Name: ____________________________________Period: _______________ Date: _____________________________
ANALYZING SETTING IN THE CRUCIBLE
Stage Directions for Act Three: Close Reading
Read and annotate the excerpt below from act three. Then answer the questions that follow.
ACT THREE
The vestry room of the Salem meeting house, now serving as the
anteroom of the General Court.
As the curtain rises, the room is empty, but for sunlight pouring
through two high windows in the back wall. The room is solemn,
even forbidding. Heavy beams jut out, boards of random widths
make up the walls. At the right are two doors leading into the
meeting house proper, where the court is being held. At the left
another door leads outside. There is a plain bench at the left, and
another at the right. In the center a rather long meeting table, with
stools and a considerable armchair snugged up to it.
Identify two symbols in the setting. Explain what each detail symbolizes and what leads you to that
interpretive conclusion.
For example:
 The vestry room = profanation of the values of true faith
Reasoning: Because a vestry is a room that is merely connected to the church whose function is to
store clothing and other religious objects, Miller’s decision to set act three in this location suggests
some separation from the holy or sacred atmosphere of the church itself. His setting reveals the less
than holy nature of these so-called court proceedings.
1.
Reasoning:
2.
Reasoning:
Name: ____________________________________Period: _______________ Date: _____________________________
Compare and contrast the Act 3 setting with the settings of Act 1 and/or Act 2. Identify and explain the
significance of at least one similarity and one difference. Use the tables below to organize your thoughts.
Act 1 Setting
Details:
Act 2 Setting
Details:
Key Similarities
Act 3 Setting
Details:
Key Differences
Compose a paragraph that explains the symbolic or thematic function of Miller’s use of setting so far in the
play. Be sure to include examples and commentary that explains the significance of key similarities and
differences among the settings.