Rating: 
Summary: "lowering heaven ...
Review: The Crucible is the first Arthur Miller play I've read. The plot summary and reviews I read made it seem appealing, suspenseful if nothing else. But no matter how great something is, it is nearly impossible to convey those feelings in the form of an Amazon review. It's easy for me to admit that after reading the introduction I was turned off by the language, not esoteric enough to be genuine 17th century english and not terse enough to be mid 50's language, the intro exists in a world in between the two describing the key characters in the play and the setting which it is taking place. Having decent knowledge of the Salem Witch Trials and how Miller correlated the tragedy to his experience with McCartheyism during "the red scare." Miller's details are so personal that it almost seems like this is a first hand account of the trials. The play evolves under perfect dynamics the exposition is descriptive but not boring, the main conflict had me at the edge of my seat grimacing in Proctor's pain and burning with hatred at the injustices being executed. Finally the climax brings arrays of the human emotional spectrum into a pleasing and redeeming conclusion. Overall this is the best American Play I have read, although my knowledge of American playwrights is limited I would venture to say that Arthur Miller is a genius and that this play is one of the crowning achievements of American Drama.
Rating:
Summary: Miller's Masterpiece?
Review: As much as I love DEATH OF A SALESMAN (my favorite play), A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (a gripping modern Greek tragedy), and ALL MY SONS (a sadly underrated play), I am sometimes convinced that THE CRUCIBLE is Arthur Miller's masterpiece. It is Shakespearean in structure and has a large cast of intriguing characters, the most fascinating of whom is the protagonist, John Proctor. Unlike SALESMAN's Willy Loman, Proctor is a true tragic hero, because his "fall from grace" - his adultery - makes it necessary for him to face a series of trials that test, with ever-increasing severity, his moral character (hence the play's title). In the end, Proctor loses his life but saves his soul - or his "name," as he calls it. I find the final image of Proctor tearing his false confession and following his friends to the gallows extremely moving. Proctor is a hero because, though flawed, he is a basically good man who is tested to his limits and ultimately passes the tests. Proctor does what is right even when it means he must sacrifice his life.
Having read the play four times and seen it twice, I do think that some may find it a bit too "cerebral." This is because Miller has so many IDEAS about the meaning of good and evil and of honor, justice, etc., and his characters spend a lot of time TALKING about them. There is a lack of action in THE CRUCIBLE if one compares it to (say) A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. However, the theatricality of the sequences in which the girls of Salem seem to be possessed by demons more than compensate for static stretches in which the characters talk only (for instance, the scene in which Reverend Hale is questioning the Proctors). Is THE CRUCIBLE Miler's masterpiece, after all? I haven't decided yet. But it is a fascinating drama with a great tragic hero, John Proctor.
Rating: 
Summary: The Crucible b
Review: The small town of Salem is devastated to find out that its own young and charming women in the town are witches of the black art. This story starts out simply enough, in the village pastor's house. His daughter has been odd lately and doctors and such have come to see if they can help the girl with her problems. They soon realize they are dealing with something far more evil then any disease. I personally hate reading unless I have to, but this book had a certain something to it that pulled me right in. Perhaps it was the relationship you develop out of sympathy for the townsmen and their women. Maybe it's curiosity of who will be accused of witchcraft next. Whatever the case, I simply couldn't put down that book. The Crucible is a play and is written in the format of a play. This can pose a problem to someone who doesn't read a lot of literature, or is confused easily. In the beginning of the story the characters run in and out of the scenes so quickly and with little more then mentioning their name. So some might completely forget who entire families are until they are brought back to you later on in the story. Either that or you'll have to go back and read everything again just to make yourself sure you know who they are. I did. Other than the difficulty I experienced following who was who in the beginning. I found myself trapped in this book, and had to find out what happened in the ending. This book is very difficult to read, but if you can make it through the first couple of chapters, this will be one of your favorite books. It is very well written and definitely worth checking out even if you are only moderately interested in these kinds of books. I give it two thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: The Crucible
Review: The Crucible A witch hunt is what they wanted and a witch hunt is what they got. The small town of Salem is devastated to find out that its own young and seemingly innocent maids, daughters, and even wives are Satan possessed witches.
This story starts out simply enough, in the village pastor's house. His daughter has been odd lately and doctors and ministers have come from far and wide to help the young girl and others suffering from similar symptoms in the town. They will quickly find out that they are dealing with something far more potent than the flu.
I don't usually enjoy reading, but this book had a certain something to it that pulled me right in. Perhaps it was the relationship you develop out of sympathy for Mr. Proctor and his wife. Maybe it's just the curiosity of who will be accused of witch craft next. One would have to read the book for them to find out. The Crucible is a play and is written in the format of a play. This can pose a problem to someone who spaces out or confuses easily. In the beginning of the story the characters run in and out of the scenes so quickly and with such little description that its easy to get lost or completely forget who entire families are until they are completely re-presented to you in later events. Either that or you'll have to go back and re-read everything that confused you.
Other than the mild difficulty I experienced following who was who in the beginning, I found some very interesting quotes and poetic phrases in this book. It is very well written and definitely worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: The Crucible: Everyone should read this.
