TCT's The Crucible

THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

The Crucible is based on real people and events which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Twenty people were killed: nineteen were hung for convictions of witchcraft, while one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death beneath the weight of stones for refusing to submit to trial.

However, the real-life trials and those described in The Crucible differ in many respects. John Proctor was a much older man and a tavern-keeper, not a farmer. Abigail Williams was only 11 years old. Reverend Burroughs, who preceded Reverend Parrish in Salem, not John Proctor, was the person condemned for witchcraft that caused the most upset among the Salem community, for he was considered a very righteous man and recited the Lord's Prayer on the gallows before being hung.

While the true events and those depicted in the play differ, the differences enhance the story, not only as a morality tale, but as an exploration of the human condition. It is through the liberties that he took with the facts that Arthur Miller has given us art that not only warns against the excesses of government, but delivers to us a story of real people, their choices and the consequences their choices bring.

For a more detailed history, we suggest the following websites:

The Salem Witchcraft Trials

Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials

Arthur Miller's the Crucible: Fact & Fiction