control over him. It makes it easier to persuade Macbeth because you can see who the dominant one in their relationship is from the language they use with each other. Shakespeare has expressed her passion and determination through alliteration: ‘Hie thee hither’; this sounds strong willed and powerful and gives her speech a scene of urgency as if she wants to get on with the murder and won’t back down giving no choice but for Macbeth to agree with her.

It also creates negative imagery as it sounds as if she is hissing, through the use of sibilance, which again relates her with evil. Lady Macbeth is shown to ‘chastise’ Macbeth often showing how easily she can manipulate him. It also shows her superior nature and strength over her husband. To ensure that Macbeth follows through with their plan, Lady Macbeth wants to share her evil with him: ‘I may pour my spirits in thine ear’ – she wishes to influence him so that he will be stronger as she believes she is superior to him.

Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as evil using the symbolic ‘raven’ to do so. The ‘raven’ doesn’t only symbolise Lady Macbeth but also death and foreboding. This expresses her power and how she has managed to get her own way through her lies and deceit. When she says ‘the raven himself is hoarse’ it symbolises Macbeth’s weak nature and how he will give into her so they will not fail as Lady Macbeth thinks she is always right. To show Lady Macbeth’s ambition her character uses many imperative statements: ‘unsex me here, from crown to the toe’.

This also shows she is anything but willing to back down and she is very demanding by her forceful nature. Lady Macbeth wants to be seen as more masculine so results in asking the spirits to take away her femininity because she doesn’t think she’s string enough as a woman. This is also shown when she directs the spirits to ‘take (her) milk for gall’ and ‘make thick (her) blood’; this ruthless attitude shows how much she wants it and how she’d do anything to get it again also showing how she believes she can beat nature.

Her extreme evil attitude and her enthusiasm is shown through alliteration and superlative adjectives e. g ‘direst creulty’. When she uses the description of ‘murthring ministers’ it emphasizes her passion and determination. Her ‘dark’ vocabulary associates her with evil and the witches and creates negative imagery as the witches are connected to villainous things. The personification Shakespeare uses gives the impression of foul changes and how they are against nature: ‘Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark’.

This verifies Lady Macbeth’s evilness as she is putting herself in the opposition to all that is good: her husband, Heaven and God. This gives a strong affect as it emphasises and hints at his increasing change towards evil. Shakespeare also uses similes to show how Lady Macbeth is starting to control Macbeth more and more quickly. She orders him to ‘look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t’ which means hide your feelings and emotions so that he doesn’t get caught when committing the ‘deed’. This is another imperative statement showing she dominates him.

In many of the phrases that Shakespeare uses in his play, Macbeth can be interpreted in more than one way for example, ‘he that’s coming must be provided for. ‘ This associates Lady Macbeth with the witches because it emphasises her control over Macbeth and how the witches have the same control over him. But it also connects her with darkness and the devil as she is preparing a feast but actually is planning on the death of the King. At this point Macbeth is starting to agree with his wife as she has manipulated him through her twisted words so that it sounds like the right thing to do.

Macbeth’s soliloquy is very powerful, at the beginning of scene 7, as he is debating whether to go through with the ‘assassination’. The scene in which this is performed represents his feelings. This is because the ‘torches’ represent how he is not completely decided. They show how he’s still half in darkness and half in light symbolising half in evil and half in good showing the darkness is slowly consuming him but hasn’t yet. This can also be seen as the light symbolising of Duncan’s life and how it is ending and later when the torches have gone out, he will be dead.

The darkness also creates suspense and an eerie atmosphere leading to the unknown. Macbeth’s loyalty and kindness is shown clearly in this part of the play to show he would go through with ‘the deed’ if there were no ‘consequence’s and it could ‘end all here’. Although as this is not what would happen then it would all be lead back to him and his reputation would be ruined. This shows the morality in how he feels uneasy about doing this and how he has be forced against his will and been persuaded into it. He shows fear and remorse by trying to talk himself out of their plan.

