The Crucible

Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name! In a small tight-knit community, gossip and rumor spread like wildfire, inflaming personal grievances until no one is safe from accusation and vengeance. The Crucible is Arthur Miller's classic dramatization of the witch-hunt and trials that besieged the Puritan community of Salem in 1692. Seen as a chilling parallel to McCarthyism and the repressive culture of fear that gripped America in the 1950s, the play's timeless relevance and appeal remain as strong as when it opened on Broadway in 1953. This new edition includes an introduction by Soyica Diggs Colbert that explores the play's production history as well as the dramatic, thematic, and academic debates that surround it, a must-have resource for any student exploring The Crucible.