Category: The Crucible

Summary of The Crucible

The Crucible is a must-read fascinating chef-d’oeuvre authored by Arthur Miller, a renowned playwright from America, which dramatizes the way witch-hunting and witch trials took place at Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692 through 1693. The play opens with a multitude of girls enjoying a dancing exercise in the forest with a slave named Tituba only for one among them to experience an unconsciousness-like situation when the dancing is in progress.

Villagers gather with every one referring this as a sign of witchcraft that leads to seeking of an intervention from a witchcraft professional-a reverend. The scenario calls for the need to investigate the villagers on issues pertaining to witchcraft, a take that finds many of them victims of the evil doing ready to be judged. As the victims are questioned, majority refuse to admit or rather confess of the evil doing.

However, one of them falsely confesses thus finalizing the witch trials by the judges. This drama was performed on the first time at Martin Beck Theater in 1953 before it was reviewed and later won the best play award in the same year (Wilmeth and Bigsby 415). However, as fascinating as it seems, the masterpiece has strengths and flaws that are evident upon making a keen analysis of the play.

For instance, Miller does not directly use real characters from the community that he depicts in the play. This creativity in developing new characters to fit perfectly in a certain role is strength of this play. The author also uses metaphorical language to bring out themes and characters. For instance, since he knows the repercussion of making errors, he warns people not to attempt repeating any of the misapprehensions he had done earlier on (Miller 132).

This is a literary strength. Another source of strength in the play is the use of a similar colloquialism. Although the play is written after more than half a century from when the community settled in America from Britain, the author can regulate his language. The author depicts it as one community united by language that was ready to live in peace. He says, “This will set us to arguing again in the society, and we thought to have peace this year” (26).

Conventionally, these people could have a variety of dialects after such a period on a foreign land. The title of the play is another source of strength. Characters with above-the-notch character are able to win through even when they are just about to be killed, for example, Rebecca, Nurse, and John proctor. This is seen as symbolism that they refused to melt just as a crucible does when heated.

According to Miller, these characters choose this dangerous path to have a fulfillment of a life worth of their principles. However, there are some weaknesses in this play. First, the plot of the play is untrue to the actual historical age of the events. A wide disparity between the actual period when the event of witch-hunting happened in America and the period that the playwright depicts. The event of witch-hunting happened in 1692 through 1693 at the Bay of Massachusetts.

The play is then written later like an allegory resulting from McCarthyism after the government of the United States convicts a communist in 1956. Miller is also accused by the United States’ congress of being an anti-American when he refuses to acknowledge the presence of other congressional representatives in his meetings.

The author refers him as one of the horrible people ever to live. However, he also recognizes him a normal being just like the rest. He cannot however ignore to tell other people to be wary of him (Miller 21). The other weakness in this play is that the setting is especially restricted. This follows because most scenes occur in rooms and in the court only. This limits the readers’ outlook of the play as a whole. This also depicts that the author may have deliberately omitted some important parts of the play as he tried to narrow down the sceneries.

Major Themes

There are various major themes in this play. These include the theme of fear, individuality, and reputation. The theme of fear is brought out clearly in the play. Human beings fear everything that they cannot understand. They see what is not familiar to them as a source of threat. In Salem, many people are subjected to hanging after being convicted with the sin of witchcraft. The Americans also persecuted their fellow compatriots who were convicted of embracing communism in the fear of their country being colonized by the Soviet Union.

In The Crucible, the people of Salem feared that their land would be overwhelmed by evil spirits if they allowed witchcraft to take roots in their country. This fear develops into hysteria, anxiety, and even paranoia. Fear spreads from one individual to the other at a very speedy rate. For example, Miller says, “The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom” (6).

The author is convincing in his demonstration of this theme. He gives relevant examples. For example, Betty says that she had seen Martha Bellow in the company of the devil. This makes Abigail to begin accusing the people from town. She also accuses Sibber. Because fear is hysterical, other young girls also begin making similar accusations. From this point, everybody in Salem becomes very fearful of witches or even the impact of others accusing them as witches.

People are unsurprisingly apprehensive of the indefinite things. Therefore, these examples are convincing. The theme of individuality is also depicted in this play. The government of Salem suppresses the minority and supports individuality. In fact, Miller courageously addresses the issue of individuality when he openly refers the act of considering other people as equals as one that is out of date.