Macbeth feels that he should be loyal towards the king as he has done no wrong towards himself and he has treated him well recently. Duncan is the guest so Macbeth should be protecting him not bringing harm or death to him. He also thinks Duncan is a good King so does not want to hurt him and as he is he’s ‘kingman and subject’ then he should be again protecting him against any other more obvious evil predators. Another way Macbeth’s conscience is seen is when he is talking to his wife. He sounds very unsure and unwilling to go through with the murder.

It is easily seen as he uses euphemisms to replace the words death and murder for example, ‘this business’ or ‘taking off’. This shows he is uncomfortable with the task and he doesn’t want to come to terms with it. He thinks he has no reason to do it and that he us too afraid to; there’s no other reason but his ‘vaulting ambition’. This is shown through the language and vocabulary that Shakespeare has used. The ‘surcease, success’ is emphasised through alliteration and sibilance, which again draws attention to how they have not failed with the murder yet.

His use of personification is strong and bold: ‘tears shall drown the wind. ‘ This helps Macbeth persuade himself not to do it and shows he is valiant and trusting, as he wants to get out of the situation. Using a soliloquy to show this makes it more personal which emphasises his emotions; this then builds tension making the scene more intense for the audience. Despite how much loyalty Macbeth has and how much he doesn’t want to perform the dreadful deed, Lady Macbeth is powerful enough to overrule his decision and persuade him to carry it out.

Shakespeare uses many techniques, which makes her more dominant than Macbeth as she uses them to manipulate him. Firstly, Shakespeare uses rhetorical questions, one continuously after the other, which then makes Macbeth question himself through undermining him and patronising him: ‘Hath it slept since? ‘ This question leaves Macbeth finding himself without an answer leading him with no choice but to side with Macbeth. Another way that she does this is by attacking his masculinity and his soldier-like qualities using words like ‘green’ and ‘pale’.

She uses similes – ‘Like the poor cat i’th’a dage? – which makes his feel pathetic and like he has to do it because she is relating him to the poor cat in the old story. Her declarative statements about his manhood appeals to his self esteem and pride. She uses reverse psychology and tells him to ‘be so much more the man’ which makes him want to prove himself and show that she is wrong. This is also shown when she compares him to herself because she conveys how ruthless she is when she describes how she would dash the brains out of a baby and how if she said she would do something then she would follow through with it making Macbeth feel cowardly and weaker then his wife.

This is very important to his appearance because the social aspect in that time was thought that any man was suppose to overall a woman. Lady Macbeth persuades her husband by using influential adjectives such as, ‘dashed’, ‘plucked’ and ‘boneless’. This emotive language emphasises the harsh reality of her strength and creates clear imagery showing her passion, which then motivates Macbeth to go through with her plan. She also uses his weaknesses to get her own way and directs her orders to him personally.

‘Why did you leave the chamber? – she starts to distant herself to make the situation more serious and make Macbeth realise that she refuses to fail. The alliteration that is used emphasises her anger and passion towards this procedure. An example of this is ‘receipt of reason’, this is very harsh sounding phrase so seems as if she’s spitting out the words. Lastly she uses Macbeth’s words against him by mirroring and questioning them. ‘We fail’ – this makes her argument even stronger forcing him into agreeing with her. As she has an answer to everything he doubts he has no choice but to follow her in this devious arrangement.

Although it appears that Lady Macbeth is the stronger of the two, the majority of the play is written in blank verse showing that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both equal to each other as their patterns of speech are the same. This could be interpreted that Lady Macbeth goes from weaker to stronger and then back to weaker again as she turns insane later in the play where as Macbeth still has his emotions throughout the play although they may start to slowly fade, like his conscience, as evil takes over him but this shows their equal status. Lady Macbeth uses manipulation and immorality to turn Macbeth’s view around.

This shows he is easily convinced as at the beginning of the play he was completely against her plot but then went through with it in the end anyway. In Act 2:1, Macbeth is portrayed as an evil ‘butcher’ rather than heroic. He says ‘A heavy summon lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep’ showing that nature is defying his sleep even though he’s exhausted. Banquo uncovers how the chain of being has been interrupted reasoned by no ‘husbandry in heaven’. This seems as if there are no stars like heaven is saving energy. Macbeth’s evil increases throughout the play, which creates more and more evidence against him.

