Arthur Miller's The Crucible: A Historical Parallel

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a masterpiece of its time, not only because of its compelling ideas and relative historical accuracy, but also because of its uncanny ability to draw its readers and viewers to the edge of their seats… and further. Written to point out the evil and perversion embodied in the McCarthy trials of his time, Arthur Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials as a powerful parallel. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in Salem Massachusetts, from 1692 to 1693, in the course of which over 200 people were falsely convicted of witchcraft, and 20 were hanged for refusing to “confess.” It was a grim time ruled by hysteria, as fear became the driving force of the leadership and led them to commit unimaginable acts, acts that would a distinct scar on their society for many years to come. In order to make the Witch Trials more relatable, Arthur hones in on the lives of several people of the town of Salem, chiefly John Proctor and Abigail Williams.
Considering the success of the play, it was almost inevitable that some opportunistic filmmaker would jump on the prospect of making a movie out of The Crucible. Hardly surprisingly, this is exactly what Nicholas Hytner did in 1996. Despite the obvious greatness of this moment,

While it the film keeps true to the original text of The Crucible it adds to it by making it more emotional. The Crucible remains a very worthwhile text to explore, and is full of mostly historically accurate plot twists that inspire sudden surges of emotion. It is an outcry against the injustice of the author’s time, and is thus filled with the passion and emotion that were put into it. It brings to light important concepts of humanity, and things overlooked that must be re-visited, and is highly successful at doing so by appealing to the emotions and thoughts of the viewer. A