Act 1
The Crucible
Intro Notes
 Salem
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Did not celebrate Christmas
Towns people believed the virgin forest was the
Devil’s last preserve
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had been est. for 40 yrs.
Didn’t pay homage to God
Mass. Tried to kill of the Puritans
Witch hunts gave towns people opportunities to
speak out and be justified
Scene 1
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Opens in Reverend Parris’s home (1692)
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40 year old widowed man
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Parris convinced she is dead
Abigail Williams 17, orphan
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Towns people dislike him
Bent down by the bed, crying
Betty Parris 10 yrs. Old, unmoving
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No interest in children
Calls Parris Uncle
Town Doc. Cannot solve the medical mystery
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Seek unnatural
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Called for Rev. Hale
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Expert on witchcraft
 Goody is a liar to Abby
Scene 1 Cont.
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Abigail promises they were only dancing in woods
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Parris doesn’t believe her
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More worried about his image
Congregation wants him gone
Abby denies spirit conjuring
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Parris still questions
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Saw Tituba speaking Barbados with a cauldron
Dresses on the ground
 Girls dancing naked
 Abby denies
Parris took Abby in (raising her)
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Says Abby has a tainted name
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Goody proctor fired her
 Wont even sit near her in church
 Abby is soiled
Abby hasn’t had a job since
 Says others want slaves
Scene 2
 Mrs.
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Heard Betty was flying
 Mr.
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Putman (45, haunted by her dreams)
Putman well off, 50, hard handed
Oldest of richest man in town
Big in the church
Wanted public office
Big family pride/honor
 Ruth
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Putman is “sick”
Hasn’t woken, eyes are open, sleep walking,
doesn’t acknowledge sight/sound, and wont eat
Soul is taken
Scene 2 Cont.
 Putman’s
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believe it is witchcraft
Parris objects
Putman’s 7 children dead
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Ruth is the last
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Sent to Tituba
 Speak with dead babies
 Why they died
 Putmans believe its murder of witchcraft
 Parris
accuses Abby of spirit conjuring
 Putman’s servant (Mercy Lewis- fat/sly, 18,
merciless) arrives to tell of signs of life
 Parris agrees to lead prayer
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Refuses to acknowledge witchcraft
Scene 3
 Young
Mary)
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Believe Betty is faking it
Abby getting story straight
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Girls are alone (Abby, Betty, Mercy,
Only danced (clothed)
Tituba and Ruth conjured spirits
Mary Warren 17, sub servant, naïve/lonely, not
allowed to leave the Proctor’s home
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Wants to confess
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Only be whipped for dancing
Witchcraft is hanging
Never took part-only watched
Scene 3 Contd.
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Mercy beats Ruth and suggests Abby do the
same to Betty
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Shows she doesn’t believe its witchcraft
Betty wakes
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Freaking out- wants her dead mother
Accuses Abby of drinking blood
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Potion to kill Goody Proctor
Abby threatens the girls if they dare to speak
Scene 4
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John Proctor arrives to town
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30ish, farmer, level headed, sinner, feared but
respected in Salem
Abby wants his attention/lust
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He refuses
Believes he is there for her
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States that she waits for him
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Abby swears he loves her
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He never asked her to
He hasn’t left his property since she was fired 7 months
ago
John confesses to looking but not acting
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1 sided affair
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Lust not love affair
John loves his wife
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Begs for him to love her
Scene 5
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Betty begins to scream when Parris speaks the Lord’s name
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Sign of witchcraft
Rebecca nurse (voice of reason)
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72, white haired, walking stick, highly respected
Says the girls will snap out of it
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Putman says its not a game because she wont eat
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Only playing a game
Eat when hungry
Proctor tells Parris that inviting Hale will cause town problems
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Rebecca says they just need to pray
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Proctor doesn’t attend church
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To much about Hell and not about God
Church has a party against Parris
 Proctor wants to join
 Rebecca steps in
 Don’t break from minister
Scene 5 Cont
 Putman
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Putman claims his land
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Proctor bought it from R. Nurse
Putman claims grandfather owned the land
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 Giles
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vs. Proctor land
Proctor says he was a liar
Corey
83, muscular, powerful, curious
