The Crucible Character Chart
Include page numbers for reference to support your claims.
Character
Relation:
Parris
Mary Warren
Brief
Characterization:
Spread Hysteria:
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Mid 40s
Widower
Self righteous
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18 years old
Works for
Proctors –
replaced Abby
Friends with
Abby
Involved with
scandal in the
woods
Chosen as an
official of the
proceedings
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Parris’s niece
Fired from
servant job at the
Proctors
In love with John
Proctor and had
an affair with
him
Page 20: “I will
come to you in
the black of
night…”
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Abigail
In Conflict with: Main Motivation to
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Proctor: page 65
“golden
candlesticks”
Page 14 “I pray
you, leap not to
witchcraft.”
Proctors: John
doesn’t like that
she goes to town
every day; later
they want her to
testify in court
Abigail: page
116 when all the
girls repeat what
Mary is saying in
court
Later she accuses
John Proctor of
being with the
Devil, page 119
“he wake me
every night, his
eyes were like
coals and his
fingers claw my
neck and I sign, I
sign…”
Everyone –
throughout the
book she accuses
anyone and
everyone she can
of witchcraft
Page 108:
“Think you to be
so mighty that
the power of hell
may not turn
your wits?”
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Respected more
by town if
hysteria is spread
Playing politics –
pleasing the
masses
Keeps switching
sides to protect
herself
Page 80 “I
cannot charge a
murder on
Abigail” –
doesn’t want
Abigail to turn
all the girls
against her
She wanted to
get rid of
Elizabeth so she
could have John
to herself
Once she started
lying and
spreading
hysteria, she
couldn’t stop
Putnam
Mrs. Putnam
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Rebecca Nurse
Giles Corey
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Seeks revenge
Money hungry
In a dispute with
the Coreys over
land
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Death ridden
Haunted by
dreams – 7
children died
Daughter Ruth
was in a “coma”
Page 28 “you
should never lose
a child or a
grandchild…”
Very old
Very religious
Well respected in
Salem
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Likeable farmer
New to
Christianity
Experience in the
court
Discusses with
Hale about his
wife reading
strange books –
page 41
Killed by
pressing – page
135
Won’t reveal
who told him
Putnam was
accusing people
of witchcraft for
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Page 16: “Don’t
you understand it
sir, there is a
murdering witch
upon us.”
Giles Corey:
page I’ll cut your
throat Putnam,
I’ll kill you yet!”
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Rebecca Nurse:
believes she is
the reason all of
her children have
died
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Mrs. Putnam,
page 71 “for
murder she is
charged…”
Hale: “God
forbid such a
woman be
charged!”
Putnams: they
are accusing his
wife of
witchcraft, he
wants to protect
his wife and
himself
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Doesn’t really
spread any
hysteria, speaks
her mind and
speaks the facts
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He does not want
to spread
hysteria
Page 88
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Wants to
discredit Corey
Also, Martha
was spreading
hysteria and he
wanted to protect
her
Wanted land of
those who were
accused of
witchcraft
To accuse
Rebecca Nurse
To get their land
back
Page 16: “They
were murdered,
Mr. Paris!”
land
Reverend Hale
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Married to
Elizabeth have
children together
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Had an affair
with Abigail
Williams when
she was the
Proctor’s servant
(Elizabeth fired
Abigail when she
found out about
the affair)
John Proctor
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The Proctor’s
new servant is
Mary Warren
In conflict with the girls
who are claiming they
have been bewitched
and Judge Hathorne who
is believing the many
accusations
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Proctor tries to
convince
Hathorne that the
girls are lying
and the accused
citizens are
falsely
confessing to
prevent
themselves from
being hanged
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Proctor wants to
put an end to the
hysteria and save
his wife
Pg. 80-81 “Make
peace with
it...And the wind,
God’s icy wind,
will blow!” (this
shows how
Proctor disagrees
with the
decisions of the
court and will
fight back
against them)
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Pg. 110 “She
thinks to dance
with me on my
wife’s grave… I
know you must
see it now.” (this
displays how
Proctor is
continuously
trying to
disprove
Abigail’s and the
other’s claims
and accusations
of witchcraft and
will even tarnish
his own name to
end the hysteria)
See below.
Tituba
Danforth
Main judge in the
court
Believes the girls
Submits to the law
and religion
Strict with the law
Proctors
Coreys
Hale
Everyone convicted
and their families
To save the town of
the devil
Quotes:
“Now, children, this
is a court of law. The
law, based upon the
Bible, and the Bible,
writ by Almighty
God, forbid the
practice of
witchcraft, and
describe death as the
penalty thereof.” Pg.
266
“I have seen marvels
in this court. I have
seen people choked
before my eyes by
spirits; I have seen
them stuck by pins
and slashed by
daggers. I have until
this moment not the
slightest reason to
suspect that the
children may be
deceiving me.” Pg.
127
Hathorne
–
An arrogant and
unpleasant Salem judge
-bitter and remorseless
salem judge in his sixties
who considers the Puritan
government to be
In conflict with anyone
who he sentenced to
death or jail
doesn’t believe the
evidence and indirectly
spreads hysteria
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absolutely right and just.
he believes everything he
says is right
Questions about the play:
1. Tituba’s Conflict
a. Servant of Parris family
b. Leading the girls in the ritual in the forest
c. Confesses  false confession because she feared the consequences if
she didn’t
d. Accused other people that she saw with the devil
i. Sarah Good
ii. Goody Osborne
1. Midwives to the Putnam’s
2. Easy scapegoats
2. Rebecca Nurse
a. Known as being a devout Christian
i. Hale says that he knows who Goody Nurse is because her
reputation precedes her and he knows her
b. Also a midwife
c. Later on arrested
i. Goody Putnam accused her
1. Accused at the same time as Martha Corey
a. Long family feud between the Putnam’s and Corey’s
over land
b. Putnam tells his daughter to accuse others of being
witches to have them hanged and take their land
c. Giles knows this but he has integrity and knows he will
probably lose his land and be put on trial if he gives up
the names of the witness’s
ii. Start of irrational accusations
3. Giles Corey
a. Keeps saying “more weight more weight” when the stones are being
pressed on him
b. Keeps to his integrity to save his friends
c. Doesn’t fear death
4. Goody and John Proctor