The play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a suspenseful and thought-provoking drama, concerned with a theme of rising over adversity to stand for truth and righteousness. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th Century, the play reiterates the story of mass hysteria, which was experienced during the Salem witch-hunt in 1692, as the community was stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia, malice, and the terrifying power of false accusations. Through John Proctor, Miller reveals the absurdity of the incident as the reader follows the struggles of his main character, in his effort to restore truth and righteousness. Throughout the play, Miller explores the influence of this outburst of human darkness, as reason and intelligence became powerless in Salem, 1692. The human darkness of vengeance and vindictiveness, and the power of lies and deceit, are seen to overpower the reason and intelligence of the Salem community, as seen through the characters of Reverend John Hale, and Rebecca Nurse. A fear of repercussions, a fear of isolation, and a fear of the invisible world, force reason and intelligence to become powerless before human darkness, and it is these ideas, which Miller explores so diligently in his play.
             Miller develops human darkness through the vengeful and vindictive nature of certain characters in his play. Reverend Parris' seventeen-year-old niece, Abigail Williams yearns for passion and excitement in her life and the freedom to pursue these things. Instead, she finds herself imprisoned in a world of moral inhibitions due to the nature of her Puritan society. Through her affair with John Proctor, she found an outlet for the expression of her inner desires, and perhaps the love she had craved since being orphaned, until filled with guilt, Proctor returned to his wife. Feeling betrayed by Proctor, and yet still desperately in love with him, she seeks through Tituba, Parris' black slave, a means of re...