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= THE CRUCIBLE - ARTHUR MILLER =

Encountering Conflict - VCE English
Here are some notes and information relating to //The Crucible//. Some information I have pulled directly from other sources - which have been noted at the bottom of those pages. Mainly, this is to present as much info as possible in one location.

//The Crucible// is a play by Arthur Miller. It is set in the Spring of 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, in the United States. This Puritan town in New England was the site of the Witch Trials of the 17th Century.



The new colony was set up by English Puritans who broke away from Great Britain, in part to escape religious persecution, following changes to the Church of England's policies. Their new society was a Theocratic one.

A Theocracy is a government run by divine guidance, with God as the "head". The government is shaped by the religious doctrine of those who officiate (here on earth!) in the name of said God.

The Puritans are often believed to have been repressed, superstitious, and fanatically religious. The hysteria that spread throughout Salem and surrounds was fuelled by a mix of this religious fervour, superstition, ignorance and, as Arthur Miller contends, the web of lies told by some very naughty girls.

The Salem Witch Trials saw 19 people hanged, with another similar number dying whilst awaiting their trial.