AMERICAN LITERATURE CREATIVE ANALYSIS

TASKKOH YI ZHE, EDWARD TAN, SEE YONGSONG,

JONATHAN TAN

ABOUT THE PLAY

•PLAY BY WILLIAM’S COLLEGE •PRODUCED ON MARCH 9 2013

ABOUT THE PLAY (CTD)• NORMAL STAGE• PROPS USED: ONLY ONE TABLE (MULTI-PURPOSE)• NUMEROUS LESS SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERS WERE NOT MENTIONED/USED• HATHORNE• GILES• REBECCA• SUSANNA

• CLOTHINGS OF THE CHILDREN: DULL, “ONE-STYLE”- PURITAN LIFESTYLE, CONSTRAINED LIFESTYLE

ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY

ACT 1

BACKGROUND, FORESHADOWING

“FLASHBACK” TO EVENTS PRIOR TO THE ACT

SettingTable used as Betty’s bed

Characterisation

Parris Abigail

PARRIS QUESTIONING ABIGAIL•CIRCLING AROUND HER•THREATENING VOICE•EMPHASISES AGAIN PARRIS’ SELF

REPUTATION AND ABIGAIL’S LYING• POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING TO ACT 3 IN

COURT

“SEDUCTION” OF PROCTOR• Not as intimate as in

the book• Distancing with each

other• Possible explanation:

Cold feelings since long ago• attempt by director

to change the plot? Easier to enter the theme of revenge at the end of the play (Abby to Proctor)

PARRIS’ SELF ESTEEM

•REPETITION OF “I WILL SING WITH THEM, I WILL NOT TALK TO THEM. I WILL SING WITH THEM, I WILL NOT TALK TO THEM….” • EMPHASISES THE POINT OF HIS CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS

REPUTATION

MASS HYSTERIA

• ADD DESCRIPTION

ACT 2

SETTING

•SENSE OF GUILT?

CONVERSATION IN “BED”•IRRITATION FROM

ELIZABETH’S REMARKS•AVOIDANCE – NUMEROUS

SIGNS IN THE PLAY

CONVERSATION WITH MARY WARREN• INITIAL FEAR OF HER

MASTER•MORE CONFIDENT OF

HERSELF AS SHE CONFRONTS PROCTOR• THE HEAVY RESPECT AND

POSSIBY FEAR OF THE COURT IS BEING DEPICTED• POWER OF THE COURT

Mary Warren

HALE’S ARRIVAL• FIRM, EMOTIONLESS, STRICT (STARK

CONTRAST TO HIS CHARACTER IN ACT3 AN 4)• “SIT!” TO PROCTOR AND ELIZABETH EVEN

WHEN HE IS IN ANOTHER PERSON’S HOUSE.

• SITTING POSITIONS: “MIGHT”/IMPORTANCE OF THE CHURCH• 10 COMMANDMENTS RECITAL: FURTHER

AVOIDANCE/DISTANCE BTW THE TWO

CHEEVER’S ENTRANCE AND ELIZABETH BEING TAKEN AWAY• CHEEVER’S HUGE REACTION TO

THE POPPET: STUTTERING WITH DISBELIEF WHEN HE SAW THE POPPER• PROCTOR’S HUGE DEFENCE

AGAINST TAKING ELIZABETH- SIGNIFYING PROCTOR TRULY LOVED HER, AS WELL AS THE START OF HIS “REBELLIONS” AGAINST THE LAW

ACT 3

COURT SCENE•SETTING - GENERALLY DARK SETTING. STAGE

LIGHTS ONLY ON DANFORTH – PURITY, TRUTHUSE OF SPEECH:• PAUSES•AUTHORITATIVE SPEECH, IMPOSING HEIGHT OF

THE ACTOR, INCREASE IN VOLUME•REPETITIVE USE OF LANGUAGE – “LOOK AT ME

ONLY”

