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2 According to Miller, ‘the prime business of a play is to arouse the passions of its audience. It is a play that deftly examines ‘the work of the individual conscience when pitted against the uniform thinking of the mob’ (New Yorker). THE REASONS MILLER WROTE THE PLAY LIFE IN POST WORLD WAR II AMERICA Miller’s The Crucible, was written in 1953 to expose the horrors of ‘McCarthyism’. Three of the main characters in The Crucible I will provide some theoretical background first and then suggest some ways in which students could be assisted towards a deeper understanding of these aspects of the play. Three of the main themes in The Crucible. Why did Miller write The Crucible – the circumstances and reasons? 2.
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It is regarded as a central work in the canon of American drama.Download ARTHUR MILLER'S THE CRUCIBLE and more English Language Study notes in PDF only on Docsity!1 ARTHUR MILLER’S THE CRUCIBLE Dr Barbara Basel I’ve decided to focus on three aspects of this play: 1. A year later a new production succeeded and the play became a classic. The production won the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play. Miller felt that this production was too stylized and cold, and the reviews for it were largely hostile (although The New York Times noted "a powerful play driving performance"). Marshall, Beatrice Straight and Madeleine Sherwood. The play was first performed at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway on January 22, 1953, starring E. Miller was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. Miller wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism, when the United States government persecuted people accused of being communists. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller.
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