In this scene he uses a lot of negative imagery inferring he’s about to do wrong emphasising his evil. He talks about ‘witchcraft’ and ‘Tarquin’s ravishing strides’ as if it’s a good thing and he is comparing himself to him. In the part of Macbeth’s soliloquy, he sees a dagger. This motivates him to go through with the murder although it is not known who is doing this to him whether it’s him mind that is becoming more evil through Lady Macbeth’s teachings or the witches or he’s hallucinating because they have disturbed the Chain of Being. This makes it harder for Macbeth to refuse.

He also uses lots of phrases like ‘That summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell’ which is significant because it is associated to funerals and death. Although, at the beginning he was completely against this plan, he is now lying to Banquo his ‘friend’ and still calls him a ‘friend’ although he’s now become an enemy so its is ironic because he is the opposite. He seems, as he is almost comfortable with deceit and the whole idea. This is also shown when he says ‘Hear it not, Duncan’ showing that he is now determined and confident that Duncan will not find out.

Macbeth purposefully distances himself from good as he feels nature is against him. He is in great ‘fear’ that it will give his plan away and that people might hear him. This is also linked to the Chain of Being about how it has been unbalanced. The play shows how Macbeth’s personality unravels throughout, descending into evil. The people around him and the power that they withhold lead to his downfall. Shakespeare infers that Lady Macbeth is partially to blame for Macbeth’s behaviour. He depicts her character as manipulating and controlling over Macbeth leading to his actions of murder.

On the other hand, Macbeth is portrayed as a weak and cowardly character by not being able to defend himself and what is right resulting in his demise. The Chain of Being is an important theme in this play especially towards the end as everyone believed in it strongly and some even believed that it could tell you what happened next. For example, at the end of the play it is suggested that Macbeth will die because he has gone against God and interrupted the cycle. Therefore Macbeth’s rapid descend into evil and Lady Macbeth’s wicked nature both played an equal part in his transformation from hero to villain.

Williams is a cruel, vengeful and power hungry person. She has the ability to manipulate almost anyone she wants, whenever and wherever. She uses this ability to gain power and deem people witches who don’t have any real proof against them. This puts her in a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, like eliminating people that she doesn’t want to see anymore. Abigail Williams is really just one power hungry, vengeful person. Abigail had been one of the original girls that started the whole witchcraft ordeal y practicing voodoo rituals in the woods outside of her town.

She later then blamed the whole event on the slave of Reverend Paris saying “Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tuba conjured Ruth Putnam dead sisters. ” The people she told believed her as slaves were of lower class then Abigail, and that Just happened to be how it worked then. Abigail also was in an affair with John Proctor, which after Elizabeth found out about it, who is John’s wife, Abigail was fired from her position as a servant to the Proctors.

Abigail went on to accuse people of the town of witchcraft. This allowed her to rise to power and become a member of the court. Abigail sought vengeance on the people that witnessed her in the woods with Tuba as well. She pin pointed those people and decided she would accuse them of witchcraft In any way she could. For instance, she accused Elizabeth of witchcraft because she had a doll with a needle In Its stomach, saying she was using voodoo to hurt Abigail.

Even though Abigail set the whole thing up and punctured herself with a needle. All these situations show how Abigail nature Is to be cruel, and how she manipulates people’s views and emotions. Abigail also became a huge power fugue throughout the act. She rose to power after accusing people for witchcraft. She made up fake stories and false evidence to get people to go to trial. For Instance when she accused Elizabeth proctor of witchcraft, Abigail said she was stabbed by Elizabethan spirit.

When the authorities searched the Proctors house, they found a doll with a needle In Its stomach. This was enough “proof’ they needed to take her away. Abigail got away with a lot of things throughout act 1 . She used peoples emotions to get what she wanted and didn’t have any sympathy for anyone she came across. She ended up In a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, Like eliminating people that she doesn’t want to see anymore. Ball Williams Is really Just one power hungry, vengeful person.