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLAY AND TEXT•DANFORTH INTERROGATES MARY WARREN IN

THE ABSENCE OF THE ABIGAIL AND THE GIRLS, WHILE IN THE PLAY ABIGAIL AND THE GIRLS ARE ALREADY IN THE COURT AT THE START OF MARY’S INTERROGATION.•OMISSION OF CERTAIN PARTS OF THE TRIALS –

DANCING IN THE WOODS, PARRIS’ LIE, ELIZABETH’S PUPPET

ACT 4

AFTER ELIZABETH TELLS HER LIE……

•ELIZABETH’S PORTRAYAL OF MIX FEELINGS• PROCTOR’S ADMITTANCE TO LECHERY•HER LIE PUTTING HER HUSBAND IN GREATER PERIL

HALE SPEAKING UP FOR PROCTOR•TRANSFORMATION OF

CHARACTER FROM ACT2 • SLIGHTLY BEGGING,

FEARFUL TONE

•MEANWHILE…..•DANFORTH CIRCLES

AROUND THE “COURTROOM”• SHOWS SIGNS OF

UNCERTAINTY AND UNDECISIVENESS

Hale speaking up for Proctor

DANFORTH CIRCLING AROUND THE COURTROOM

ABIGAIL’S PRETENCE• ABIGAIL’S LAST ATTEMPT TO COVER UP

HER WRONGDOINGS.• STANDS UP AND SCRAMBLES HASTILY

TO HER FEET, AND POINTING TO MARY WARREN. • NO MENTION OF A YELLOW BIRD IN THE

PLAY (HARD TO DEPICT OUT IN AN ACTUAL PLAY?)• THE OTHER GIRLS TRIED TO GET CLOSE

TO MARY WARREN, AND BACKING OFF IMMEDIATELY

ABIGAIL’S PRETENCE (CTD)• SCREAMING WILDLY• ABIGAIL AND GIRLS CRAWLING ON

THE FLOOR• ENHANCE EFFECT OF THE

“WITCHCRAFT” CAST ON THEM

• MARY EXITING THE STAGE TO THE AUDIENCE• ENGAGEMENT OF THE AUDIENCE• MORE LIFELIKE (HAPPENING

RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES)

BETTY’S PRETENCE • PROCTOR EXTEND HIS ARM OUT TO MARY• GIRLS CHANT “DON’T DO IT”, AND SLOWLY

INCREASES IN FREQUENCY. • STAGE LIGHTS AT THE BACK. DANFORTH AND

THE JUDGES START TO CROWD TO MARY AND FURTHER INTENSIFIES THE TENSION.  • EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING IN FRONT AT THE

FIRST ROW- LIFELIKE

BETTY’S PRETENCE• THE JUDGES START TO LOOK AND MOVE

TOWARDS JOHN PROCTOR IN THE PLAY. PROCTOR FALLS AT THE STAIRCASE• SUPPRESSION BY THE JUDGES• MASS HYSTERIA OVER WITCHCRAFT MATTER

• JOHN PROCTOR CRAWLS ON THE FLOOR• PROCTOR CRAWLS ON THE STAGE, AND

STARTS TO “CONFESS”• “YOU ARE PULLING DOWN HEAVEN AND

RAISING UP A WHORE” • DIRECTOR’S EMPHASIS

ACT 4

SETTING

ELIZABETH ENTERS THE STAGE• CARRIES A LAMP- SIGNIFIES SHE AS

THE ONLY PERSON THAT IS STILL MORALLY UPRIGHT, AND KNOWS WHAT IS RIGHT, ONLY PERSON LEFT BY PROCTOR’S SIDE

ELIZABETH’S CONVERSATION WITH PRCOTOR• INSTEAD OF TALKING TO

ELIZABETH, SITTING UP, PROCTOR LIES THERE, WHILE ELIZABETH PATS HIS BACK, NOT FACING EACH OTHER• IT PROBABLY SHOWS THE

TENSION AND POSSIBLY AWKWARDNESS OF THE COUPLE.

SIGNING OF CONFESSION• HESITATION• SECOND NAME• PARRIS IN CHARGE