The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Bold: Major role
Character Organizer
Italic: Supporting role
Character
Act I
Reverend Parris
-Where action begins—
small bedroom in his
house. He kneels by his
daughter, Betty’s, bed
-mid 40s
-villainous past
-easily insulted
-widower
-not interested in kids
-Theocracy—
government was run by
religion, goal to unify
community
-saw the girls running
naked in the woods and
Tituba in front of the fire
-went to Harvard
-argues about his salary
(greedy—he’s a
minister)
Act II
Cast in order of Appearance
Regular Font: Minor role
Act III
Act IV
Betty Parris
Tituba
-age 10, in bed, not
moving
-rumors in Salem say she
“flew”
-Abigail threatens her
-at the end of Act 1 she
wakes up and says that
she saw George Jacobs
with the Devil along
with Alice Barrow,
Goody Bibber
-slave in Parris home
-she is from Barbados
-loves and cares for Betty
Parris
-she gets blamed for any
trouble in the house
-cares about Betty
-Abigail says that she
made her drink blood—
she’s an easy target
-admits Abigail made her
make a charm
-trusts Hale, confesses to
witchcraft
-says the Devil told her to
kill Rev. Parris and that
she saw Goody Good,
Goody Osburn come to her
Abigail Williams
-niece of Parris, 17
-beautiful, orphaned
-she can lie/hide facts,
worried
-says she and the girls
were just dancing in the
woods—denies anything
else
-claims her name is
“white” or pure in town
-was fired as Goody
Proctor’s servant
-says the kettle she was
dancing around
contained soup and that
a frog jumped in—
Tituba gets blamed
-she says that Tituba
makes her laugh at
prayers in church and
gives her bad dreams,
makes her drink blood.
She claims she hears
laughter in her sleep and
Tituba’s singing.
-at the end of Act 1 she
says she wants the love
of Jesus and that she saw
Sarah Good and Goody
-not on stage, but talked
about in Act II
-claims in court that
Elizabeth was stabbing
her—found a 2 inch
needle in her stomach
(she sat next to Mary
Warren and saw her
sewing one)
Susanna Walcott
Ann Putnam
Osburn and Bridget
Bishop with the devil
(blame helps her seem
innocent)
-sent from Dr. Griggs
-believes that there are
“unnatural causes” for
why Betty is sick
(bewitching)—there’s
nothing in the medical
books
-her daughter is
“bewitched” as well
-says there is a stroke of
hell on Parris (it isn’t
normal Betty is ill)
-looks older, she has
seen a lot of death
-says a villager saw
Betty’s spirit flying
around town, claims
Betty can’t bear to hear
the psalm
-when Tituba admits she
“saw” Goody Osburn,
Ann jumps in that she
was her midwife when
her babies died
Thomas Putnam
Mercy Lewis
-daughter Ruth is also
sick in bed—her eyes are
open
-happy Parris sent for
Hale, a specialist in
Demonic Arts
-holds grudges, has a
vindictive nature
-suggest Tituba gets
hanged
-Putnams’ servant
Mary Warren
-servant of the Proctors
-subservient, skittish,
afraid something is
wrong with betty and
wants to confess
-becomes an official of the
court in Salem (feels
important)
-makes a rag doll (poppet)
for Elizabeth to pass the
time while she was in court
-delivers the news Goody
Osburn will hang
-says 39 have been arrested
-says she has “weighty work
to do” in court
-Admits Abigail accused
Elizabeth of being a witch
-admits she brought the
poppet into the house and
that she made it in court and
stuck the needle in the belly
-says Abigail saw her make
it in court
-refuses to testify against
Abigail despite Proctor’s
pleading/grasping of her
throat
John Proctor
-farmer
-30s
-can see through
hypocrites in a sharp and
biting way
-powerful body
-even tempered (calm)
-sinner (adultery)
-respected and feared in
Salem
-arrives at the Parris
home to see what is
wrong with Betty—
Abigail confronts him
-asks Hale to leave some
sensibility to Salem
-says he enjoys his wife’s
food (white lie—stage
directions show him
seasoning the stew)
-says “I mean to please you,
Elizabeth.”—references that
he will buy her a heifer to
please her.
-wants Elizabeth to bring
flowers into the home—
make it more lively. He
offers to walk the farm with
her.
-says “It’s winter in here
yet.” –Elizabeth gives John
the cold shoulder.
-tired of his wife’s
suspicions and has “tiptoed”
around for 7 months since
the affair
-confessed his adultery to
Elizabeth
-says Elizabeth’s justice
could “freeze beer”—it is
very cold
-asks Elizabeth if she thinks
he is “base” or corrupt/vile.