Abigail Williams Analyzing By shinning pin pointed those people and decided she would accuse them of witchcraft in any OLL with a needle in its stomach, saying she was using voodoo to hurt Abigail. Even situations show how Abigail nature is to be cruel, and how she manipulates people’s false evidence to get people to go to trial. For instance when she accused Elizabeth authorities searched the Proctors house, they found a doll with a needle in its stomach. This was enough “proof” they needed to take her away. She ended up in a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, like

Introduction Vinegar Tom was written by Caryl Churchill, a feminist, in 1976 but set in the 17th Century. The play was inspired by the women’s rights act of 1970, and the discrimination of women. The title comes from the name of a horrible creature which is supposed to be a witch’s familiar. It is about how four naive and innocent women’s lives are affected throughout the Salem witch-hunts. Modernised song, dance and rhythm are used to combine the horror of the past and attitudes which have carried on to our world today.

The plot includes lots of witchcraft and demonstrates clear discrimination of women at that time, outlining society’s rejection of people who have differences. Vinegar Tom was influenced by Bertolt Brecht, Churchill, like Brecht wanted people to think about what they had saw, instead of just engrossing themselves in an entertaining play, she wanted them to act on their decisions of the play, and not getting too emotionally involved with plot or characters.

She does this by using epic theatre, so the audience thinks about what is happening, not what is going to happen, plus the use of non- realistic songs to break tension and add political comment. The play is relevant to today’s audience as it looks at how prejudice against women is still occurring. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1953 and set in 1692, based on the actual events which led to the Salem Witch Trials, leading to the deaths of over 150 people accused of witchcraft. The play was in response to McCarthyism: where a committee in America grew fearful that the communism would destroy the capitalist American way of life.

They made witnesses come to answer charges that they were a communist and give names of other communists; Miller was made to appear before the committee. This was called McCarthyism; Senator McCarthy making the US government get rid of communists; mirrored in the play where women were accused because of unknown causes to bad events, they were then forced to name other ‘witches’, Adding to this Miller’s failed marriage with Monroe was partly because of his guilt and confusion from his previous marriage.

This is represented in The Crucible, by Proctor having an affair with Abigail, behind his wife Elizabeth’s back. It all escalates, eventually Proctor is in court arguing his innocence, when he says, ‘I have three children – how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends? ’ I think this is how Miller felt when in front of the committee, now expressing himself through Proctor. These events helped Miller connect with the witchcraft trials two centuries before in Salem, influencing him to write ‘The Crucible’.

The story is about young girls who after dancing in the woods get accused of witchcraft, Reverend Parris, both father of one girl and uncle of another, calls an expert who agrees that the girls’ strange behaviour is the devil’s work. This leads the girls to accusing others and being scapegoats for the problems in the community. The religious court does not rest until it discovers who the cause of all the evil is. The crucible is relevant to today’s audience as it looks at betrayal and how gossip can have devastating effects.

The play is influenced by Konstantin Stanislavski, because Miller wanted the play to be naturalistic to reflect the real story. Stanislavski is primarily known for Realism, where he bases his methods on personal experiences, using ‘emotion memory’, getting actors to this of their own experiences to embrace an emotion, making the performance as close to real life as it can get. Also using ‘Given circumstances’, where actors are aware of the facts about the character, not only in the script but the social, historical and political facts. Plus Stanislavski influenced Miller to use realistic sets, keeping everything as realistic as possible.

Social Cultural Historical Political The Crucible was based on puritan people in Salem 1692. Their society was theocratic, where God was the states civil ruler. The tragedy all began from a combination of economic conditions, jealousies and teenage boredom. Adding to this, not far away there was an Indian war, which guided the community to believe the devil was around. There were lots of possible causes for the witch hunts in Salem, first the religious society strongly believed in Satan and how he had people performing witchcraft for him; believing you can tell which people are witches by certain symptoms.

Plus, because Salem was having so many problems, it appeared likely that the devil was at work; smallpox, Indian war. Secondly, teenagers had little freedom; working on the land and focusing on religion. Adding to this, old feuds and ideas of revenge arose. People saw witch hunting as a possible way of sorting out enemies, and gaining land and arguments over land ownership (most of the accused where financially better off) was a major contributor to who lived and died.

