Differences Between The Crucible Play And Movie

The Crucible is a play that was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where witch trials were held in 1692. Miller is able to combine nonfiction and fiction in order to make this story dramatic and entertaining. A few decades after The Crucible play was published, a movie version was released. There are various differences between the book and the movie version. The movie added various scenes, elaborated on others, as well as omitted some scenes. The movie expressed Arthur Miller’s book in a very dramatic and exaggerated way. It made the reader have a better understanding of some points in the book and emphasized ideas more clearly, such as jealousy and hysteria.
The movie shows what actually occurs the night the girls went into the forest. Viewers do not have to wonder what actually occurred that night. The movie shows the girls dancing in the forest and putting objects in a pot in order to cast a spell over boys that they like. However, Abigail Williams changes the course of things by drinking blood as a charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife. After this occurs, the girls go

haywire. On the other hand, in the book, readers have to decide whether to trust what Abigail and the characters had said. “Act I” describes a flashback of the girls in the forest. It does not show exactly what occurred and all we know about the forest incident is what the girls have said through dialogue in the aftermath. This is an important scene in the movie since this situation is what starts the witch trials and leads to the spread of hysteria. Showing this part of the story, releases the whole truth of what occurred that night. In the book, the readers are not able to completely trust what Abigail and the girls have said about what took place in the forest since it was not described through narrative.
The movie displays Abigail and Proctor’s relationship in a more serious matter than the book illustrates it. The movie shows their relationship was more serious. This is shown during the multiple times Abigail went to see John privately and vice versa. For example, in the movie, when Proctor signals Abigail to meet him in the woods, Abigail gropes him and forces John on top of her. Additionally, unlike the book, Abigail sees Proctor in jail before she flees with Mercy Lewis and tries to get Proctor to leave with her. This showcases that Abigail loved Proctor, and that their relationship was not just a fling. In the book, there are very few scenes in where Abigail and Proctor are alone. In fact, the only scene they are alone in the book is when John talks to Abigail and tells her to stop waiting for him. The book made it seem as if John’s affair with Abigail was a fluke unlikely to occur again.
Although The Crucible has many changes between the book and the movie, there is one part that it did not mention.

In the book, Miller describes how the same thing occurring in Salem, is occurring in Andover as well. This was not mentioned in the movie. In contrast, this scene in the book was mentioned to show that the people rebelled against the court. When Reverend Hale comes back from Andover, he fears that the same thing will happen in Salem. Because of this, Reverend Hale asks Elizabeth to convince Proctor to confess in front of other convicts so he would not only save his life, but maybe convince the others to save theirs. This scene was not mentioned in the movie so the focus of the story would remain in Salem. If the focus was brought to another area, it would have showed the situation occurring in Salem was

insignificant.
The setting and plot of the book and movie versions of The Crucible are also different. In the book, most scenes happen indoors. This takes place because in a written play, it is hard to change scenes as often as you can in movies. Additionally, Miller focuses on the plot of the story rather than providing the reader an emotional connection with the characters. In the movie, most scenes happen outside. The director changed the settings more often in order to make the plot more interesting.
Hysteria is an idea that the movie elaborated on more than the book did. Also, the director of the movie added scenes in order for viewers to feel the emotions of each character more. An example of an added scene that displayed the spread of hysteria is the montage of how quickly the news spread and how it left the town in a panic on whether they would be next to be accused. Another added scene in the movie is when John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey, said a prayer as they are about to be hanged. This added a melodramatic mood and made the scene more depressing.
The book and movie versions of The Crucible have changes and differences. Although the book was published before the movie was released, the movie displayed more intensity and emotion. Despite the fact that the movie is able to express more sentiment, the characters still show their morals and values in both versions. The storyline did not change; only a few details did in order to emphasize importance or significance in a scenario. Additionally, there are differences in setting, which change the mood of the story. Both the book and movie sum up the main idea of the witch trials that took place in Salem. Big ideas like revenge and hysteria are referred to and highlighted throughout the plot.