Review: The Salem witch hunt corresponds with the time period of the McCarthy Era. The McCarthy Era began in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy charged the State Dept. for containing 200 communists. Society as a whole became suspicious and afraid. Although these charges were not backed up with any evidence, he appeared on television and radio programs where he restated his accusations once again. The careers of many government officials were ruined because of this suspicion. This relates to the Salem witch trial because people were accused of doing witchcraft without any solid proof. So many lives were taken because of superstition.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in a Puritan New England town, Salem, Massachusetts. The plot revolves around the witchcraft that breaks out in the small town of Salem. Act I introduces most of the main characters in the play. Reverend Parris discovers his daughter dancing in the woods with her friends. His daughter, Betty, is in a coma. Reverend Parris calls on his friend Reverend Hale to investigate his suspicions of witchcraft. The reader also finds out about the affair between Proctor and Abigail. Betty and Abigail stir up when they give out names of people who supposedly are witches.
John Proctor learns that his wife, Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft. Two men come to the Proctor's house to arrest Elizabeth. John goes to court to save his wife. He brings Mary Warren, his servant, to testify that the girls are lying about witchcraft. The girls claim Mary is lying so Mary says Proctor is the Devil. Proctor is arrested as a result. At the time for executions, Elizabeth is brought in to get John to confess for his life. John confessed but retracts his confessions when asked to sign a paper that would be hung up on the church door. He rips the paper and is then sent to be hung.
As a group, we believe the screenplay brings to life the harsh treatment of those accused of witchcraft in Salem in 1692. We don't think it's fair in either the case of the witchcraft trials or McCarthy Era, that innocent people can be accused of heresy of different beliefs. In today's society we are free to believe whatever we choose and are not penalized for it. Unless there is total proof that a person believes in communism or has associations with the Devil, there is no reason to harm the person, or put them on a list where they cannot get jobs.
Overall, we enjoyed the screenplay and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story with a little twist of fate and the true accounts of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
Rating: 
Summary: The Crucible
Review: The Crucible A witch hunt is what they wanted and a witch hunt is what they got. The small town of Salem is devastated to find out that its own young and seemingly innocent maids, daughters and even wives are Satan possessed witches.
This story starts out simply enough, in the village pastor's house. His daughter has been odd lately and doctors and ministers have come from far and wide to help the young girl and others suffering from similar symptoms in the town. They will quickly find out that they are dealing with something far more potent that the flu.
I don't usually enjoy reading, but this book had a certain something to it that pulled me right in. Perhaps it was the relationship you develop out of sympathy for Mr. Proctor and his wife. Maybe it's just the curiosity of who will be accused of witch craft next. One would have to read the book for them to find out. The Crucible is a play and is written in the format of a play. This can pose a problem to someone who spaces out or confuses easily. In the beginning of the story the characters run in and out of the scenes so quickly and with such little description that its easy to get lost or completely forget who entire families are until they are completely re-presented to you in later events. Either that or you'll have to go back and re-read everything that confused you.
Other than the mild difficulty I experienced following who was who in the beginning (I might just be an idiot), I found some very interesting quotes and poetic phrases in this book. It is very well written and definitely worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: The Crucible
Review: I think that this book was actually really good. By reading this, you learn a whole lot about the 17th century and the Salem Witch Trials. You can really tell how much effort and research was put into the writing of this book. Arthur Miller did a stupendous job. In the beginning of the book they have a whole lot of information about Puritans settlers in the area of Salem Massachusetts. All this information really made you think about all the differences between now and back then.
This play was very entertaining also; you never really could guess what was going to happen next. There is a bunch of detail so you can really picture what everything looked like and how everyone acted whenever they found out something new that the girls did. There seems to be a very good conflict in the story between the protagonist (John Proctor) and the Antagonist (Proctor facing his own weaknesses) I also like how they broke up each scene. They transferred from scene to scene very well developed also. There are so many great dialogues in this play. Many of them occurred with John Proctor. In the first scene, you can tell how much Reverend Parris cared about his daughter Betty Paris and his niece Abigail Williams.
The outcome of the play is very great. The actors stand up for what they think is right; this book really teaches a great lesson. I highly recommend this book it is a truly great dramatic play.
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Summary: I'm a Teenager, and I Liked this Play!
Review: The thing you have to keep in mind when reading this play is that it was really a subtle commentary on the "McCarthyism" going on in America while Miller wrote this. I guess you also have to have a prior knowledge of the Salem witch trials and the historical figures to appreciate the play. I'm not a HUGE fan of reading plays (I like the insight and description in narratives better), but I did enjoy this one. If you have this as required reading, don't despair! Its not that bad!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible
Review: I don't think i have hated many books more than this one. The writing, syntax, diction and those aspects were okay, but the stupidity of the characters was so frustrating that I destroyed the book and returned it to my English teacher in pieces. I don't recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Crucible
Review: This book is typically easy to read however the first act is a little har to get though because of the format. the author will stop every once in a while to talk about the history of the town or the charcters backround. Once you get to the second act the book begins to pick up and get a lot better. i am in high school and had to read this for a summer reading assignment. Once u get to the second act the author is past the exposition of the plot and it is easier to understand what is going on.
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