-says he doesn’t go to
church because Parris has
golden candle sticks
(switched from pewter) he
also doesn’t want Parris to
baptize his baby (he follows
what is in his heart—“Self
Reliance”)
-when asked to recite the
commandments, he forgets
Thou shalt not commit
adultery. IRONY
-he tells Hale that the
sickness has nothing to do
with witchcraft—Abigail
told him so
-tells Hale that confessions
are only given due to fear of
being hanged
-tells Cheever that
vengeance is walking in
Salem
-makes an allusion to
Pontius Pilate (crucified
Jesus) when he sees his wife
taken and chained to jail
-wants Mary to testify
against Abigail
-doesn’t want his wife to die
for his adultery—Mary
Warren says he will be
accused of lechery if he
goes to court—he doesn’t
care
Rebecca Nurse
-72, uses a walking stick,
white hair, gentle
-wife of Francis Nurse,
an arbiter in disputes
-Giles tells us she taken
to jail as a witch for the
supernatural murder of
Goody Putnam’s babies
(fair, honest)
-Husband had a lot of
land, people resented
that
-neighbors with a
Putnam
-no one would dare
accuse her of witchcraft
since she was well
respected (she would
only be accused to get
her land)
-has 11 children and 26
grandchildren—knows
how children behave
-voice of reason
-Even Hale, who is from
Beverly, knows of
Rebecca’s good soul
Giles Corey
83, inquisitive, powerful,
muscular, nosy
-he asks Hale about the
books his wife, Martha,
reads. She reads alone in the
corner, it discomfits
(distresses) him. He blames
her reading/hiding books on
his inability to say his
prayers.
-doesn’t “give a hoot” about
-page 70 enters the
Proctor house to say his
wife is taken to jail
public opinion
-he just learned prayers—
probably why he forgets
them
Rev. John Hale
-expert in Demonic arts
-from Beverly
-in the beginning, sees
things as black and white
-comes to Salem with a 6
heavy books weighted
with authority
-he impresses Mrs.
Putnam
-questions what was in
the kettle the girls were
dancing around
-asks if the Devil ever
comes to Tituba with
another person
-convinces Tituba to
give a testimony/reveal
more names in order to
save Betty—she offers a
confession
-arrives at the Proctor
household regarding
Elizabeth’s name being
mentioned
-feels deference
(admiration) and guilt
entering the Proctor
home
-tells Proctors that
Rebecca Nurse is now
accused
-claims John has only
been in church 26x in 7
months and hasn’t had
his last son baptized
-believes that if even
Rebecca Nurse is
tainted, everyone can go
bad
-says the Devil is alive
in Salem (DRAMATIC
IRONY—we know the
only devilish behavior
started with Abigail)
-makes an allusion to
Lucifer, an angel who
became the devil to
demonstrate that even
good people can falter
Elizabeth Proctor
-found a rabbit in the house
and makes it for John
-forbade Mary Warren from
going to court-Mary goes
anyway
-wants John to go to the
court in Salem
-questions why John was
alone with Abigail
-realizes Abigail is telling
lies and wants John to tell
the court the truth
-says “the magistrate sits in
your heart that judges you”
meaning that John’s
conscience is there to judge
him—not Elizabeth. She
thinks he is bewildered
(confused).
-was accused in court
-says “There is a promise
made in any bed” referring
to John’s affair—she wants
John to go to court and tell
the truth about Abigail’s lies
-“I will be your only wife,
or no wife at all! She
[Abigail] has an arrow in
you yet…”(62).
Elizabeth stands up for
herself since Abigail
accused her.
-“If you think that I am one,
then I say that there are
none” (70). Elizabeth is a
good woman—not a witch
-accused of using a poppet
as a type of voodoo doll to
inflict pain on Abigail
-goes to jail, says she feers
nothing
Francis Nurse
-enters the Proctor
house to say his wife
Rebecca has been
arrested for murdering
the Putnam’s babies
Ezekiel Cheever
-comes to the Proctor
house on business of the
court, takes out an arrest
warrant for Elizabeth
-has 16 arrest warrants
-takes the poppet in the
Proctor house and finds
a needle in the belly
Marshal Herrick
-chains Elizabeth and
takes her to jail
Judge Hathorne
Deputy Governor
Danforth
Sarah Good
-confesses to witchcraft and
will only go to jail
-pregnant
-older woman, sleeps in
ditches, poor, mumbles
-once asked Mary Warren
for cider and was sent away
-her mumbling and the fact
that she forgets her
commandments are signs
and proof
Hopkins
voice of Martha
-charged as a witch for
reading books
-accused by Walcott (he
bought a pig from the
Coreys that died—
wants revenge) Walcott
didn’t feed the pigs
Corey
Bold: Major role
Italic: Supporting role
Regular Font: Minor role