He only points out the effect of this, as revealed by the inhabitants of Salem. As such, he urges people to mind their own issues in a bid to curb the current insanity that people have (Miller 4). The playwright is convincing in his depiction of this theme because he persistently use various characters to expound it through examples.

For example, John Proctor and Elizabeth try to push for individual considerations. However, the Salem community does not have a place for what is not communal. In addition, Elizabeth tries to convince her accusers that there is nothing like witchcraft. According to her, since witchcraft is like powers that are fighting others, the winner must be the one who has powers that can overcome those of witchcraft.

She counts herself among the winners, as she is ready to demonstrate the reverse of what people believe about it (Miller 26). John Proctor also takes an individualistic stand to denounce the behavior of girls. The play pushes all the characters towards conformity to the society besides admonishing individuality. The other major theme is the theme of reputation. The villagers did not believe in having their names soiled.

For example, “These people had no ritual for the washing away of sins” (Miller 19). Several characters in the play take certain actions in order to safeguard their reputation. For example, Abigail is seen dancing. Parris worries of his status. He interrogates her. This stands when Abigail defends herself based on her reputation in the village that people view her as worth emulating character (Miller 24). The author is convincing in developing this theme since he clearly uses examples to bring it into perspective.

Author’s Motive

The author’s motive of writing this book was to demonstrate the social and political ills that the society goes through. The author was a victim of the fight for a capitalist world by America. He was even questioned by the American congress for not recognizing the congress members in some of his meetings.

This provoked him to write about the evils that political fight against individualism, instilling of fear, and the need to safeguard one’s reputation may bring about in the society. He writes that the leadership believed that it was in control of every aspect of the society.

Author’s Larger Political and or Social Agenda

The author’s larger political and social agenda of the play is to portray the challenges that people go through due to fear, individual stands, and defense of their reputation. In the social and political spheres today, people are still fearful of the unknown.

For example, people fear terror threats like the twin attacks in America on September 11, an Al-Qaeda threat led by the late Osama bin Laden. As the media hypes on the plans and the aims of the terrorists to make people hysterical, the governments of the world would organize for more surveillance, security checks, and armed follow up on the terrorists.

This act is similar to what was happening at Salem when people feared what would happen next if the evil spirits engulfed their land. To curb this fear, the people of Salem believed in the execution of witches and even the suspects of the witchcraft. Another sociopolitical agenda that the author depicts is the world struggles to locate the stability of freedom and order. The minority movements and groups are still being persecuted in the lines of being abnormal, for example, gays, lesbians, atheists, and even catholic priests that want to marry.

He advocates for obedience besides which people must suffer the consequences of their misconducts (Miller 30). In other regimes, governments under dictators are forcing their citizens to stay calm by not expressing any opinion via demonstrations, association, or even through the press. This seems similar to what was happening to Salem where majority were right with the government enforcing the execution of authority according to the rulings of the court.

The Larger Social Message

The larger social message that the author wanted to send to the world via this play was that reputation and individualism are important in a dynamic society. Today, every celebrity in music, athletics, and even other games spend a lot of money in securing defense for their reputation.

Politicians are also working very hard to have a good reputation. Leaders without a good individual principle and reputation have found themselves at a compromising situation. For example, president Richard Nixon of the United States was impeached due to bad reputation and poor principles when relating to women. Everyone wants to have a good reputation in the community, family, at work, and even at school.

Why the Author Chose the Writing Style

The author chose to write this play to demonstrate the way hysteria, suppression of individual motives, and defense of status can destroy the society today. Just like Salem, people are still enslaved by fear. For example, the whole world lives in the fear of terrorism. Individuals work hard to suppress others in competition especially the minority tribes and sexual oriented people.

Miller declares witch-hunting activity as a working way that got hold of virtually everybody in a bid to demonstrate that they are all wicked and ones who have left the ways of the supreme being to follow the desires of their hearts. In other words, no one can uplift him/herself in the name of being perfect (Miller 7).

The Author: His Place in Today’s Political Spectrum

In conclusion, in today’s political spectrum, the author would be classified as a strong advocate of democracy. This holds because his work has a great relevancy to what the society is going through politically. For example, the author seems to advocate for individualism and the freedom of self-expression. He says, “The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic, which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom” (Miller 6).

