| − | '''The Crucible''' (1953), written by [[leftist]] playwright [[Arthur Miller]], is one of the seminal works of American theatrical literature. It is a fictionalized portrayal of the [[Salem Witch Trials]] and serves as an attack on the [[anti-communist]] agenda of Republican Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]]. <ref name=Miller>See [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''Why I Wrote "The Crucible"'' in [http://www.dlackey.org/weblog/docs/Why%20I%20Wrote%20the%20Crucible.pdf Life & Letters], The New Yorker, Issue Date 1996-10-21</ref>. The plot follows the protagonist John Proctor (a devout Christian) and his wife Goody Proctor as they are systematically prosecuted for witchcraft. | + | '''The Crucible''' (1953), written by [[leftist]] playwright [[Arthur Miller]], is one of the seminal works of American theatrical literature. It is a fictionalized portrayal of the [[Salem Witch Trials]] and serves as an allegory to the [[anti-communist]] agenda of Republican Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]]. <ref name=Miller>See [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''Why I Wrote "The Crucible"'' in [http://www.dlackey.org/weblog/docs/Why%20I%20Wrote%20the%20Crucible.pdf Life & Letters], The New Yorker, Issue Date 1996-10-21</ref>. The plot follows the protagonist John Proctor (a devout Christian who had previously entered into an affair with his primary accuser, Abigail Williams) and his wife Elizabeth Proctor as they are systematically prosecuted for witchcraft. |