| − | '''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. | + | '''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, though unable to recite the Ten Commandments<ref>http://www.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/avhsweb/hartman/IntermediateDrama/TheCrucible.htm</ref>, but this may be due to his previous adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, a hysterical primary accuser) and his wife Elizabeth Proctor, along with several other members of the community, as they are systematically prosecuted for witchcraft. |
| | <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> | | <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> |