The author shows that every person should have certain principles that he/she should hold even at the point of death. This means that, if a leader is clean, he/she should be incorruptible by any political evils like power, money, and positions. The author would also be seen as an advocate of political integrity. This follows because many leaders in the political scenes today have failed the reputation test.

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin, 1995. Print.

Wilmeth, Don, and Ellen Bigsby. The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998. Print.

Villains are often the main determinants of elaborated plots of literary works, and the more interesting the plots of the “evil” is, the more unexpected the plot will appear to be. In both Othello and The Crucible, the authors provide complex descriptions and characteristics of the most immoral and corrupt characters, Iago and Abigail respectively. The villains in both “Othello” and “The Crucible” are unique in their proficiency in the use of language for manipulating others and their ability to use the current setting for achieving their goals; Abigail is interesting because of her desire for power and influence, unusual for this young low-class girl, whereas the most interesting and surprising characteristic of Iago is the absence of more or less rational reasons in his intrigues against Othello.

Shakespeare’s Iago seems to have perfect command of language and rhetorical devices, in particular, delicate and subtle flattery as well as appeals to commonly shared values or ethos. In particular, in the conversation with Roderigo, Iago skillfully involves the desperate young admirer of Desdemona in his plot against Othello, stating that the Moor is guilty of the distortion of the old military tradition (Shakespeare, Act I Scene I). Furthermore, Iago reveals that he almost hates himself for his failure to unite Desdemona and Roderigo (Shakespeare, Act I, Scene I) and refers to Roderigo as a nobleman, underlining his belief that Roderigo is a more appropriate candidate for Desdemona as compared to the Moor. Similarly, Abigail, the villain of The Crucible, is a manipulative character who uses Biblical language, appealing thus to the commonly shared values of belief and devotion, for the purpose of gaining control over the thoughts and actions of others. For instance, at the crucial moment of Titube’s confession about her communing with the devil, Abigail uses Biblical language to tell that the devil has been cavorting with other inhabitants of Salem. In Act III Scene III of Othello, Iago wins the trust and good disposition of gullible Othello by appealing to societal values and sharing secrets about Cassio. First of all, Iago states he believes that Cassio is in fact an honest person, who might, however, be going the wrong way and following his temptations in the relationships with Desdemona. Further, he confesses that he is extremely sensitive and intolerant to injustice and seeks to preserve the reputation of Othello’s family. When Iago makes sure Othello has swallowed his manipulative statements, the main villain presents the information about Cassio’s affair with Desdemona as a big secret he never dared to share with anyone. Iago’s feigned sincerity, sense of intimacy and closeness he suggests to Othello, and devotion to his lieutenant consequently make Othello blindly follow the hypocrite throughout the play. Similarly, Abigail, the villain of The Crucible, at first behaves and speaks like a kind and caring person, particularly by expressing willingness to look after sick Betty and concerns about her uncle’s health (Miller, p.10). She also wishes to seem honest and bold: as a ringleader of the girls, she admits her responsibility for organizing the dance and accepts her forthcoming punishment. However, she later easily fabricates the lawsuits against the other townspeople, causing the deaths of innocent women.

In addition, the use of language by both Iago and Abigail is also interesting in terms of the revelation of their two-faced nature, which brings about the theme of appearance vs. reality. For instance, Iago uses language to swear he has loyalty and respect for Othello and Desdemona, and at the same time, he secretly makes fun of women, proving that he views Desdemona as an inferior. In this sense, Abigail is two-faced since she speaks on the one hand like a caring sister and niece, who wishes that her uncle and cousin Betty remain safe and secure; on the other hand, this allegedly caring person uses language in order to persuade Rev. Hale to hang the women from her community, those at whom she points as the followers of the devil.

Furthermore, it needs to be noted that Iago can be viewed as a catalyst who moves the plot further through the use of language, whereas Abigail is the initiator of the main conflict, who creates it through employing her Biblical language and quoting the Scriptures. Iago’s ability to change the plot radically through the mere use of language is indeed interesting and deserves attention, due to the fact that he changes the cloudless family life of Othello and Desdemona into a true hell by convincing the main character and it is highly important to check Desdemona’s marital fidelity. This ability to create his own choices and realize them in the others’ actions makes Iago an interesting and elaborate character. Abigail’s role is much more important, as she brings about the main conflict. Interestingly, she mercilessly arranges the hanging of the women from her town only on the basis of her infatuation with John Proctor. For this purpose, she uses quotations from the Bible, underlining her resistance to the devil’s temptations and naming those who are allegedly reluctant to return to Christ after being bewitched.

