The Crucible
Behavioral Changes
When in court, the girls will act as if the accused witch is causing them pain or harm
The women are all afraid of abigail and the Putnam's... they don't want to be accused of witchcraft
Neighbors turn on each other in hopes of gaining land
Gossip
Led to the numerous accusations of
witchcraft among the townsfolk
Motivations
Many of these girls felt bored becasue there was little
stuff for them to do, so the acting was "fun"
Some wanted attention
Wanted to feel powerful like the men
Abigail
17 year old niece of Paris
Main accuser of witchcraft
Feared by many in the town
"if Abigail scream and howl and fall to the floor—the person‘s clapped in the jail for bewitchin‘ her."
Motivated by her drive for attention
Betty
She faked being sick after she was caught dancing in the woods with the other girls
Her sickness spawned the idea of witchcraft in Salem
Rebecca
devoutly religious
In her 70s
Once she is accused of witchcraft, Hale pauses his though process on the witchhunt
She was convicted of witchcraft
Hale
brought in as an "investigator"
supports the idea that witchcraft is running rampant
allowed girls like Abigail to have all of the power in the courtroom
Elizabeth
Pregnant (extends her life term)
Accused of witchcraft
Expected to be inferior to her husband
Proctor to Elizabeth : "Woman. I‘ll not have your suspicion any more."
CONNECTIONS TO REAL LIFE:
Click on the presentation link below
Culture
definitly a patriarchical society
Women were not regarded as equals
Women were only considered valid when they were accusing someone of bing a witch
Power hungry, people only seem to care about advancing themselves
The Role of Women (& its development through the play)
To accuse other people of withcraft (see Abigail)
To be accused of witchcraft
Take on jobs that involve caretaking
be obedient for the men
almost sort of control the trials (again, see Abigail)
Initially, women were subservient followers of their husbands
Later on though, they gained power when they could freely accuse others of wtichcraft
The penultimate peak of the role of women in the play was the fact that the mere acting of girls in court could determine whether a person lives or dies
HOWEVER... Women who were accused of witchcraft had absolutely no power and were stripped of their image of humanity
Paris
Reverend for the Church
Ann
Wife to Thomas Putnam
Accused many of witchraft
Proctor
Treated women as objects (cheated on his wife with Abigail
Got accused of Witchcraft
His own wife allowed him to be hung (she had the power to save him, and she chose not to)
Tituba
Servant to Abigail and her family
One of the first to be accused of Witchcraft
From Barbados
Ended up confessing to witchcraft
Mary
One of the girls that sat in the proceedings
had power in the court because she could fake being
tormented by the accused on the stand
Danforth
Judge presiding over the trials
Did not view the women as trustworthy when they were accused
Deputy Governor
Nurse
Speaks up on behalf of the women and says that the judges have been deceived
MAJOR EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT!
Whenever the husband's are talking to their wives... as if they are servants... "See highlighted phrases inthe actual text.
Anytime Abigail and the girls act as if they are being tortured (see highlighted portions in text)
More throughout other character bubbles
Hathorne
Judge presiding over the trials
Did not view the women as trustworthy when they were accused