More handpicked essays just for you.
Differences between the movie and the play the crucible
Similarities between Arthur Miller's time and the crucible
Comparing the book The Crucible with its film
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Point by Point Comparison In 1953, author Arthur Miller released his newest play, “The Crucible.” Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1692 Salem Witch trials, Miller’s play connects the effects of perjury in Puritan Massachusetts to Communist fearing America in the 1950s, a severe crucible for both Puritans and Americans alike. In 1996, a film version of Arthur Miller’s play was released, starring Daniel Day Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor. The release of the film not only further enhanced the original storyline with added suspense and drama, but also enabled the reader to more clearly comprehend the storyline. When comparing and contrasting “The Crucible”, it can be inferred that both the play and film alike share similarities yet contain contrasting differences that set the two apart. …show more content…
This starts at the opening of the film, with the addition of the woods scene involving the girls. The addition of this scene allows viewers to more clearly comprehend what Abigail and the girls are afraid of being accused of, and gives a better introduction to the storyline than in the play. Throughout the film, there is also a greater number of settings used than in the play. The addition of settings such as the lake during the scene where the girls run into the river make the film more interesting and at times further enhance the suspense and drama within the storyline, such as the jail cell used in the farewell between Abigail and John Proctor. The modification made to the ending of the film also shed light on how gruesome and tragic the ending of “The Crucible” is. These changes in the film make the plot more comprehendible to the viewer, and overall make the film more realistic to the viewer than the play does for the
A major difference between the film and play versions of The Crucible is the setting of the first encounter between John Proctor and Abigail Williams. In the play, John had been in the room with Betty, Abigail, and others because he was curious what was going on. Everyone else then gradually left, which suggested their meeting was more happenstance. In the film, however, John was outside getting ready to leave when Abigail snuck out to tempt him. This portrays Abigail as more actively seeking him out and more invested.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible utilizes a fictional account of the Salem Witch Trials to expose the mob mentality associated with the Red Scare of the 1950’s and the sometimes overzealous fight against communism in America. By references to the events that took place in the Witch Trials, the playwright successfully portrays society’s behavior at its tyrannical worst, exposing fraud, faulty logic, vindictiveness, zealotry, and evil (Brater). Arthur Miller creates a parallel between the societal events of mass in the 1600’s and those in the 1950’s. In both instances, leaders use the fear of the masses for their personal gain. Abigail, the lead character in the play, and Senator Joseph McCarthy are both able to generate a groundswell that takes on a life of its own and ruins the lives of others. Arthur Miller created this analogy in order to expose Senator McCarthy and his anti-Communist propaganda by creating an analogy to the ferocity of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare fed on the anxiety of the general public. The Salem Witch Trials magnified society’s ability to influence the judicial system. As the hysteria regarding the existence of witches swelled, innocent individuals were executed. McCarthyism also demonstrated society’s ability to influence the judicial system. As the hysteria regarding the threat of communism in America swelled, innocent individuals were jailed, blacklisted, deported, and fired from their jobs. The Crucible first staged in 1953, was meant to raise awareness of the effect that fear can have on human behavior and judgment. The play illustrates how Abigail’s intent to avoid punishment by accusing others of culturally deviant activity led to mass hysteria. Senator McCar...
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
I’m sure you’ve debated with yourself many time the book or the movie. This essay proves to you why the movie version is so much better. John Proctor was without a single doubt the best character in The Crucible. The film did an impeccable job of conveying a much better picture of what truly happened in the years 1692 and 1693. Even tho many people may consider the book to be the better version of The Crucible their reasons do not compare to the reasons I have written to prove that the movie is the best version. The movie did a much better version of giving us more details and more personality out of the characters such as John Proctor. In the book, John Proctor was a dry and dull character but in the movie, he is incredibly influential.
The movie recreating The Crucible written by Arthur Miller does a great job bringing everything to life. When reading a book, the reader oftentimes have a certain idea of what the character would look and sound like. When I read the book followed by watching the movie, I found that the characters that I had created in my head were perfectly matched by the actors and actresses that featured in the movie. Although the movie and book are very similar and show few differences, the handful of things that were changed, or added in the movie tend to stick in our brain rather than the similarities.