Both Iago’s and Abigail’s ability to use the setting as a powerful resource for manipulation is also surprising and interesting. In particular, in Venice, characterized by racial discrimination and prejudices against people of color, Iago incites Brabanzio, Desdemona’s father, Roderigo, and other soldiers against Othello by spreading rumors that the Moor used witchcraft to enchant the young girl (Shakespeare, Act I Scene III). As a result, Duke of Venice is forced to send Othello off to Cyprus, into the “heart” of the war, seeing that noble Venetians have quite a hostile attitude towards. Similarly, Abigail capitalizes on the social setting of her small Puritan town as well as on the havoc and panic around her in order to seize power. At the most important moment of Tituba’s confession, Abigail takes the initiative and passionately swears that she was once tempted by the devil, but is now being eager to help Reverend Hale and Thomas Putnam find the witches of their community (Miller, p.38). Interestingly, even the changing setting allows both villains to bring their traits and realize their plots. In particular, Iago manages to achieve his goals even after moving from Venice to Cyprus, where he uses the strange and unusual for Othello setting and the uncertainty of the war in order to saw in Othello the seed of distrust for Desdemona and Cassio. Similarly, when the mood of the social setting in The Crucible changes from panic to uncertainty and doubt, Abigail demonstrates her stubbornness and strengthens her control over the townspeople by attracting additional witnesses of the night dancing (Mary and Betty) and forcing them to give false testimonies against the most reputable women of Salem. Thus, the psychological flexibility of both Iago and Abigail as they adapt to all changes in the setting also makes them interesting and elaborate characters.

The most interesting and intriguing aspect of Abigail’s personality is her unexpected desire for power. Although she is a very young low-caste orphan, who needs to serve the wealthier townspeople like the Procters in order to earn her living, Abigail reveals enormous ambitions (Miller, p.101). Whereas Abigail is interesting in terms of the inappropriateness of her Napoleonic motives to her tender age and social status, Shakespeare’s Iago captivates the reader’s attention due to the absence of rational explanations of his hatred for Othello. In Act, I Scene I it is made clear that Othello was the cause of Iago’s failure to receive a promotion, but this fact is not mentioned in the subsequent sections, where Iago’s plots against the Moor are associated with pure hatred. Because of Iago’s unmotivated and truly irrational hatred for the main character, his actions seem even more terrifying, especially considering his enjoyment and satisfaction with the suffering of others, including Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and even his own wife Emilia, so the plot is catalyzed predominantly by Iago’s hatred for Othello. Abigail, in turn, spreads her control as rapidly as the paranoia about witches is spread: whereas at first she manages to influence only her fellow girls, later she becomes the right hand of mature and sophisticated Reverend Hale and Mr.Putnam, and this union with the local clerical and political authorities allows Abigail to manage the main conflict of the plot throughout the literary work.

As one can conclude, Iago serves as the catalyst of the main conflict in Othello, whereas Abigail from The Crucible initiates this conflict [these are the purposes of the characters in the literary works].

In fact, Abigail attracts the reader’s attention with her colossal ambitions no-one can expect from this young and shy orphan, whereas Iago is particularly interesting due to the irrational, almost pathological hatred which drives him to destroy his own and Othello’s family [this is the conclusion about what makes the characters interesting]. Both Iago and Abigail display extraordinary, almost supernatural ability to convince others through generously using rhetorical devices like flattery and appeals to common sense and religious values. They are also very adaptive characters and turn the setting and the social environment around them into an additional resource for their manipulation [this is the restatement of the thesis in different words].

References

Miller, A. The Crucible. Viking Press, 1976.

Shakespeare, W. Othello. 2009. Web.

Question: Discuss the parallels between the Salem witch trials and the anti-Communism hearings in the 1950s. How are they similar? How are they different? Also, what are the advantages of using a historical incident as an indirect way of commenting on current events?

Answer: The witch hunts of Salem are similar to the anti-Communism hearings of the 1950s in that they mostly relied on unsubstantiated claims that were essentially impossible to prove but that were accepted nevertheless. However, they differed in that Salem’s trials were a result of mass hysteria that started with the community as a whole while the anti-Communism tendencies were nurtured and instigated by the government. Miller used the historical incident because it was unequivocally acknowledged as a regrettable error by the prosecutors, and so he implied that the same was true of the hearings at the time.

