The crucible in his 1953 play the crucible playwright arthur miller employs a fictionalized account of massachusetts bay colonists accused of witchcraft in 1692 as a metaphor for government persecution of suspected communists during the mid 20th century explore a character analysis of john proctor plot summary and important quotes. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on arthur millers the crucible created by the original team behind sparknotes litcharts are the worlds best literature guides the crucible introduction a concise biography of arthur miller plus historical and literary context for the crucible the crucible plot summary a quick reference summary the crucible on a single page the crucible detailed . The crucible is a two act tony award winning play by arthur miller the play is a partially fictionalized dramatization of the salem witch trials which took place from february 1962 to may 1693. The crucible summary the crucible a historical play based on events of the salem witchcraft trials takes place in a small puritan village in the colony of massachusetts in 1692