The Crucible Group

Question:

earlean
earlean
Teacher
High School - 11th Grade

Why would Miller include the note on historical accuracy in "The Crucible"?

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Posted by earlean on Wednesday November 12, 2008 at 5:08 AM and tagged with historical accuracy, history, miller, note, the crucible, themes.

Answers:


  1. robertwilliam

    eNotes Editor

    The "Note on Historical Accuracy" actually does a few interesting jobs.

    Firstly it informs the reader or the director that the play has been carefully researched, and carefully located within its context: owning up, if you like, to what is artistic licence and what is based on history.

    Secondly, it reminds us that the play is based on reality: and that the sort of events Miller depicts actually did occur. There's no escape from the horror of the events: you can't simply pass it off as a made-up play. For the reader of the play, the Note serves to segue the fictional world into the real one, and reminds the reader of what they have in common.

    Finally, of course, the note actually resolves some of the loose ends in the story - for readers who really had to know what happened next! For this reason, I suppose, it's often included in the programme when the play is performed in the theatre.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/crucible/summary

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    Posted by robertwilliam on Wednesday November 12, 2008 at 6:21 AM


  2. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The note on historical accuracy also tells us that Miller changed many of the details of the historical trial. For instance, Abigail was only 11 or 12 years old when the trials occurred. John Proctor was probably in his 60's. That puts a whole new perspective on things, According to some sources, it was Ann Putnam who first showed symptoms of the hysteria, not Becky Perris. The trials were eventually brought to an end when the girls accused the governor's wife of being a witch. That time, they went too far and the governor put an end to the trials before his wife could be put on trial.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/trials-salem-witch

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Wednesday November 12, 2008 at 7:53 AM

  3. koripeich
    koripeich Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    Miller gives us the note on historical accuracy in the beginning of the play because he wants us to know it is based on true events.  We trust the text more because it appears more reputable and can be studied as so, rather than a work of fiction.

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    Posted by koripeich on Saturday November 15, 2008 at 1:41 PM

  4. jdlover
    jdlover Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    1. Why would Miller include the note on historical accuracy?

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    Posted by jdlover on Saturday December 6, 2008 at 1:08 PM