How Does Arthur Miller Create Tension? Essay

The Crucible is a ‘semi-fictional metaphor,’ as Miller described it himself, based upon the real life events that occurred in the United States after World War II. Using accurate historical accounts, the play is set during the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials when several young girls accuse innocent town members of witchcraft to avoid getting into trouble for participating in witchcraft themselves. The husbands of some of the women involved try to convince the judges of the girls’ deceit, but find them hard to break, to say the least. Eventually even the most prominent members of the community find themselves under threat, and the tension mounts, and the small town becomes a circle of lies, fear, and hypocritical accusations. John Proctor, a local man of much respect and authority, must confess to his adultery with the young nai ve Abigail in order to save his own wife from being hanged. Proctor is given the chance to save his own life by confessing to witchery and naming names, but chooses to die rather than betray his friends and fellow villagers. The play was written shortly after the Second World War, in 1953. Still showing today, it remains one of the most popular politically based plots of the twentieth century. Many say this is due to the complexity of the many characters involved; some say it’s the relevance to today’s American political policies; however, in my opinion, the Crucible manages to keep theatre lovers going back for more time and time again with the nail biting scenes that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. But how does he create this atmosphere? That is the question I hope to answer in this essay – How does Arthur Miller create tension? A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from dross or impurities. This definition is very easily connected to the play. For instance, witches are traditionally said to use cauldrons to brew their magical potions and what not, and a synonym for cauldron is crucible. Not only do witches use cauldrons, but the word crucible also could have some metaphorical meaning. The actions in Salem were like that of a brewing cauldron, there were many heated arguments, and people were being ‘stirred’ and ‘mixed’ around like a vile potion.