The Crucible Coursework Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

The melting pot Coursework EssayThe Crucible was written in 1952 by the playwright Arthur Miller. Itis an legend of the McCarthy witch-hunts which occurred during the1950s. It was effectively the arrest and questioning of thosesuspected of communist views or that sympathised with communists. The regular army was very suspicious of communists due to the Cold War betweenitself and the USSR. Joe McCarthy, leader of the governmentalorganisation, the Anti-Democracy Policy, headed the hunts. ArthurMiller was himself arrested by McCarthy.Miller was very irritated by this and decided that he wanted toprotest by writing a satirical play. To have his play shown onBroadway he had to write an allegory based on his treatment and theinsanity of the witch-hunts.The play is set in a fictional town named Salem in Massachusetts, USAin 1692, a period of American history when people were strictChristians.In Acts I, II and III we specify a portrayal of local husbandman John Proctoras he becomes invol ved in the injustices and realises the unwiseness ofthe witch-hunts of Salem. In Act I we are introduced to Reverend Samuel Parris, a alterclergyman. He is insecure, bitter and paranoid about witchcraftinfecting his parish, giving him a bad reputation. We learn that hehas catch up withn several girls dancing naked and shape spells in the nearbywoods, including his daughter, Betty, niece, Abigail Williams and hishousemaid, Tituba. Parris perversion could be seen as theperversion of the positive 1950s America.We also briefly establish John Proctors relationship with Abigail. Anorphan, Abigail worked for him and his wife, Elizabeth as a housemaiduntil Elizabeth discovers that they were having an affair, ... ...cating that Proctors sense of right and wrong has been eased. Danforth looksdefeated here, showing us that Proctors truth and ability to stay unattackable has quashed the judge.Proctor is then sent to be hanged, and arrives in a cart carryingGoody Nurse, an innocent woman also condemned to death. In the shotboth he and Goody Nurse are stand up implying that they are closer toHeaven than the crowds below that have come to see them executed.We see a close-up of Elizabeth and at this point the music becomespowerful, showing her strong character.As they begin to recite the Lords Prayer we see that the accused aretrue Christians, though by not organism allowed to finish the prayer, wesee that justice has now been overcome.Through his own interpretation, the theater director presents the film in away that remains true to the authorized themes and ideas of Millersplay.