I enjoy reading this play and I find it quite comedic a lot of the time because of how ridiculous it sounds. I can't believe that they all took witch craft so seriously back then and had such serious repercussions. It seems like Abigail, Betty, and Tituba and winding a great lie to set up the other citizens of Salem. They keep pushing the blame around onto so many women who "associate with the devil" and it is taken as matter of fact by Parris and Hale. Betty also seems to be faking/exaggerating her ailment now. I feel like they are all innocent of witch craft but they are spinning a web of lies to keep themselves out of the spot light and to not be blamed. They are all turning into paranoid freaks and cannot trust their own neighbors.
Act 2 Response-
I am so shocked that John Proctor cheated on his wife, Elizabeth, with Abigail Williams considering how serious of a crime adultery was back then; and also the age difference between Abby and Proctor seems to be significant. I can't believe that Abigail and Mary Warren would set up Elizabeth with the poppet. It is obvious as to why Abby would want to get rid of Elizabeth, but Mary Warren has no undermined intent. Abby must have manipulated her with fear of witch craft. I believe that Abby is actually pure evil because she is taking so many people's innocent lives by accusing them of witch craft. I am proud of Proctor for standing up and being brutally honest about his beliefs towards Parris being an awful minister. It was so ironic and laughable that when asked to recite the 10 commandments, Proctor only forgot the one about adultery. After they take Elizabeth away, Proctor becomes infuriated because he knows she is innocent and demands that Mary Warren testify in court that it was all a haux.
Act 3 Response-
I'm genuinely happy and relieved that Marry Warren came out and told the truth about her and the other girls lying in front of everyone. Unfortunately, she is somewhat of an incredible source because now the court labeled her as a liar so they aren't taking her very seriously. This is a bit of dramatic irony. Proctor is so honest about why he doesn't attend church often and I am proud of him for being so brave like that and telling the truth. I am shocked that Elizabeth is claiming to be pregnant. I wonder if she is just because she wants to prolong her time before hanging, or if she is legitimately pregnant. When Abigail and the other girls were pretending to be bewitched by Mary Warren in the form of a "bird", it was really weird because it was so idiotic and crazy that I can't believe anyone could have ever taken them seriously. I was shocked when Proctor admitted to lechery because that was such a serious crime in the puritan court. And it was so frustrating during the dramatic irony scene of Elizabeth saying he never cheated. So now Elizabeth and Proctor are locked up, the whole town just seems to be becoming insane!
Entire Play Response-
After reading the crucible, I feel so lucky that I wasn’t born during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. The citizens had it so awful- they couldn’t prove their innocence so they were punished, and if they admitted to witch craft they would be punished. Once they were accused there was no way out. What makes the situation even scarier is that the accusations only started with the lowly people in town, but worked their way up to more prominent townspeople. So literally everyone was at risk of being hung. I can honestly understand why Abby would run away from Salem. That place must have been a nightmare. Parris furthermore proves his greed and selfishness when he seems more concerned about his money that Abby took more than Abby actually running away. I am glad that Hale finally realized how ridiculous everything is but unfortunately he is too late and cannot convince all the innocently accused to confess- even if it would save their lives. This aspect surprises me too because I feel that if I were given the option to die with my pride or save my life and live I would choose to live. But this goes back to the Puritan way of society; they were probably more concerned with honesty than their own lives. I feel really bad about the trauma that Elizabeth and Proctor were put through, that section was difficult to read because I can’t even imagine how painful that must have been. Proctor is very courageous for ripping up his confession but it also seems somewhat foolish from my point of view. In the end no one won because a lot of innocent people died. Fear spread like wild fire throughout Salem which caused mass death and destruction of a society.
WORD COUNT: 298
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