Arthur Miller wrote "The crucible" in 1953 in the middle of the McCarthy political 'witch hunt' in America. "McCarthyism" was a period of paranoia in the US in the1950's where politicians, public officials and people in the music industry were persecuted for supposedly being communists (enemies of the state). This is significant because "The Crucible" is set in America during the Salem witch trials and Arthur Miller is comparing the two.
             "The Crucible" revolves largely around the Proctor family and how they were affected by the Salem witch trials. John Proctor is a hard working farmer who lives just outside Salem village with his wife Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor is regarded in the village as a good honest man but after his affair with Abigail Williams his wife stopped trusting him and he became riddled with guilt.
             At the start of act two as John Proctor comes in I would have Elizabeth Proctor upstairs singing. I would then have John go into the kitchen to taste the soup and then add some seasoning. I would do this because it shows that she is not putting much effort into making him happy, but her soft singing would hopefully create a deceptive sense of peace and harmony.
             John and Elizabeth Proctor are puritans who live on the outskirts of Salem village and because they are puritans they would only have what is necessary. What few possessions they have would be cooking utensils and tools for hunting or farming. I would have a few of these items on show to symbolise their working lifestyle. I would also have a long table with a seat at either end for John and Elizabeth Proctor to emphasise the physical distance between them. I would have a wilting pot plant on the table to show that Elizabeth used to take care with her presentation. I would also have light on the plant to make it more obvious.
             As John comes in I would have him behave calmly and have an expectant smile on...