Arthur Miller’s political allegory of McCarthyism, in the form of The Crucible, has been adapted into a faithful companion to the play that is able to incorporate the emotions and atmosphere that may not have been available to some in the play. Miller’s screenplay is very faithful to the book, having many of the same lines and situations the character in the play experience. Because of this, we are able to make an active connection to the play, thus expanding our understanding of the play. Lead by Daniel Day-Lewis, The Crucible’s plot is portrayed by a solid cast, who, for the most part, are able to engross the viewer into the story. The film contains many captivating scenes that exemplify hysteria meant to be depicted in the play, that demands the viewers attention while also immersing them in emotions. The film adaptation of The Crucible is a well produced version of the play that not only serves as a companion to the play, but an entertaining and though provoking experience.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in American history surrounding the Salem witch trials of the seventeenth century, yet is as much a product of the time in which Arthur Miller wrote it, the early 1950s, as it is description of Puritan society. At that particular time in the 1950s, when Arthur Miller wrote the play the American Senator McCarthy who chaired the ‘House Un-American Activities Committee’ was very conscious of communism and feared its influence in America. It stopped authors’ writings being published in fear of them being socialist sympathisers. Miller was fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and that human beings were capable of such madness. In the 1950s the audience would have seen the play as a parallel between the McCarthy trials and the Salem Trials.
During Author Miller’s era of the 1950’s, the ‘cold war’ was happening. Senetor Joeseph McCarthy was completely against communism and began to arrest the communists and people assosiating with them. Those arrested were forced to either name names to identify those who were communists or thought to be, or else they would remain in jail. This was callef McCarthyism For many, being prisioned was a terrible frightening thought so they would name names including any that they could think of that could be innocent. Author Miller was arrested for associating with communists and refused to identify others, and wrote The Crucible, using it as an allegory to identify the problems of society and it’s flaws of the corrupt government.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that discusses many issues and spurs contemplation within the reader. While reading this play, because of the controversy of many issues detailed within, it is difficult for one not to take a look at one’s own morals and determine what one would do if placed in a similar situation. The key issues discussed within this play, the effects of hysteria, marital betrayal, and the murderous powers of lies, are portrayed intriguingly and effectively. The lessons that can be learned from The Crucible are still quite applicable today.
On the face of the play (“The Crucible”) it seems to be simply about the mass hysteria which led to the 1692 Salem Witchcraft trials, which talks about a handful of issues which are somewhat remote to a modern audience, who in turn find it relatively intricate to relate to such happenings. But as you study the play in more detail you realise that Miller not only stresses issues which were easy to relate to in the time in which it was set, but has also given the play a modern touch by stressing the rivalry between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Consequently Miller adds to the dramatic feel of the play by adding a series of modern touches and historic statements which makes the play not only relate to the happenings of witchcraft but also explore the crime of adultery, which makes the play more about the personal guilt of John Proctor. The play furthermore creates the “Crucible” in such a way as to illustrate how people react to mass hysteria, created by a person or group of people desiring fame (in this case Abigail because she is the main leader of all the happenings that go on in the performance), as people di...
In conclusion The Crucible book and movie were very much the same and the differences that were present don’t have much of an effect on the viewer. All of the scenes that were added were put there for a dramatic effect. Especially the outdoor scenes in the movie gave a different presence than all indoor scenes would have. Overall, the movie and book were very similar, but the differences added to the movie gave it extra
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that was first performed in 1953 in the United States of America in the midst of the persecution of alleged communists during the era of McCarthyism. Although the play explicitly addresses the Salem which hunt, many find that the play is an analogy to McCarthyism due to the striking similarities in which the people behaved. Miller highlight the different groups of characters in order to reveal overlying ideas of the play such as: Self preservation, power, and hypocrisy.
The play The Crucible is a historical fiction written by Arthur Miller and is set in Salem, Massachusetts 1962. The play is about how a group of young girls lie about being under the devil 's influence to not only save themselves from being punished for dancing naked in the woods, but for one of the characters Abigail Williams it is a way for her to have revenge on Elizabeth Proctor for being between her and John Proctor. Since the town was very strict and religious the accusation that were said were believed without question landing innocent people in jail or in graves. In the final act of the play we read about how John Proctor tries and do the right thing, but ends up getting hanged. Throughout the play we see that the main theme
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are faced with, in the play. The town’s people fear the consequences of admitting their displeasure of the trials and the character of John Proctor faces the same external conflict, but also his own internal conflict. The trials begin due to Abigail and her friends fearing the consequences of their defiance of Salem’s puritan society.