Crucible, The, is a powerful historical drama by American playwright Arthur Miller. Miller set his story during the mass hysteria of the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1690’s. At that time, many people in the colony believed that Satan was loose in the town and that a number of residents were serving him.
The play portrays the mistrust and fear that can sweep through a community as the result of a tyrannical ideology. In The Crucible, the persecution of innocent people resulted from feelings of jealousy, resentment, revenge, and sexual repression among the people of Salem.
The play opened on Broadway in 1953 and was successfully revived off Broadway during the 1958-1959 season. Miller wrote that the play demonstrated parallels between the witch hunt of the 1690’s and the controversial search for Communists in the United States at the time the play was written. The House Un-American Activities Committee summoned many witnesses in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The Senate investigation was led by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy in the 1950’s. The 1950’s were a time of great hostility between the Communist and non-Communist nations. McCarthy made many charges, often with little evidence, that public officials and other prominent people in the United States were Communists or cooperated with the Communist Party.
The central character in The Crucible is John Proctor, a Salem farmer accused of witchcraft. Proctor’s moral dilemma stands at the heart of the play. He can plead guilty to the false charges to save himself, or he can deny the accusation and lose his life but save his good name for his children. This exploration of the conflict between an oppressive social order and individual conscience has made The Crucible one of Miller’s most admired and frequently staged plays.