Miller uses this to add context to the play, he mirrors the hysteria in Salem to the fear of being accused of communism in the U. S. The Crucible is accurate to what went on in Salem 1692, but he changed some details to make it more accessible and relevant to today’s audiences; Abigail in truth was 14, but Miller thought this would distract away from the main plot, because it is socially unacceptable today for a man and 14 year old to have a sexual relationship, so he changed her age to 17; making the affair more realistic as Proctors life is supposed to make him look like a tragic hero

A Contempory audience can relate to the play in the sense that everyone has been betrayed, or felt victimized at some point in their life, which helps the play have meaning and importance to the audience. Scenes which happened years ago, can still be reflected, one way or another, in today’s society. Similarly, Vinegar Tom links the ideology of witch hunts and hysteria and power with her feminist theme, about women’s sexuality, based around the 17th Century major English witch hunts and social changes. Churchill noticed how the poor have always suffered, and how silly the witches’ offences were.

She wanted to write a play about witches with no witches in it, showing the prejudice against women and the humiliation they endured, about poverty humiliation and prejudice, how women accused of being witches saw themselves. The audience can also relate to Vinegar Tom, thinking about prejudices today, and how we can prevent them. Especially because she is a feminist writer, we think about the meaning of some of the prejudices we hold, and how women are treated back then and today, because there are still arguments today about women being equal to men, in religion and general society.

In both plays, Salem warns us to improve how we judge people, and to rethink our prejudices. The crucible is strongly influenced by Stanislavski. Stanislavski was a realist who wanted performances to be as natural as possible. He founded the Moscow Art Theatre. His philosophy was that actors should be true to their given circumstances of the character -conveying internal thoughts and feelings. We did this by thinking about our past experiences, when we have felt jealous, alienated, or scared, this makes performance more authentic when we had to embrace these emotions.

Plus, Stanislavski wanted believable acting, without exaggerating. Stanislavski also encouraged trial and error, so we kept practicing until we found appropriate emotion memories which stimulated the best response from the actor for the scene. Another way to create realistic acting was to put you in the circumstances as the actor; ‘given circumstances’. Using your imagination- you are the character you’re playing, as most actors haven’t actually experienced what their character has, so Stanislavski technique, the ‘magic if’ puts yourself in the situation. Circle of Attention’, another Stanislavski technique, the area of focus an actor should hold, without getting distracted, because if you become distracted, performance could look artificial. We used these techniques in workshops: ‘Given Circumstances’, making sure we were aware of the story properly, then thinking about how it must feel for everyone you knew to want you dead, like the accused must have felt. Then putting this emotion into performance. ProctorDo you look for a whipping? AbigailI look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! In a workshop, we focused on Act 1, where Abigail and Proctor are discussing their relationship. First, I played Abigail in the above section; I portrayed her to be very frustrated. Then before I tried again, I thought about how Abigail must feel, a young girl who has unrequited love for Proctor, seeing him still stand by his wife, I would feel jealous and angry, frustrated that he can’t see how we should be together. My parents were murdered in front of me when I was a young child, and I have never felt love since, so Proctors love I cannot loose!

My heart would be breaking. When I applied this new feeling to my performance, it became for realistic and emotionally powerful showing my devastation and heart ache as well as frustration, making me more vocally aware. This gave me insight to how Abigail feels and helped me to characterize her. Secondly, we imagined Elizabeth being a ‘fly-on-the-wall’. What her thoughts would be watching: shocked but almost pleased that Proctor is rejecting Abigail, and then we imagined Abigail’s thoughts in Act 4, when Proctor is in the cell talking to Elizabeth.

This gave us real insight to link the characters objective and the motivation for their activities. Additionally, realistic sets would be used in the crucible to add a sense of truth, realistic like Stanislavski idea. Moscow Art Theatres’ philosophy was to make theatre a central concern. Vinegar Tom is written with influences from Brecht. Brecht studied Marxism, the political philosophy which analyses capitalism and a theory of social change; which links to how Churchill focused the play around feminism and social change. He wanted theatre to provoke thought, the audience to make decisions on what they saw, instead of apathy.