Question: Reverend Hale’s character seems to undergo a profound shift in the second half of the play. How and why does he go from the forefront of the witch-hunt to someone who is increasingly skeptical of the court and ultimately denounces it?

Answer: Hale comes to Salem with the intention of finding concrete proof of witchcraft and using it to condemn the people guilty of the crime. However, as evidence fails to surface, he succumbs to the pressure and begins accepting the unsubstantiated testimonies of the villagers as sufficient grounds for the decision to be made. Hale only realizes the severity of his mistake once people start executing the alleged witches and is filled with remorse (Miller 105). He then laments his lack of power in court and the blood he has unwittingly spilled through his actions.

Question: Abigail is for the most part an unsympathetic character. However, in her brief confrontation with John Proctor in Betty Parris’s room, she breaks down in tears and credits him with taking her from her “sleep” and putting knowledge in her heart about the “pretense” of Salem. Discuss how this bright girl who seems so aware of the hypocrisy around her becomes someone who actually uses and manipulates that hypocrisy.

Answer: In the play, Abigail is a person who is not afraid to use any measures to achieve a goal that she desires. As such, once she realizes that declaring oneself a witch would provide one with status in Salem, she did so with the goal of attaining enough power to be with Proctor despite the perceived hindrances. Nevertheless, she is still a young girl with idealistic views, and although she can manipulate hypocrisy, she is ultimately aware of it and considers it wrong.

Question: Throughout the play, Mary Warren struggles with the question of what is right and wrong, and tries to do the right thing but ultimately succumbs to Abigail and her “visions.” Discuss the role of the girls in the play. Why are they the principal accusers? What might it have been like to fall under the influence of a girl like Abigail?

Answer: The girls are the principal accusers because it is their position of power. After being led along by Abigail, who declared herself a witch and the rest just accomplices, Mary Warren is presented with an opportunity to feel powerful herself and takes it. While the idea of witchcraft appeared alluring due to its forbidden nature, Mary knew it was dangerous and broke free of Abigail’s influence when she could.

Question: One of the most mysterious lines in the play is uttered by John Proctor at the end of Act Two as his wife Elizabeth is being hauled off to jail. Almost to himself, he says “we are only what we always were, but naked now.” What is he saying here?

Answer: John Proctor’s line means that the danger to everyone’s lives and the power granted by the ability to accuse people baselessly exposed the true natures of the inhabitants. People were put into circumstances where they could not trust each other and had the power to potentially kill with a few words, which let their base natures take control to ensure their survival with gruesome results.

Question: Discuss the ending. It is certainly somber; a number of innocent people have already died, and now the play’s central character, John Proctor, is off to face death, as well. However, there is hopefulness in one of Elizabeth’s final lines, “He have his goodness now.” Examine the balance of hope and tragedy in the ending.

Answer: The ending of the play is strongly tragic, as many innocent people have died as a result of the events. However, the executions have allowed some of the characters to wake up from the madness, realize the errors in their beliefs and actions, and hopefully become better people as a result. Reverend Hale and John Proctor serve as examples, as they change for the better, even if the latter is executed shortly after. Elizabeth’s words refer to this transformation, as she sees that John is now at peace with himself.

Question: Finally, discuss the play’s ongoing relevance. Is a contemporary witch-hunt a real possibility? If so, what kind of “scare” might it bring about?

Answer: The play is relevant in modern times because mass hysteria still manifests itself occasionally. The recent emergence of ISIS can serve as an example, as it has influenced the public perception of Muslims. Other issues can include matters such as racism, which has been known to affect the police’s attitudes toward suspects. As long as the world remains separated into numerous groups that do not fully understand each other, the play will stay relevant.

Work Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Heinemann, 1992.

The Crucible, set in a theocratic society, is a 1996 film, based on Arthur Miller’s play of the same name and it features high-profile stars like Daniel Day-Lewis (John Proctor) and Winnona Ryder (Abigail Williams), and the impressive Paul Scofield (John Danforth) and Joan Allen (Elizabeth Proctor) in supporting roles.

The film’s writer himself, Arthur Miller, does the screenplay while Nicholas Hytner is the director. Most scenes in the movie were filmed on Choate Island in Essex, Massachusetts, and they represent the events that took place in the Salem during the seventeenth century. The occurrences portrayed in the film have recurred with astonishing inescapability all through the history of humankind.

