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What Is The Theme Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible

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The Salem Witch trials took place in Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693 where people were killed if they were thought to be witches. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller writes about the witch trials and what happened during that time. The Crucible has many themes throughout the play. One prominent theme is the theme of mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is shown in many cases throughout the play such as the scenes when the people of the village of Salem are accused, in the court room while the people state their case, and when the townsfolk are about to be hung after failing to call out other witches. One of the first parts of the play where mass hysteria begins to show up is when the children get caught dancing in the forest and they try to save themselves by blaming eachother people for their actions. One of the first examples is “Tituba, suddenly bursting out: Oh how many times he bid me to kill you Mr. Proctor.” (pg1198) This statement happens because the children blame Tituba for dancing in the forest and They rile her up. Tituba did not see Parris with the Devil but she something to say because things are getting crazy. The reader can tell this is mass hysteria because the children had turned on her she did not know what to do so she started to make up things to save herself, things that will …show more content…

It had reached everyone in the town from the townsfolk who were accused, to the teen girls who started the whole ordeal, the men of power such as Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne and even the men of the church like Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris. The reader can see that throughout the play there was hysteria when the people of the village of Salem are accused, in the court room while the people state their case, and when the townsfolk are about to be hung after failing to call out other witches. By the end of the Salem witch trials over 20 people had been wrongly murdered because of the mass hysteria

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