Check out my The Crucible book summary and review that I created to help you understand the basics of this great book. "The Crucible" is a 1953 work by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play is based on the Salem Witch Trial in Salem, Massachusetts Bay, from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote that the US government followed McCarthyism and blacklisted many so-called communists.
Miller was interrogated by the House of Representatives in 1956 for his alleged involvement in anti-American activities and was charged with "contempt of Congress" for refusing to identify others involved in the campaign.
The play premiered on January 22, 1953 at the Baker Theater in Broadway. Miller criticized the production for being too formal, energetic, and too unfavorable for the show (although the New York Times called it "a dramatic, powerful script").
Nevertheless, The Witch of Salem won the 1953 Tony Award for Best Screenplay. A year later, a new production came out and it was a success and the show has become a classic ever since. This is one of Canon's most important works in American drama.
The Crucible book summary:
Betty Paris, the daughter of Pastor Paris, was found unconscious in bed while Pastor Paris was praying for her. The conversation between the priest Paris, his niece Abigail Williams, and the other girls reveals that the girls, including Abigail and Betty, took part in anti-religious activities in a nearby forest, apparently started by Tituba, a slave girl from the Barbados family in Paris.
Betty fainted after Paris discovered their activities, and has not yet woken up. The people of the town did not know exactly what the girls did, but rumors about witchcraft spread like wildfire.
John Proctor enters Betty's room, and only Abigail is there. Abigail tried unsuccessfully to seduce John Proctor, but this indicates that there was a relationship between the two of them and Abigail still had a crush on John Proctor.
Beverly invites Pastor John Hale to visit Betty and investigate the incident. He claims to be a paranormal researcher and is keen to apply his knowledge on the subject. He asks Abigail who accused Tituba of being a witch.
Fearing he would be tortured or even hanged, Tituba declared himself a god and accused his hostesses, Sarah Good and Osborne, of being suspicious and of witchcraft. The awakened Betty claims to have been bewitched by witchcraft and similarly declares her faith in God. Betty and Abigail share a list that they say they saw with the devil.
Act Two :
Elizabeth asks Proctor if she thinks she's late for dinner because she's going to Salem. He told Proctor that their workmate, Mary Warren, had been there all day. Proctor was angry because he had previously instructed Mary not to go to Salem, but Elizabeth explained that Mary had not intentionally disobeyed the order, but had been named to take part in a trial.
Elizabeth tells Proctor that she must let everyone know that Abigail is not what people think she is. Proctor said he could not prove it because no one was present when they spoke. Elizabeth was disappointed প্রক Proctor hadn't said anything about her and Abigail being alone at the time, and Proctor thought he suspected she and Abigail were still connected. Then there was an argument between the two.
Mary returned, and Proctor was furious that she had been in Salem all day. But Mary said she was going to be a judge, so she went to Salem every day. Mary gave Elizabeth a rag doll that she made in court and told the proctors that 39 people would now go to jail for refusing to admit to Osborne (see original), housewife, witchcraft.
Proctor was outraged when the court found them guilty without evidence. Mary said Elizabeth had also been charged, but the court dismissed the allegations in Mary's defense. Elizabeth told Proctor that she was sure Abigail would falsely accuse her of witchcraft and that she would be executed so that Abigail could be Proctor's wife. Elizabeth tells Proctor to tell Abigail that it is impossible for Proctor to marry her if Elizabeth has something.
Reverend Hale visits Proctor's house and tells Elizabeth and Proctor that Elizabeth has been named in court. Hale questioned Proctor's infrequent church attendance and asked him to recite the Ten Commandments. When Proctor got stuck on the Tenth Commandment, Elizabeth reminded him that the Tenth Commandment was no adultery.
Proctor tells Hale that Abigail has admitted to him that the children's illness has nothing to do with witchcraft. Hale had Proctor testify, and then proceeded to question Elizabeth to see if she really practiced witchcraft. Giles Currie and Francis North arrive, and they tell Proctor, Hale, and Elizabeth that their wives have been taken away by the court on suspicion of witchcraft.
Izzy Kirchever and Willard/Herrick take a warrant for Elizabeth, and then Cheever finds Mary making rag dolls for Elizabeth and discovers that the doll has a needle in it. Cheever told Proctor and Hale that after Abigail was stabbed by a needle while eating at Paris's house, he accused Elizabeth's witch spirit of stabbing her.
Mary told Hale that the doll was made in court that day and had a needle in it. She also said Abigail saw her making dolls because she was sitting next to Mary. Elizabeth was still arrested, and Hale, Currie, and North left.
