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There are several differences between the play, "The Crucible", and the actual events of the witch trials. One difference stems at the beginning of the play. In "The Crucible", the girls are caught dancing around a fire in the woods. It is even rumored that Abigail Williams drank a potion containing blood in order to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Though it is entirely likely the girls danced in secret in their free time, there are no records of such a discovery. The more popular account is that the afflicted girls participated in fortune telling, under the direction of Tituba (Wallenfeldt). Fortune telling, just like dancing, was a hefty scandal in Puritan Salem, and could be punished by whipping.
One key element in the play is entirely made up by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible, Miller describes an affair between Abigail Williams and John Proctor. This affair is highly unlikely, due to the fact that Abigail was eleven and Proctor was about sixty (Brooks, "John Proctor: The First Male Accused Witch"). Arthur Miller wrote an article in 1996, stating that he found inspiration for the relationship between Proctor and Williams after finding an account that described Abigail striking Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, during an examination in court (Brooks, "John Proctor: The First Male Accused Witch").
Another difference is portrayed in the character of Giles Corey. Arthur Miller depicts Giles Corey as a friendly, honest man who knows quite a bit about law. In reality, Giles Corey beat one of his farmhands to death with a stick and testified against his wife (Brooks "The Curse of Giles Corey"). In The Crucible, Giles does express some suspicion of what books his wife had been reading, but he never went so far as to testify against her.
Another difference, though rather small, is that Reverend Parris' wife did not die until after the trials, on July 14, 1696 (Brooks "Reverend Samuel Parris: Was He To Blame?"). However, Arthur Miller describes Samuel Parris as a widower during the events of the play.
Another difference involves the Putnams and their tension with the Nurses. In "The Crucible", Ann Putnam is only able to have one surviving child. This makes her envious of Rebecca Nurse, who was able to raise eight children, who then had many grandchildren. This jealousy creates a motive for the Putnams to accuse Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft. However, in reality, Thomas and Ann Putnam raised ten children together (Brooks "Thomas Putnam: Ringleader of The Salem Witch Hunt?"). This means that much of the tension between the Putnams and the Nurses was likely caused by land feuds.
At the end of the play, Arthur Miller describes a scene in which John Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse are all hanged together. However, in reality, each of them was hanged separately. Rebecca Nurse was one of the first hanged, on July 19, 1692, alongside Sarah Good (Wallenfeldt). John Proctor was hanged on August 19, 1692 (Brooks "John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch"). Martha Corey was one of the last convicted persons to be hanged, on September 22, 1692 (Brooks "Martha Corey: Gospel Woman or Gospel Witch?"). As mentioned above, Sarah Good was hanged alongside Rebecca Nurse, whereas, in the play, Sarah Good confessed to witchcraft in order to avoid such an ending.
There are several differences between the play, "The Crucible", and the actual events of the witch trials. One difference stems at the beginning of the play. In "The Crucible", the girls are caught dancing around a fire in the woods. It is even rumored that Abigail Williams drank a potion containing blood in order to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Though it is entirely likely the girls danced in secret in their free time, there are no records of such a discovery. The more popular account is that the afflicted girls participated in fortune telling, under the direction of Tituba (Wallenfeldt). Fortune telling, just like dancing, was a hefty scandal in Puritan Salem, and could be punished by whipping.
One key element in the play is entirely made up by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible, Miller describes an affair between Abigail Williams and John Proctor. This affair is highly unlikely, due to the fact that Abigail was eleven and Proctor was about sixty (Brooks, "John Proctor: The First Male Accused Witch"). Arthur Miller wrote an article in 1996, stating that he found inspiration for the relationship between Proctor and Williams after finding an account that described Abigail striking Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, during an examination in court (Brooks, "John Proctor: The First Male Accused Witch").
Another difference is portrayed in the character of Giles Corey. Arthur Miller depicts Giles Corey as a friendly, honest man who knows quite a bit about law. In reality, Giles Corey beat one of his farmhands to death with a stick and testified against his wife (Brooks "The Curse of Giles Corey"). In The Crucible, Giles does express some suspicion of what books his wife had been reading, but he never went so far as to testify against her.
Another difference, though rather small, is that Reverend Parris' wife did not die until after the trials, on July 14, 1696 (Brooks "Reverend Samuel Parris: Was He To Blame?"). However, Arthur Miller describes Samuel Parris as a widower during the events of the play.
Another difference involves the Putnams and their tension with the Nurses. In "The Crucible", Ann Putnam is only able to have one surviving child. This makes her envious of Rebecca Nurse, who was able to raise eight children, who then had many grandchildren. This jealousy creates a motive for the Putnams to accuse Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft. However, in reality, Thomas and Ann Putnam raised ten children together (Brooks "Thomas Putnam: Ringleader of The Salem Witch Hunt?"). This means that much of the tension between the Putnams and the Nurses was likely caused by land feuds.
At the end of the play, Arthur Miller describes a scene in which John Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse are all hanged together. However, in reality, each of them was hanged separately. Rebecca Nurse was one of the first hanged, on July 19, 1692, alongside Sarah Good (Wallenfeldt). John Proctor was hanged on August 19, 1692 (Brooks "John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch"). Martha Corey was one of the last convicted persons to be hanged, on September 22, 1692 (Brooks "Martha Corey: Gospel Woman or Gospel Witch?"). As mentioned above, Sarah Good was hanged alongside Rebecca Nurse, whereas, in the play, Sarah Good confessed to witchcraft in order to avoid such an ending.
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