A powerful play about hypocrisy, guilt, and redemption. Arthur Miller's play is stark and horrifying in it's examination of the Salem Witch Trials. This masterpiece was written at the time of the McCarthy hearings, and the parallels are unmistakable, but there is not a false note, no overly-modern references to jar the flow of the story.

Mercy Warren's attempt (and failure) to pull free from the band of accusers is searing. John Proctor's struggle with his guilt, his love for his wife, his instinct for survival, and his soul pull the reader (or the audience) this way and that, powerfully illustrating the power of the trials to this day.

The script for the play is interspersed at times with lengthy notes by the author expanding on the characters and surroundings of the historical record. All in all, an engrossing document. Highly recommended. ( )

This book was very interesting from beggining cover to ending cover. I do recommend this book to certain people because alot of people can realate to the main character. But i woudlnt reccomend this book because i hate how it ended and i belive certain people will think the same.But overall it was a very good book. ( )

I enjoyed this play for two reasons. The first is that it is a beautiful psychological evaluation of everyone in Salem in the 1600s. While not being historical fact, it is still Miller doing a beautiful job of trying to explain the motivations that people have for the things that they do.

The second reason is the historical criticism of the McCarthy investigations into communist sympathizers that had "invaded" the U.S. during the middle of the century.

The plight of John Proctor has a special meaning in today's discussion of "terrorist" sympathizers, and I like that the play is still pertinent even today. ( )

Fleeing religious persectuion in England, the Puritans who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony are now persecuting their own in this fictitious account of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Whether the devil himself was present in Salem or not, the townspeople managed to conjure up enough evil of their own - lies, greed, jealousy, adultery, corruption, revenge, stealing and bigotry are all represented in this gripping trial drama. The more ridiculous the accusations (and the response they brought) became, the more exasperated I was just reading about them! This book brings up so many questions about religion, government and personal integrity that could engage high school students in lively discussion. ( )

This is a great play. This play is read in all of the 11th grade English classes at my school. We always need to keep extra copies in my library because many students come back to read the play again when they are Seniors. ( )