Post on 22-Mar-2016
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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