Easily persuaded
Always blamed for problems
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Wasteful
Scene 6
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Hale (40’s) arrives to help
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Ruth and Betty need him
Recognizes R. Nurse
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Good deeds
Parris tells Hale what he witnessed
Hale= tries to be professional
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No superstition
Must agree to listen to him
Inexperienced
Relies heavily on information in books
Leads the witnesses (Tituba and Abby) by his questions
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Not letting them speak
Yes/no questions
Scene 6 Cont
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R. Nurse worried about hurting the child
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To old for witchcraft
Prays for everyone
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Unsure if the others worship the devil
Gile’s Corey stays when Proctor leaves
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Wants to know why he cannot pray when his wife is around
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She is reading books
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Women didn’t read
 Accusing her of witchcraft
Didn’t mention he just learned the prayers
Hale questions Abby if someone living jumped in the
pot
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A small frog
Abby blames Tituba for making her drink soup
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Hale was about to blame Abby
Tituba easy to blame because she is different
Scene 7
Tituba accused of making Abby drink blood and laugh
during prayer
 Tituba denies the devil
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Parris threatens to whip her if she doesn’t confess
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She confesses (tells them what they want)
Hale is making her Christian
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So he thinks
Witches
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Hale asks if there are others
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Tituba avoids this (name game)
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Woman
Possibly from Salem
4 of them
Avoids names again
 Says devil told her to kill Parris
 Not a good man
 Really being honest disguised with devils words
Scene 7
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Begins to give names
 Goody Good (Sarah)
 Goody Osborn
 Putman’s used her for a midwife
 This is reasons babies died
*Nothing happens to Betty when Tituba confesses*
Abby decides to confess
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wants God
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Danced and saw the devil
 3rd
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Betty speaks after her confession
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name: Bridget Bishop
Gives 4th, 5th, & 6th name (George Jackson, Goody
Howe, & Martha Bellous)
2 girls go back and forth naming more “witches”
Scene 7 Cont
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7th name – 11th
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Goody Sibber
Alice Borrow
Good Hawkins
Goody Biber
Goody Booth
Character Analysis
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Parris appears a worried father
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Only worried about his image
Putman’s use witchcraft as revenge
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Infant mortality was high during this time
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Lack of good medical care
Poor sanitation
Winters cold, summers full of diseased bugs (mosquitos)
Crop failure led to starvation
Doctors not always available and had little knowledge
Blame anyone but themselves
Abby displaces her guilt of witchcraft on Tituba
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Tituba uses confession to out her feelings
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Gives her a position of authority
Character Analysis
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Proctor’s wife dismisses Abby because of
her lust for John
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Abby is using witchcraft for personal gain
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Witch trials are outlet for Salem’s people
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Express economic, political, and personal
grudges
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Win her love with John
Do this with manipulation of religious and moral
authority
Abby is self centered just like Parris
What do I get
 How does it make me look
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Act 1 Take Away
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Play opens with a negative impression of
Parris
Miller designed play in 2 ways
To be preformed
 To be read
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Anyone who went against society was a
threat
Must understand the historical background
to get the play
Ends ACT 1 on a suspenseful note
Act 1 Study Guide
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From the action of the play so far, what has been revealed about the townspeople’s belief
in witchcraft?
Explain what Abigail reveals to Parris about what happened in the forest.
What does the reader find out later about what really happened in the forest? What key
information has Abigail left out to her discussion with Parris? Why does she do this?
Why does Reverend Parris send for a doctor as the play begins? What advice does the
doctor send back?
What is Parris’ main concern at the beginning of the play?
What are the sources of antagonism between:
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Parris and the others
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Proctor and Putnam
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Proctor and Parris
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Elizabeth and Abigail
What explanation does Rebecca give for the strange behaviour of the girls?
Under what condition does Reverend Hale agree to help them look for the devil? What is his
explanation for why the devil chose to invade Parris’ house?
What methods does Hale use to force Tituba to “confess?”
Making connections: Where do you see the “group mentality” you saw in our last unit?