1. Arthur Miller and The Crucible

2. First, a few things about Arthur Miller
Considered one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century
Was a young adult during the Great Depression

3. A few more things about Miller
Had to work in a warehouse to earn enough money to attend the University of Michigan, where he began to write plays
His first play was a failure and closed after just four performances.
Three years later, he wrote the play All My Sons, which launched his career.

4. His “Masterpiece”
His “masterpiece” is the play Death of a Salesman, which is about a businessman who has big dreams but has to accept failure
Tony Award
Pulitzer Prize

5. Another cool fact: He was married to…
Marilyn Monroe!!

6. The Crucible

7. Play as Analogy / Allegory
Historical (and literal) “witch hunt”
Dramatization of the events of the Salem Witch Trials
150 people were (falsely) accused of practicing witchcraft
Contemporary “witch hunt”
McCarthyism (House Un-American Activities Commission)
Sought out and persecuted potential Communists

8. Drama Terms En medias ras – in the middle of things
Given circumstances – those things that have already occurred prior to the beginning of the play
Subtext – the deeper meaning beneath what is actually being said; the unspoken text below the actual text

9. What were the McCarthy hearings?
During the early 1950s, many writers, actors, politicians, and others were summoned to Washington by Sen. Joseph McCarthy to answer the question: “Are you now or were you ever a Communist?”

10. More about the McCarthy hearings…
People who were questioned were required to reveal information about neighbors and friends or be sent to jail.

11. Miller himself was questioned
Miller himself was questioned. He admitted that he occasionally attended Communist organization meetings, but he would not reveal the names of others involved.
Found in contempt of Congress, but this was later overturned.

12. The Salem Witch Trials
Miller felt that the McCarthy hearings were a “witch hunt,” much like the Salem Witch Trials of the Puritan Era

13. More about the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s
Many zealous ministers believed that Salem, Massachusetts, was a “holy” place that Satan was trying to attack
People began accusing others of “behaving strangely”--> witchcraft?
Some people believe that the Salem Witch Trials were a result of an overly restrictive lifestyle

14. Final Result of the Salem Witch Trials
150 accused
1 crushed to death
19 hanged