The film and the play versions of The Crucible have many parallels. The 1953 play was written during the House Committee on Un-American Activities investigations. During the investigations, Miller was summoned to give his testimony in 1956.

And, even though the play can be considered as an historical allegory for the events that took place during this era, its true worth is found in its capability to be re-construed so that it can fit in any era.

Undeniably, the play’s rich themes, such as intolerance, thirst for power, the need to be accountable for our actions, public and private moralities, and the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a community, are universal in scope.

Although Miller has never consented to the historical accuracy of the story, most of the events in the story match up with the occurrences in Salem, Massachusetts during the seventeenth century. During that time, superstition was rampant in Puritan town and about nineteen villagers were hanged as witches, four died in prison, and one was tortured to death for refusing to answer questions.

It was a period, similar to that in the U.S. in the mid-twentieth century, when a simple allegation could conceal ones fate. In addition, justice was regarded as secondary to saving a life during that era in America.

The film opens with an astonishing depiction of the event that set all the trials in motion. A number of Salem village girls gather in the woods where they chant and dance, wishing for men that they love to fall in love with. However, the arrival of the local preacher Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison) spoils the party.

Two of the girls subsequently fall into coma-like states. This makes everyone to start suspecting witchcraft as the cause of the misfortune. In order to save themselves from the noose since they confessed to performing witchcraft, the girls plead for their lives. Soon, the girls face trials in which the condemned are arrested. On the other hand, the innocent who do not confess are hanged.

The film that runs for one hundred and twenty-four minutes is rated PG-13 because of the intense portrayal of the Salem Witch Trials. The film is due to the outstanding recreation of the play for the screen. Unquestionably, the storytelling is top-quality, the visual style is perfect, and it is a powerful, thought-provoking production.

All through the film, the atmosphere is maintained. This serves the purpose of creating some original suspense. The crucible is considered as one of the best movies from 1996 and its classic re-interpretation assures us that it will become a component of the film history.

The Crucible, representing the events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in the Seventeenth century, is a film that was released on 27 November 1996 and it is based on Arthur Miller’s 1953 play bearing the same name. Some of the high-profile actors in the film include Daniel Day-Lewis (John Proctor), Winnona Ryder (Abigail Williams), and Bruce Davison (Reverend Samuel Parris). The notable Paul Scofield (Judge Thomas Danforth) and Joan Allen (Elizabeth Proctor) also play significant supporting roles in the movie.

The writer of the play version of the film, Arthur Miller, takes charge of the screenplay while Nicholas Hytner is the director. To portray the historical context of the movie, most of its scenes were shot on Hog Island in Esssex, Massachusetts. The movie serves as a symbol for the happenings in our contemporary society.

The movie commences with an apparently harmless occurrence. A group of young Salem village girls attends a secret meeting in the woods where they chant and dance, wishing for men that they would like to fall in love with. Tituba (Charlayne Woodard), a black American slave takes charge of the event as they accuse some residents of the village of practicing witchcraft. However, the ritual ceremony is cut short by the arrival of the village preacher Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison).

Consequently, as the lustful teenage girls try to escape, two of them lose their consciousness. The trouble makes everyone to start thinking that the girls were practicing witchcraft and a specialist in such matters, Reverend Hale (Rob Campbell), is sought after to look into the delicate matter.

In those times, anyone who was found to be practicing witchcraft was to be sentenced to death by hanging, if he or she did not admit to the offense.

Therefore, to save themselves from this sad end, the subversive teenagers plead for their lives to be preserved. Nonetheless, besides admitting to practicing witchcraft, the cohorts name other villagers whom they accuse of holding black Sabbaths and consorting with the devil. In a little while, with the coming of Judge Danforth and the town’s authorities, the teenagers now behave as if they are “servants of God.”

This makes them to be considered as reliable witnesses for the prosecution that is about to be carried out. In a cruel irony of twist, the residents whom they accused are taken into custody and the innocent who refuse to admit to the offense are sentenced to death by hanging. The one who instigated this make-believe episode was Abigail Williams. Her main intention was to ensure that Elizabeth Proctor dies so that she can have a relationship with her husband, John Proctor (Shmoop University, 77).

