A haunting examination of groupthink and mass hysteria in a rural community The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller's edgy masterpiece, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft—and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village.First produced in 1953, at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witch-hunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil. It is a play that is not only relentlessly suspenseful and vastly moving but that compels readers to fathom their hearts and consciences in ways that only the greatest theater ever can."A drama of emotional power and impact" —New York Post

This work is the most famous play in all German literature. It was published in two parts. Part 1 is very dramatic and tells the main story. Part 2 is extremely long and it is meant to be read rather than acted out on stage. It is about Goethe's philosophy as well as about history and politics. This play is a retelling of the Faust legend which was very famous in Germany. The legend tells of a man called Faust who is tired of studying and wants to have the greatest possible happiness. The devil (usually called Mephistopheles, as he is in Goethe's play) tells Faust he can help him to do this, but that in the end Faust will have to give him his soul and go with him to hell. Faust makes a pact (an agreement) with Mephistopheles who promises him all his soul can wish for -- fine living, gold, women and honor. Faust signs the pact with his blood. Faust uses magic in the hope that it will tell him everything about life. However, in the end Mephistopheles wins his bet.