Crucible, The

Drama by Arthur Miller 1953. Inspired by the contemporary McCarthy persecutions of artists and writers, Miller dramatized the story of the Salem witch-hunt in Puritan New England, 1692. John Proctor attempts to take a stand against a rising tide of superstitious violence but is undermined by the guilt he feels about his affair with a young girl, Abigail. Although admitting to his lechery, Proctor ultimately refuses to confess to being in league with the Devil and is hanged.

Crucible, The

Opera in four acts by Robert Ward (libretto by composer and B Stambler after Arthur Miller's play), first produced at the New York City Opera on 26 October 1961. It depicts a 17th-century New England witchcraft trial as a precursor of Cold War anti-communist hysteria.