Brock Press

Issue date: 6/20/06 Section: Culture

The Crucible

Arthur Miller's classic, The Crucible, centres upon the Salem witch-hunts of 1692, though highlights similarities and perhaps even a distinct allegory between American McCarthyism of the '50s, all the while drawing upon modern-day politics that allow the play more relevance every year it is performed.
Religious intolerance rings throughout the play, as does the absence of freedom and liberty in a pseudo-democratic society. The people in power and the disturbing underpinning of hierarchical injustice quickly debase any idea of community.
"I remain particularly touched by the deep, understanding humanism of this play. 'What is man?', asks Miller. Look with no illusions, he seems to say: These two-legged monsters seem capable of every possible evil, every imaginable cruelty. And yet we humans - wretched creatures in many ways - are also able to reach almost angelic levels of goodness and beauty, thanks to the unique human treasure we all possess: Our free will," said Tadeusz Bradecki, the director of the play.
The play's central question is not whether there are indeed witches among us - the characters in fact show overdramatically that they are simply posing to save their souls and cover their tracks, in reality, having never danced with the devil or more than attempted to summon the spirits of the dead.
The question, more simply, comes down to the rather complicated idea of righteousness. This concept is explored through rather timely religious fanaticism leading to severe acts of violence and mass hysteria, as well as the age-old contemplation of both God's will and the definition of goodness.
John Proctor - portrayed passionately by Benedict Campbell - is the central character of this story caught unwittingly in a world without forgiveness.
Proctor finds himself and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor (played by returning audience favourite Kelli Fox), caught up in a monumental court case with accusations flying about nearly every woman in the area and her supposed practise of the dark arts.
This whole incidence was spurred the actions of Abigail Williams (played by Charlotte Gowdy, in the role audiences love to hate). Abigail and a few of her friends were found in the dark of the night, naked and dancing, presumed to be possessed by Lucifer himself.
Williams is the former housemaid for the Proctors and former mistress to John. Although John's wife is already aware of this adulterous affair, the animosity for the situation is brought out once again, this time by Williams.

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