“Great plays can change their meaning with the passing of time and shifts in attitudes.”
Charles Spencer
Last month, Book Lovers Among Students met to discuss Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible (1953) written in response to the mass hysteria of the 1950s in the USA as well as the betrayal of his friend. The play explores the universal mechanisms of terror and mass hatred fueled by fears of the unknown. It is based on true people and events. Although dialogues are fictional, when writing, Miller resorted to the available Court documents from that time. During our discussion, we tried to answer the following questions: What led to these trials? What does the title mean? How can this play be interpreted these days? Finally, we also devoted a great deal of time to the analysis of the protagonists and adaptations of the Crucible, including the famous film from 1996 staring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis (who is Miller’s son-in-law).
by Marta Makoś
