Exposition (Act One of The Crucible)

Ever notice how the opening chapter of a book includes much background information about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story? The novelist has to get the reader up to speed quickly and provide the reader with all the necessary details needed to not only understand the plot but also care about the characters. However, within a play, the playwright has a very limited amount of time to get the audience interested, engaged, and "up to speed" on the characters and conflict. For this reason, plays and dramas often have a great deal of action, suspense, and character interaction. The opening scenes need to grab the audience's attention but also give the audience an understanding of the characters.

In this topic, you will read Act One of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. You will be paying close attention to Miller's methods of characterization as well as looking for how the conflict and irony contribute to your overall understanding of the play.

Essential Questions

• Why is characterization so important to a play?
  
• How do characters, conflict, and situational irony contribute to understanding a play?