How Deos Arthur Miller Create Tension at the Beggining of Act 2
Submitted by: pacmans1994
Category: English
How Does Millar Create a Sense of Tension and Conflict between John and Elizabeth Proctor at the Beginning of Act 2?
Arthur Miller was borne on the 17th of October 1915 in New York City. Miller believed that tragedy was not confined to the rich and important but that the ordinary man's failure was just as moving and terrible. The play 'The Crucible' was first produced in 1953 in the middle of the McCarthy political witch hunt in America. Millar decided to write the play as an allegorical text and a parallel between the two events.
The activities of the committee began to be linked in Miller's mind with witchcraft trials which had taken place in the town of Salem 2 centuries before, for example, the committee often had in its possessions lists of people at various meetings, and yet it still wanted the witnesses to name names. Miller saw these public confessions as parallels with the naming of names in 1962.
Since 1938 an organization called the Un-American Activities Committee had been in existence in America. This had the power to investigate any movement or person who apparently posed a threat to the safety of the state. Under the chairmanship of Senator Joseph McCarthy the committee became almost paranoid in the searching out of the communist sympathisers amongst the American people in the late 1940's and early 1950's.
It is important for Miller to create tension within the play to keep the audience interested; he uses this technique in Act two with great affect. The audience is already aware of the Proctors strained relationship following John's affair with Abigail, and Miller highlights the damage that has been done by the affair perfectly in this scene to create a excruciating sense of tension.
The Proctors relationship at the beginning of Act 2 is with a great feeling of detachment and tension in the. John is trying to start a conversation with Elizabeth and she only gives him short answers, one example of this is when John talks about how the...
How Arthur...
Analysis Of...
The Crucible...
How Does Miller...