Content Advisory
SYNOPSIS: Arthur Miller’s masterpiece about the Salem witch trials features John Proctor, a rough New England farmer who gets caught up in the hysteria when a group of teenaged girls begins “crying out” the names of townspeople they claim to have seen consorting with the devil. Among the girls is Abigail Williams, with whom Proctor has some time before, and to his great shame, had a brief affair. When Abigail denounces Proctor’s wife Elizabeth as a witch, Proctor is determined to speak out against the madness that has gripped Salem—but will he risk his own life and soul in the process?
LANGUAGE: None, other than the word “damn.”
SMOKING AND DRINKING: None.
SEX: None. Before the play begins, Proctor has had a brief adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, and that act drives much of what follows, but there is no sexual activity in the play.
VIOLENCE: The self-induced hysteria of the girls “crying out” the names of witches can be frightening to young children, and at the play’s end those accused of witchcraft are being carted off to the gallows, but there is otherwise no explicit violence in the play.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES?: The Crucible is taught in high schools throughout the country, and is generally regarded as a masterpiece of the American theatre. It is suitable for all general audiences and children aged 10 and over. Children under ten might be frightened by certain scenes and thematic elements of the story.
RATING: If it were a movie, The Crucible would be rated “PG” or “PG-13” for strong thematic elements.