Other editions of book The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts

A 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

Few serious American playwrights have captured the imagination of the theatre public all over the world as has Arthur Miller with Death Of A Salesman and The Crucible. Mr. Miller's plays are rooted in a realistically critical view of American life and propelled by the intense personal conviction of a man who cares what he writes about and writes about something that matters. In The Crucible he turns for his setting to the grim days of the Salem witch trials, and brings into urgently brilliant focus an issue that still weighs heavily the progress of American civilization - the problem of guilt by association.

Mr Miller's plays are rooted in a realistically critical view of American life and propelled by the intense personal conviction of a man who cares what he writes about and writes about something that matters. In The Crucible he turns for his setting to the grim days of the Salem witch trials, and brings into urgently brilliant focus an issue that still weighs heavily the progress of American civilization - the problem of guilt by association.

A classic of the American Theatre - Arthur Miller's tense, ingeniously multi-layered drama of principle and paranoia.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 listeners to gather their hearts and consciences in ways that only the greatest theater ever can. A full-cast performance by The Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center featuring Robert Foxworth, Pamela Payton-Wright, Stuart Pankin, and Jerome Dempsey and cast. Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915. His first theatrical success occurred in 1947 with All My Sons, which earned him the Drama Critic's Circle Award. In 1949, Death of a Salesman was given the Pulitzer Prize and the Drama Critic's Circle Award. The Crucible won a Tony Award four years later. His other plays included A View from the Bridge, The Price, After the Fall, Incident at Vichy, The American Clock, Danger Memory, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, and Broken Glass.