In act 1 of The Crucible, author Arthur Miller sets the stage for the story about the witch trials
that will soon unfold. The audience begins to see how various events and personalities made the
conditions ripe for the witch accusations to occur. Early in the play, Tituba, Abigail, and Betty
admit that they were in the woods together. Betty has fallen ill, and the townspeople suspect that
the girls were together engaging in witchcraft and devil worship and that therefore Betty is sick.
When John Proctor arrives at Betty’s bedside, Abigail stays behind and seems to want to speak
with him.
Proctor, looking at Abigail now, the faintest suggestion of a knowing smile on his face: What is
this mischief here?
Abigail, with a nervous laugh: Oh, she is only gone silly some-how.
Proctor: The road past my house is a pilgrimage to Salem all morning. The town’s mumbling
witchcraft.
Abigail: Oh, posh! Winningly she comes a little closer, with a confidential, wicked air. We were
dancing in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright, is all.
We have the benefit of knowing the history, we know that the Salem witch trials resulted in the
accusation of about 200 people and the execution of about twenty. The story of the trials has
become synonymous with paranoia and injustice. Thus, the girl’s activities in the woods lead to
erroneous conclusions that a modern reader finds shocking. Miller could have written a scene in
the woods to drive home that whatever they were doing, witchcraft had no impact on anyone in
the story. Proctor apparently sees the witchcraft issue as foolish. When John is with his wife and
Reverend Hale, Elizabeth tells John that he must tell Hale what Abigail said.
Proctor, with difficulty: I have no witness and cannot prove it, except my word be taken. But I
know the children’s sickness had naught to do with witchcraft.
Hale, stopped, struck: Naught to do?
Proctor: Mr. Parris discovered them sporting' in the woods. They were startled and took sick.
Hale: Who told you this?
Proctor, hesitates, then: Abigail Williams.
Hale: Abigail!
Proctor: Aye.
Hale, his eyes wide: Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft! ...
Proctor: I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense.
Hale: Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that
have confessed to dealing with the Devil. They have confessed it.
From these lines, the girls have confessed to engaging in witchcraft and, shockingly, that
Reverend Hale believes this. Reading this through a modern lens, we find it difficult to believe that
any of the Salem adults would really have taken this seriously. Thus, using the details the girls
provide, Miller might have gone into details of the scene in the woods to made it clear how futile
and foolish the witchcraft accusations were. In other words, he could have shown that their socalled witchcraft was nothing more than chanting and mumbling meaningless words that did
nothing. He could then have made it clear that Betty falling ill had nothing to do with what the
girls were doing in the woods and that their words had no impact on Elizabeth Proctor either.
Miller could have written the actual scene of the girls in the woods in such a way that we see them
dancing, which likely would have been considered sinful in that time, laughing, and engaging in
indiscreet discussions. Miller could have included dialogue showing Abigail’s desire to have
Elizabeth Proctor out of the way so that John would be free. However, Miller could have given us
a split stage, with the dancing, laughing girls on one side (stage right) and Elizabeth Proctor on
the other (stage left), perfectly healthy with no reaction whatsoever to what the girls were doing
in the woods."