Difference between revisions of "The Crucible"

'''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.