Proctor tells Mary that she must testify against Abigail's accusations. Mary replied that she would not dare to do so, as Abigail and the others would be firmly aimed at her.
Act Three :
Judge Hawthorne (behind the scenes) was interrogating Martha Curry about her alleged witchcraft activities when her husband Giles interrupted the hearing and declared that Thomas Putnam was "stretching his hand towards his farm". Gilles is pulled from the courtroom to the sacristy by Willard/Herrick. Judge Hawthorne came in and asked angrily, "Are you mad for yelling in court, Currie?"
Giles Currie replied that Hawthorne was not a judge in Boston and had no right to ask questions. these questions. Lieutenant Governor Danforth, Cheever and Pastors Paris and Francis North entered the sacristy. Currie argues that he owns 600 acres (2.4km2) of land and lots of lumber, which Putnam has long coveted. Currie also said the court's detention of his wife, Martha, was a miscarriage of justice, saying only that his wife was reading some books, but never accusing her of witchcraft.
Danfoss then took full control of the situation, denying the rest of the court, even the slightest force. John Proctor and Mary Warren walk in, and John Proctor promises to explain everything about the girls if he is released from prison. Danforth ordered the girls to come to the sacristy.
The girls passed out, screamed, and went cold in front of the accused, all of which were taken as evidence of the presence of witch spirits, which made Reverend Paris suspicious. Mary told them that at first she too believed she had seen a witch spirit, but now she knew it didn't exist.
In order to discredit Mary, Abigail and the other girls start screaming and shouting that they are going to freeze to death. When Abigail calls out to God, Proctor accuses her of being a lascivious woman and confesses their affair to the court. Abigail denies this, and the court orders Elizabeth to test whether Proctor is telling the truth.
Elizabeth was unaware that Proctor had confessed, and when asked if Proctor was involved in adultery, Elizabeth denied it. While Proctor continues to insist that he and Abigail had had an affair, the girls begin pretending to see Mary let out a yellow bird to attack them.
To avoid being accused of being a witch, Mary told the court that Proctor colluded with the devil and forced her to give perjury. Proctor was arrested, and Pastor Hale burst out of the courtroom, shouting "I condemn these lawsuits!"
Act Four :
John Proctor was chained to one of the prison walls, completely cut off from the world. Because John was loved by many in the village (as were the soon-to-be hanged Martha Currie and Rebecca North), Reverend Paris began to panic and told Hawthorne, Danforth, and Cheever. He also revealed that Abigail Williams and Moshe Lewis (one of the "tortured" girls) stole £31 (about half a year's salary) and boarded a sailing ship at night.
Hale walked in, brokenhearted now, spending his days with the prisoners, praying with them, and persuading them to confess to witchcraft and save themselves from death. The authorities sent Elizabeth to John, and asked her to persuade John to confess to the crime of being a witch. When it was only Proctor and Elizabeth, Elizabeth told Proctor that she forgave him and reaffirmed their love. Elizabeth talks about Giles Currie's forced death.
John decides to plead guilty in exchange for his life and calls out to Hawthorne, who is ecstatic to hear the news. Proctor signs the confession, but then realizes that Danforth is going to nail the signed confession to the church (Proctor fears it will ruin his reputation and shame the residents of Salem), and then he goes again. tear it up. Proctor, Rebecca and Martha Currie are led to the gallows to be executed.
The Crucible book review :
I haven't seen The Crucible in the form of a play yet so it's just a script that feels a bit unfair to judge. I have no doubt that drama is more interesting when viewed than when read. Because, I tell you, reading is not so compulsory.
This is primarily the fault of Act One where Miller consistently interrupts the activity to provide character background information, something is going on for the pages. (Once all the characters are turned on he stops doing it but it creates a painful slog through Act One.)
While the information is relevant, it is a completely unconventional way of presenting it and is clearly not necessary because (I guess) it will not be included for the audience of the play. From there, the script speeds up but it definitely needs some recovery time.
The Crucible famously depicts the Salem Witch trials and was written in the United States during the McCarthy era. Miller captures what it can be like if the courts have too much power, as well as the danger of uniting the church and the state. How can you acquit yourself of an invisible crime, as powerless as the character's fight against the accusation of witchcraft?
There are enough characters for a relatively short drama and it took me a while to sort out who and how they were connected. (Miller's hindrances didn't help.) I felt like I was just starting to get the idea that the main characters were in the play when it was over.
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