However, even though one time Abigail and John had been in a relationship, he refused to allow his former lover to take the position of his wife. John’s unwavering defense of his wife puts him in trouble and he is arrested as a witch. Consequently, he and others accused of the same offense are hanged.

The fictionalization of the events that took place in Salem in 1692 is a remarkable attempt by the filmmakers to show how these “witch hunts” can still exist in the contemporary world.

As much as they can take place currently in less severe forms, they can still be offensive. The Crucible, tackling various issues relating to finger pointing, demonstration of mass hysteria, and gossiping, uses the Salem Witch Trials so as to pass judgment on the society concerning these unfair practices.

The ease with which integrity can be stage-managed and distorted is represented by Abigail’s actions, as she not only plays God but also the residents of the village. However, as the movie is nearly ending, her eyes seems to depict her dreadfulness since her evil intentions are about to be made known.

The movie criticism of lack of reason when passing judgments and the desire to pass the blame on others is interpreted by many as a depiction of the House Committee on Un-American Activities investigations in which Miller himself was summoned to give his testimony before it in 1956. The investigation, which was led by Senator Joe McCarthy, was mandated to track down and expose individuals who were suspected of having communist compassions or associations (Zinn and Arnove, 378). Whereas those who were found guilty went scot free, several people endured severe damage to their reputation as they were falsely accused.

Besides the historical accuracy of the film, its rich themes, such as intolerance, thirst for recognition in the society, public and private moralities are universal in scope.

The allegorical depictions of the events in the film have continued to captivate viewers around the world. The Crucible speaks to everyone who resides in a society in which going contrary to the popular opinion makes one to suffer denunciation and unfair treatment.

It is important to note that as much as the movie is full of relevant themes to our current society, it would be dry and unattractive if it lacked characters and scenes that cannot captivate the viewers.

In fact, the human interest in the movie makes it to stand out. The plot of the movie has both heroes and villain. However, Hytner and Miller placed nothing to be in black in white. Abigail is the antagonist who serves as the spark that rekindles the fire of the suspicion in everyone’s mind.

Conversely, she is not driven by wickedness, but by a sheer mislaid priority of wanting someone’s husband. John Proctor, one of the honest people in the movie, is the protagonist who engages in an adulterous behavior that earns him his death (Bloom, 17). However, his mistakes portray his human side that is easy to identify with. The input of these characters, and others, was invaluable to the authentic production of the movie.

The Crucible is tremendously moving and the visual representation of the happenings that occurred in Salem makes the story to be alive. This leaves a more lasting effect to the audience than reading the play version of the thrilling events. The movie has a running time of one hundred and twenty-four minutes and it is rated PG-13 due to the extreme depiction of the Salem Witch Trials.

The persuasive, pertinent depiction of human fear was due to the outstanding recreation of the play version of the story for the screen. Undeniably, anyone watching the movie will find the though-provoking production to be of top-quality.

The filmmakers endeavored to hold the action together by having a visual style that is perfect which creates the same atmosphere all through it. The crucible is regarded as one of the best films from 1996 and its classic reinterpretation is an assurance that it has a place in the history of movies.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2010. Print.

Shmoop University. The Crucible by Authur Miller. Sunnyvale, CA: Shmoop University, 2009. Print.

Zinn, Howard, and Arnove, Anthony. Voices of a people’s history of the United States. New York: Seven Stories Press, cop., 2004. Print.

The Crucible is a movie that was written by Arthur Miller adapted from his play, which he authored in 1953, going by the same name. Miller released this two hours and three minutes movie on November 29, 1996. The film as directed by Nicholas Hytner portrays the events taking place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The people of this community were religious and were devoted to serve God (Leeper, Para. 2).

The main actors in this movie include Daniel Day-Lewis who acted as John proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor. Other actors who contributed to the film include Bruce Davidson as Reverend Parris, Rob Campbell as Reverend Hale, Jaffrey Jones as Thomas Putman, Karron Graves as Mary Warren, Charlayne Woodard as Tituba, among others. The movie shooting took place on the island of Hog in Essex, Massachusetts. The Crucible has some historical accuracy.

The movie starts by a scene where young girls in their teen age gather in the woods and dance while chanting. These girls secretly organized this ceremony to give them a forum to perform magic in order to entice some village men to love them.

Leeper says, “The opening sequence shows a voodoo-like ceremony in the woods complete with mystic chalk symbols drawn on the ground, and Tituba chanting a perfectly recorded version of the Yanvalou chant (Para. 5).” From this it is evident that Tituba (Charlayne Woodard), a black American Slave, was leading the ceremony.