Brecht wanted the audience to be entertained without getting too emotionally involved. He did this by keeping things minimal- sets and costumes, using narrators to tell the audience what is going to happen, multi-character, montage scenes, epic theatre, songs to break tension and letting the audience remember they are watching actor’s not actual characters. Plus Churchill includes songs, which is a music influence from Brecht, entertaining songs to break tension, but with serious ideas behind them. In a workshop we explored scene fourteen:

We decided to use epic theatre to exaggerate the alternation between characters and to make more amusing. In my pair, we decided to start off at the back of the stage and move forward at each line, acting what we said. Margery: ‘struck me in the head’ – jack literally strikes her in the head. Adding comedy and exaggeration, distancing the audience but keeping them connected to the themes. Plus we used minimal props to symbolize set. This kept the audience entertained still, but reminded them they were watching actors in a play. Characterization/ Interpretation: We each chose a character from The Crucible and selected some speech for them.

Then we had to create a freeze frame stance and say their lines, the rest of the class then debated who we were: Parris’the devil lives on such confidences, without confidences there could be no conspiracy, your honor! ’ I stood in this position, non verbally portraying myself to be Parris –>> Leaning forward, as Parris leans towards destruction, with hand gestures, palms up almost in prayer, to show Parris’s religious side, showing my eagerness to persuade/ make a point about Proctors life and that devils don’t exist. Plus making eye contact with the person whom he’s talking too. Facially, I looked concerned but angry/frustrated.

Vocally I sounded confident, sure of myself, Parris’s power, he feels guilty that he helped to create the appearance of witch craft so the first clause I said calmly and quiet, but then gained pace and volume. This had a powerful impact, showing Parris’s confidence and regret. Vinegar Tom we characterized Ellen in Scene Nine by trying her with different personalities, then deciding which one fit best. The three ideas we came up with were: • Old lady – fragile, soft voice, quiet but firm, glasses, squinty eyes. • ‘Hippy’ – Stood tall, confident, happy young voice, feminine, talked faster. ‘Witch’ – Hunched back, croaky voice, stutter, open-aware eyes, slow creepy voice. We decided the old lady worked best, as it made her look wise and knowledgeable but without making her look evil. The hippy looked to young and felt to naive for the character. Next we thought of the circumstances for Alice, she is young, single, her mother is an alcoholic- Joan, who Alice cares for. She wants to go and see the witch trials in London, ironically, as she gets hung in the end. Susan thinks Alice always talks about men. She doesn’t say she is lonely, but I think she wants a man to love her, for companionship.

I like the use of language in Scene twenty-two Vinegar Tom, the alternation between Sprenger and Kramer, Brecht’s Epic Theatre to reduce tension, making it comical but at the same time keeping us involved with the story and facts about what is going on. Both characters say approximate equal amounts. Scene Twenty-One Sprenger: He’s Kramer. Kramer: He’s Sprenger. Kramer/ Sprenger: Professors of Theology Kramer: Delegated by letters apostolic Sprenger: (here’s a toast, non-alcoholic) Kramer: Inquisitors of heretical pravities Sprenger: we must fill those moral cavities Kramer: so we’ve written a book Sprenger: Malleus Maleficarum

Kramer: The Hammer of Witches Sprenger: It works like a charm Kramer: to discover witches Sprenger: and torture no hitches. Kramer: Why is a greater number of witches found in the fragile feminine sex to men? Sprenger: Why is a greater number of witches found in the fragile feminine sex to men? Kramer: ‘All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman. ’ Ecclesiastes. Non verbal Communication/ Interpreation: gesture, facial expression, movement, mime, freeze frames, physical theatre We watched the beginning of The Crucible, a film, the director elected to show the children going to the woods to dance.

We thought this gave too much away too soon, so began thinking of other ways to begin the play and develop the appropriate atmosphere. We decided to experiment by doing a selection of still images about the ideas in the play; this is a Brecht idea, letting the audience know more before they have watched the play, but we wanted to set the scene with an original impact. We needed to communicate non-verbally, considering facial expression, gesture and levels. The tableau we did was the cross on the floor (physical theatre to create cross) with characters on blocks looking down at it; symbolizing the corruption of religion on the Salem society.

