English GCSE:

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English GCSE:

Examine the end of Act One in "The Crucible". Consider the importance of this scene to the rest of the play and analyse how Miller makes it dramatic.

"The Crucible" is a play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller in 1952. It is set in a small town called Salem in America where a group of Puritan settlers who arrived from England in 1630 first settled. The play is set in 1692, at which time there was a strong belief in the Devil. Persecution of witches by church authorities was common. Puritans believed in, and feared the Devil and his power to tempt human souls to Hell.

Parallels can be drawn between the late seventeenth century and the mid twentieth century, when America was governed by persecution and the fear of communism as the Cold War took place. Arthur Miller equated the hunt for communists in the 1950's with the witch-hunts of Salem 250 years earlier.

The end of Act One is an important scene within the play because it is when witchcraft allegations first arise. The witchcraft theme continues throughout the play as accusations are made, people are hanged and what used