Verism in the crucible

Abstract EN

Verism as a term designates the fact that representing “truth” in an artwork, as it is and at any price.

It is of high importance to drag the attention of the readers vehemently to the meant target2.

More specifically, it highlights the truth beyond the lines in an artwork; it is by some means or other a part of realism that stipulates both here and now, everyday incidents and events, political, domestic and social, and the creator’s environment.

Realism,in a sense, depicts life as it is, it is a portrayal of reality with fidelity, it does not exert itself in rendering life into something serene or chaotic; there is no other ways but to bring life into effect in a realistic piece of writing3; it vows drastic detours to dramatism with the emergence of Eugene O’Neill’s artworks in 19204.Combine that with the fact that chronicle, to the core, stresses the past events and recalls them in a dramatic means and in order of time, usually it is known as a history play; a chronicle one that manipulates recorded historical events as was tackled in The Crucible.The chronicle play originates in Seneca artworks and then glimpses in 18th and 19th century,as Darley, Tennyson, Browning and Swinburne turn the prow of their attention to history; then Thomas Hardy tackles history in The Dynasts.Ultimately, the second world war leaves a number of chronicle plays that dissect the human conflicts in term of history and these are respectively; Arthur Miller’s The crucible, Robert Bolt’s A Man for all Seasons and the State of Revolution5 and Ralf Hochhuth`s The Representative and soldier6.