The Crucible

By Arthur Miller

Set in the Salem of 1692, this play takes a look at those infamous witch trials that, based on the testimony of a bunch of hysterical children and duplicitous adults, resulted in the deaths of many innocent citizens.
As portrayed by the author, the main impetus behind the accusations was one girl's desire to destroy her lover's wife, backed up by others who had motives of greed, envy and jealousy. This is just dramatization, since the real girl was only 11 at the time, a tad young to have taken a lover, much less plot her rival's death by false accusation. Still, the argument behind the drama is true today, that hysteria and accusation must not be an excuse to behave in gross and uncivilized manner, condemning people without any solid evidence, pressuring people to confess to crimes and deeds they did not commit.
The odd thing about the witch trials is that those accused who confessed to witchcraft were not put to death, it was only those people who refused to confess who were executed. I would think that would be a pretty strong argument for one's innocence, that they would rather die than confess to deeds they did not commit. But apparently the authorities thought otherwise back then.
Anyway, I have read that the impetus behind Miller's play was to strike out against the "witch hunt" of his day, the Communist hysteria that took hold of the United States soon after the end of World War II and lead to the formation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA) and the interrogation and blacklisting of many artists and show biz people in the 1950s.

As to the play, it is interesting if a bit inaccurate, and is clearly written to get Miller's point across about hysteria and rushing to judgment. But still it is a pretty good read and the most interesting and true thing about it, I think, is the way the authorities went along with the hysteria and stupidity and how they threw common sense out the window in their fear of the devil and witches. Lives were blighted for the lack of a little common sense.