The story in the play is based upon the true events in Salem. The town had been founded by the pilgrim fathers, a group of puritans that had fled England to practice their religion in freedom. Miller writes knowledgeably about Puritanism and their beliefs and values. They were very strict in personal habits and morality. Swearing drinking and gambling were all frowned upon and punished. Modern technology was not used by them and still isn’t today and the Puritans have always kept their lifestyles simple and old fashioned. This is reflected in the play by the clothes that are worn by the characters, very dull, drab clothing that are simple and very dismal colours, e.g. black, grey. There was no work, trade or sport allowed on Sundays and decorations and cosmetics were denounced. Theatre and entertainment were condemned and forbidden. The people of Salem, Mass. Were strong believers in the existence of the devil and they thought that witchcraft should be hunted out.
The title of the play, ‘The Crucible’ is significant as a crucible is a pot in which metals are melted down in order to purify them. Miller is suggesting that the play is concerned by a purging by fire, a form of ‘cleansing’. This is a metaphor for spiritual improvements as the result of exposure to great strain. One of the central themes of the play is the spiritual development of John Proctor. It is a powerful and complex play. All of the action takes place indoors and it is very sombre, simplistic and it emphasises the lifestyle of the puritans and it echoes the chlaustrophobic atmosphere of the play. The play focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. In the play Miller is discussing the forces of evil. In the attempt to stamp out evil there is certainly a degree of irony. The irony in this play is that evil and tragedy actually arises from the actions of the misguided and over zealous characters such as Danforth and Parris and to a certain extent Hale, who became responsible for deaths, misery and cruelty. Miller is suggesting that humans are vulnerable to evil and he aims to show that the evil generated in Salem was through a combination of circumstances for which no one person could be held wholly responsible but yet none were guilt free.
Miller has said that it was Abigail’s role in the events of the play that awakened his interest in the whole story, however, his treatment of her is controlled although is not dispassionate in any way. She is a sensual adolescent and she is very flattered by Proctors attention to her while at the same time tries to disguise it. Abigail has many motives for causing the trouble that she does, one of which is her hostility towards Elizabeth, John Proctors wife, but this is by no means her only motive. A high spirited sense of mischief and the way which she controls her friends gives her enjoyment and is influential and although the point is not stressed, the violent nature of her parents deaths have unsettled her. Abigail’s actions are also intriguing, right from act 1 she is causing a stir in Salem, when Betty awakens and cries out, Abigail tries to bully and threaten them into keeping quiet, later in this act, when Tituba and Abigail are being interrogated, she starts calling out names of devil worshippers. In act 2 we find out more about Abigail’s relationship with the Proctors, they discuss revealing that Abigail is a fraud and reveal how she was thrown out when Elizabeth found out about her affair with John. The rag doll was also another plot by Abigail to cause more trouble, she uses it to show that Elizabeth practices witchcraft. So when the rag doll is discovered with a needle in it after Abigail stabs herself, it is a bad sign. The taking away of Elizabeth and the anger of John Proctor are all adverse affects of Abigail’s troublesome actions and Proctor decides to declare his adultery in court and to denounce Abigail’s lies, the consequences of this may be hard for him. Abigail also leads the accusations of witchcraft and by this point Elizabeth knows that Abigail probably name her in revenge for being dismissed and also to get John Proctor for herself. Cheever later arrives to clarify the fact that Elizabeth has been named, by Abigail. Francis Nurse tries to explain to the court that it is being deceived by Abigail and the other girls. In act 3 as Abigail acts entering a trance and the pitch of hysteria rises, Proctor has had enough and denounces Abigail as a whore, revealing his adultery and therefore jeopardising his integrity and honour. In act 4, Abigail and Mary Warren steal £30, a very large amount at the time and run away, in order to avoid the revealing of them being frauds.
Tituba is an interesting device used by Miller, she is mysterious, perhaps theatrical, and our lack of knowledge of her creates more mystery and intrigue, we know that she is a Barbadan slave for Reverend Parris who was taken from Barbados to come with them the Parris’s. This is useful to Miller, because Tituba does not need to have an identity, she is just used for a few themes, one is the dancing that occurs in the woods, instigated by Tituba, and later her confessions to dealings with the Devil.
Miller creates interest, tension and intrigue by using the girls to have an effect on the audience. The play opens with Betty lying unconscious in a trance and Abigail enters to tell her uncle of the suspicion of witchcraft, the audience know that spirits were being conjured, or, that is to say, the girls were performing such rituals but as to whether the actions were harmful or not is unknown. The fact that the audience knows that Parris saw the girls creates a lot of tension and intrigue, the audience asks how he will deal with it, whether he will keep quiet for the girls sakes or whether he will come clean for his conscious. Abigail tries to bully and threaten the other girls into keeping quiet, now giving the audience the chance to draw their own conclusions. It later becomes clear that there was a physical relationship between Proctor and Abigail which Elizabeth found out about, which led to Abigail’s dismissal. The drama is further increased when information is withheld from us and in doing so Miller again arouses curiosity about the events of the previous night on the audience. Another question that the audience is constantly asking is whether Betty is pretending or not. Once more, we are kept in doubt, Miller wants to audience to enter the spirit of the play to create theatrical tension, this a very theatrical element. Miller keeps our attention focused on the build-up of tension between Proctor and Abigail. The audience is taken by surprise when the focus on the Proctors turns to the doom of John Proctor and the play is strengthened at the very last minute by Proctors actions.
In conclusion, (minus the conclusion drawn from the end of the play due to absence) the play is a ‘roller coaster ride’ of emotions for the audience. Miller takes the audience on this ride by making them experience, hatred, love, confusion and intrigue by using the characters as different tools. The audience are to have mixed feelings for certain characters, some members of the audience do not like Proctor for his adultery, others give him sympathy come the end of the play in the dramatic finale. The play in its entirety is an oblique comment on the current (1960’s) situation in America, of course, it was not simply that, it has emotions and ‘real’ characters. It is an intricate web of relationships and hidden priorities from each character, which together makes for a complex, but encapsulating play.
