Setting
Describe the Puritans' town.
small-windowed, dark houses
hardly a village
How does Miller explain a theocracy?
a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together
How did Puritans view the forest?
dark & threatening
associated it with Satan, chaos, & moral corruption
Other than possible witches, what does Miller say made these Puritans panic?
fear of dissent
change
social disorder
Where is the town and state in which the most known witch trials took place?
Salem, Massachusetts
How does the author view Reverend Parris?
mid-forties
villainous
little good to be said for him
widower
What reason “more than the creed” does the author give for the people of Salem remaining so strongly united?
FEAR & HARD WORK
forced to fight the land like heroes for every grain of corn
no man had time for fooling around
WHY did the Puritans view the Native Americans as heathens?
lived in the wilderness
What government change occurred that may have seemed frightening to the Puritan people?
introduction of a more secular government that threatened the absolute control of the church over the community
What happened to people who confessed to witchcraft? What happened to those who demanded they were innocent?
CONFESSED: set free
INNOCENT: imprisoned or publicly executed
How did the Puritans view their town?
as a chosen place
required them to live with struct moral codes & maintain religious purity
Explain the duty of two-man patrols appointed by the church-government as police officers.
maintain moral order
enforce religious laws
policing behaviors to keep the community pure & orderly
How did the Puritans differ from the Jamestown settlers?
PURITANS: religious & moral community
JAMESTOWN: economically motivated & less unified by strict religious ideas
What is Miller’s attitude about the strictness of the Puritans?
oppressive
cause of hysteria
breaks community trust
Who were the first 3 women officially accused of witchcraft?
Tituba
Sarah Good
Sarah Osbourne
How did the Europeans view the Puritans?
barbaric & fanatic
What holiday did the Puritans not celebrate?
Christmas
What does it mean to believe one holds the candle that lights the world?
After being religiously persecuted, they and their church found it necessary to deny any other sect freedom unless their town was defiled & corrupted by wrong ways & deceitful ideas.
What does Miller say are the 2-3 reasons that people felt good about crying witch against their neighbors?
gave them power
able to express grievances
reinforced social status & security
Who were the first two girls afflicted by strange behavior?
Betty Parris & Abigail Williams
What was the economic situation in Salem at this time?
not wealthy
relied on shipping products that were increasing in quality and value
Who was said to rebel against this religious strictness of the town?
John Proctor
What were considered the perfect instruments for the conquest of this land that was not forgiving to them?
self-denial
purposefulness
suspicion to all vain pursuits
hard-handed justice
Why does Miller feel pity for the people of this play (the people of 17th century Salem)?
trapped by fear, superstition, & strict social rules that led them to distrust & harm each other
How many people died by the end of the Salem Witch Trials?
14 women & 6 men