Differences Between "The Crucible" Movie and The Play

The famous play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and the movie “The Crucible” may share the same name but have many differences, whether it’s the characters and how they act, or the way the scene changes, or in this example how the completely focus the story on something else. There was many additional scenes, or moods, in the movie that was not expressed in the play. Starting with Abigail being naked in the woods and not Mercy, then Abigail’s feelings toward John Proctor were stronger in the movie, also, the entire play was inside while the movie had quite a few scenes outside.

In the very beginning of the movie it shows a group of girls around a fire with Tituba (Reverend Parris’s slave) shouting chants. As all the girls started putting random things into the pot, (in both the play and movie someone puts in a frog) Abigail started slowly going crazy. In the play however, This scene was just a flashback. Also Mercy Lewis was the one to get naked during this but in the movie it was Abigail. Abigail also rubbed chicken blood on her face, which is not something she did in the play. Because of all this, in the play Tituba was threatened to be whipped for her actions, but in the movie she actually got whipped. Abigail does a lot of crazy things in the movie, like her obsession with John Proctor.

John Proctor and Abigail had some interactions with each other in the past which has now caused conflicts between a lot of things. In the book Abigail was not that obsessed with John Proctor as she is in the movie. In the movie Abigail kisses and gropes John Proctor behind a house, while in the play these scene was not as severe. The movie shows Abigail as a psycho that is obsessed with John Proctor and getting his wife to be hanged for witchcraft. Which John Proctor ends up turning himself in to save his wife and that’s not what Abigail wanted to happen. Abigail went and visited John Proctor in jail in the movie but never happened in the play.The play mainly stuck to the roots of the information and conflict while the movie added scenes and feelings as well. Most of the added scenes were outside as the entire play was based inside.

In the movie it the group of girls running outside terrified of Mary Warren’s “spirit” inside the church where they were holding the trials, also the girls all ganged up on Mary in a separate room before the trials, where in the book they just did it in court. Also in court, the movie states that Ruth Putnam accused George Jacobs for witchcraft when in the book, it was Elizabeth Churchill. The movie changed quite a bit of emotions than in the play but still got the point across.

In conclusion, the movie “The Crucible” added scenes like abigail wiping the blood on her face, getting naked, Tituba being whipped, Abigail obsessing over John Proctor, John going to jail and Abigail visiting him, Abigail and John Proctor having a much more intemite moment, the move having outside scenes, the girls ganging up on Mary, George Jacobs case, and so much more. The play stuck to the point and showed little emotion as the movie showed a lot. But, they both give a very good story and show the truth behind the Salem Witch Trials.

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