Secondly we had all the characters on stage pointing at each other, at different levels, on chairs, floor etc; representing blame and rumours. Finally, there was a abstract image of a dance, with Elizabeth looking at Abigail and Proctor dancing, showing the juxtaposition of the innocent dancing girls on the final impact of the affair. I would include these images before the play to give the audience a taster of what is to come, to grab their interest and make them think about what they could mean. We used physical theatre in an exercise for Vinegar Tom, using our bodies as the set and props.

For example, for scene 1, on the roadside, a few of us stood back to back with arms out; we were a sign post, and others used levels to create plants as it was a rural area. Visual/ Spatial We considered a few types of staging for Vinegar Tom and the crucible; in-the-round, Proscenium Arch and thrust. In-the-round staging wouldn’t fit with Brecht’s ideas as it is too realistic and the audience would feel really involved for Vinegar Tom. Plus, it would be difficult for the action to engage everyone in the audience, as there would always be a section which couldn’t see.

I don’t think this would be best suited as it involves the audience too much. Alternatively, it would be good for The Crucible as it involves audience and creates an interesting, realistic atmosphere. But I think it would get too complicated when lots of characters are on stage; too busy to see clearly. Thrust staging like in-the-round, is intimate, and can still have blind spots. Although it can have more props and is easier to perform without blocking views too badly. Again, I don’t think this would suit Vinegar Tom s it would include the audience too much, but it would suit my interpretation of The Crucible as it IS intimate with the audience and includes realistic, props and staging. Throughout The Crucible there is a variety of locations, so it is difficult to choose a stage, particularly Act 3, The ‘Bird’ Scene because all characters are important to see, this is why I chose Thrust Staging, personal and realistic, and more room to see more action. If I were to direct this scene, I would have it diagonally, so action can be scene by all 3 sides.

First, I would have Hale higher up then the other characters, this gives him authority. Abigail and Proctor are spaced so Abigail can be seen looking over at Proctor, as well as Elizabeth. The relationship between all three characters on stage is a triangle, like the love triangle they used to be in. ADD CELL SCENE LAYOUT? SOUNDS Proscenium Arch distances the audience from the drama, this links with how Brecht wanted the audience to remember they are watching a play. Plus the actors can address the audience directly, another idea of Brecht. Plus the simple set can be moved around easily.

This is the stage I would choose for Vinegar Tom. Scene Nineteen JOAN and Ellen are hanged while MARGERY prays. MARGERY: Dear God, thank you for saving us. Let us live safe now. I have scrubbed the dairy out. You have shown your power in destroying the wicked, and you show it in blessing the good. You have helped me in my struggle against the witches, help me in my daily struggle. Help me work harder and our good harvests will be to your glory. Bless Miss Betty’s marriage and let her live happy. Bless Jack and keep him safe from evil and let him love me nd give us the land, ahem. [pic] AUDIENCE If I was to do this scene, on a proscenium arch, I would have Margery in the foreground and the girls in the background. This keeps attention on Margery, but the audience can relate her monologue to the hangings, putting it in context. After ‘glory’, I would have a pause, then the hanging. As the girls step down from the block (as they ‘hang’) I would have Margery go down on to her knees for prayer, ‘Bless…’ This simultaneous change of levels would draw the audience in, thinking about how Margery’s prayer and the hangings are related.

Ellen and Joan’s backs would be to the audience so that their hangings are more symbolic then emotional. I think Vinegar Tom could be modernized, and the actors could wear modern everyday clothes, this is a Brecht technique, reminding the audience they are actors. I think The Crucible can’t be modernized, it is the history of 1692, so characters would be wearing clothing (picture) from that period of time, using the slang and dialect from that period. ———————– The book title is violent. ‘Hammer’ is a destructive word, like the destruction of witches.

Non-alcoholic makes them sound innocent and good, which is the contrast to their ideas and book on witches. Academic lexis, implying they are knowledgeable; so their book will be truthful and correct. The repetition emphasizes the fact that most witches are female. Informal introduction, comical stand up style, introducing each other. Scene twenty-one is like an Aside, a speech to the audience, but in the style of a comical stand up or advert. They alternate lines to add interest and capture people’s attention. Rhyme for comic effect, combining Kramer and Sprenger as one person. Reference to philosopher suggests wisdom. [pic] [pic] [pic]