Abigail Williams, who wished for John Proctor’s wife to die, slaughtered a hen and drunk the blood. Before the ceremony climaxed, Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison), who was Abigail’s uncle, came across them. The ceremony came to an abrupt end and the girls started running away. In this event, Betty, Parris’ daughter and Ruth the daughter of Thomas fell and became unconscious. The parents of these girls suspected that their daughters were demon possessed. They then called Reverend Hale to come and look into this issue.

The girls had to look for means of rescuing themselves from this problem and so Abigail indicated Tituba as a witch. Tituba, after subjection to torment, confessed to be a witch. This made the girls to name other people whom they had seen practicing witchcraft. Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife was one of the named people. This was Abigail’s plan to kill her in order for her to get back John Proctor.

The community at that time was religious and did not entertain witchcrafts. According to their judicial systems, anybody who denied the accusations was supposed to die. The suspects were supposed to be hung. This meant that John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, was to be hung if she denied the allegations, as was Abigail’s plan. John defended his wife against the accusation, an issue that turned against him. He was accused of being a witch and was hung. Elizabeth survived execution of the sentence because she was pregnant.

Arthur Miller’s play and movie was a reflection of what used to happen in the United States of America. It was a portrayal of the trials, which used to take place in Salem, Massachusetts. There was a committee headed by Senator Joe McCarthy. The committee sought Un-American activists and questioned them. Those who pleaded guilty were let free and those who refused to name others were persecuted. In addition, those who pleaded innocent were hung.

It was a situation where reason was not used in the judicial system and people were made to confess things out of fear. Those who wanted to fight for their reputation, like John Proctor in the movie, were killed by hanging. This House of Representatives’ Committee on Un-American Activities summoned and questioned Miller in 1956. The committee convicted Miller of “Contempt of Congress” because he failed to name the people who attended with him the secret meetings.

The Crucible is “based on an actual historical event of the past, but it is neither a historical play nor a historical romance” (Ram, 116). Miller himself said in a note about the historical accuracy of his play that the “play is not historic in the sense in which the word is used by academic historians” (Miller and Blakesley, xvii).

There are historical characters presented in this film. Miller used the exact names of some of them. He also accepts that he never captured the whole of their characters and personalities. All he portrayed was what he could capture from the documents of their trial cases. Some of the historical characters depicted in the movie include Betty Parris, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Samuel Parris, Reverend Hale among others.

Miller must have researched well into history and therefore tried to put this movie to be accurate with history as much as possible. Leeper suggests, “If The Crucible is not historically accurate, it transcends it” (Para.5). Even though the movie tried to be historically accurate, there are minor deviations from history.

The characters he employed in presenting his message in the movie were not the real historical individuals and thus were prone to have some differences. The chant by Tituba at the onset of the film shows that this might have happened sometimes later than the real setting of the play depicts. The movie also portrays another lapse of historical accuracy in the execution of the death sentences.

The movie shows a group of people hanged at the same time. In the real historical setting, these people were hanged at different times. “Rebecca Nurse was hanged on July 19, Proctor on August 19, and Martha Corey on September 22 — not all on the same gallows” (Burns, Para. 20). Reverend George Burroughs prayed on the gallows and not Proctor as it is in the movie. The movie proves to be in tandem with the historical happenings in Salem, despite these minor deviations.

The events taking place in The Crucible are examples of what is happening in our society nowadays. Some people live in fear and as such are not free to express themselves and point out what is right. Like the trials which were taking place in Salem, our judicial systems have become very unfair condemning the innocent while letting the guilty free.

This further aggravates the people’s fear making them to confess falsely on what they have not done. The form of judgments made in Salem, Massachusetts is still seen in our governments where people do not use reason to pass judgments but use the opinion of many. Even though the events taking place in Salem may not take the same form in our societies, they still exist.

Works Cited

Burns, Margo. “Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Fact and Fiction.” 17th Century Colonial New England. 2010. Web.

Leeper, Mark. “The Crucible (1996)”. Movie Reviews. N.d. Web.

Miller, Arthur and Blakesley, Maureen. The Crucible By Arthur Miller. London: Heinemann, 1992. Print.

Ram, Atma. Perspectives on Arthur Miller. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1988. Print.