Synopsis & Journeys
Tracking how pressure creates hysteria
The Pressure Cooker
A crucible heats metal to extreme temperatures to melt it down and expose impurities. Miller structures the play the same way: each Act increases pressure until characters’ moral choices are forced into the open. In exam answers, track how your staging/acting/design choices intensify as the Acts progress.
Question focus: what a strong response demonstrates
Set your exam board to see what the selected board’s task rewards when you write about the play’s structure and escalation.
Interactive: The Escalation Timeline
Act 1: The Spark (Parris’s House)
Plot: Rumours of witchcraft sweep Salem after Reverend Parris catches Abigail and other girls dancing in the woods. Betty lies in a mysterious coma. Abigail bullies the girls into silence and shifts blame onto Tituba, who is forced to confess. The naming begins.
Exam focus: performance + staging notesSynopsis & Journeys
From whispered rumours to the gallows.
Context & History
1692 Salem, Puritanism, McCarthy allegory.
Characters & Acting
Status, control, and ensemble hysteria.
Key Scenes & Proxemics
Forest / farmhouse / courtroom / jail staging.
Themes & Quotes
Reputation, fear, authority — performance-led.
Design Elements
Set / lighting / sound / costume.