Salem Witch Trials
Elizabeth Proctor- “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John – only somewhat bewildered.”- Arthur Miller
John Proctor- "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" - Arthur Miller
Rebecca Nurse- "A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back." -Arthur Miller
Abigail Williams- "I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!" -Arthur Miller
Reverend Hale- "Until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven." -Arthur Miller
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Written in 1953 by playwright Arthur Miller, The Crucible is a heavily fictionalized dramatic depiction of the events of the trials.
Miller made several changes to serve the artistic needs of the story he was writing and also made several possibly unintentional errors. His primary goal in writing the play was for it to serve as an allegory for the anti-Communist crusade of Senator Joseph McCarthy, which was itself called a witch-hunt.
The play became a success and an enduring part of the canon of American drama, and has gone through many adaptations in the past few decades including film, television, theater, and opera.
- The Crucible, or How Arthur Miller Got the Salem Witch Trials WrongFrom the New England Historical Society
- Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Fact & Fiction (or Picky, Picky, Picky...)By Margo Burns, Associate Editor and Project Manager of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt (and descendant of Rebecca Nurse)
- Is The Crucible Based on a True Story?From the Massachusetts History Blog
Resources at the BPL
The Crucible by ISBN: 9780140481389Publication Date: 1976-10-28A haunting examination of groupthink and mass hysteria in a rural community. The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller's edgy masterpiece, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft—and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village. First produced in 1953, at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witch-hunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil. It is a play that is not only relentlessly suspenseful and vastly moving but that compels readers to fathom their hearts and consciences in ways that only the greatest theater ever can. "A drama of emotional power and impact" —New York Post
- Print editions of The Crucible held by the BPLSome editions include analysis and critical essays.
The Crucible by Call Number: DVD FEATURE CRUCIBLEPublication Date: 20041996 theatrical movie version starring Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor.
The Crucible by Publication Date: 20201967 television movie production starring George C. Scott as John Proctor, Colleen Dewhurst as Elizabeth Proctor, and Tuesday Weld as Abigail Williams.