By
Arthur Miller
 Salem,
Massachusetts, 1692.
The narrator actually inserts himself into the play
several times to describe characters and tell us what
we should think about them, such as when he tells us
that Judge Hathorne is a bitter man. In addition,
each inserted stage direction indicates exactly what a
character is thinking or feeling. The narrator is able
to jump into any character’s mind at any given
moment
John Proctor = he had everything your average Puritan
man could want: a goodly farm to ceaselessly toil upon,
three goodly sons to discipline, and a goodly wife with
whom to make a home.
 Abigail = vengeful, selfish, manipulative, and a
magnificent liar.
 Elizabeth Proctor = She is a virtuous woman who is
steadfast and true.
 Reverend Parris = Parris's repeated demonstrations of
exceedingly selfish behavior don't help his case.

1. Betty is in bed and sick with no cure – man
vs nature
2. Rumors of witchcraft in the village – man vs
society
3. Abigail vs. John Proctor's wife Elizabeth –
man vs man
When Reverend Hale grows disillusioned. It is
foreshadowing his later reputation of the courts actions.
 there is foreshadowing while John Proctor talks to
Abigail Williams. We learn that they had an affair
together, and that Abigail still has feelings for John. She
wants him, and she wants his wife Elizabeth out of the
equation.

 The
Witch Trials represent the terror and
hysteria in the community.
 A crucible- A vessel made of a refractory
substance such as graphite or porcelain, used
for melting materials at high temperatures.
 In
The Crucible, there is dramatic irony when
Elizabeth Proctor lies for the first time about
her husband, John Proctor, being an
adulterer. John had said she's an honest
women who would never lie.
 The
witch trials have caused unrest in
neighboring towns, and Danforth grows
nervous. Abigail has run away, taking all of
Parris’s money with her. Hale, who has lost
faith in the court, begs the accused witches
to confess falsely in order to save their lives,
but they refuse.
 Reputation
is extremely important in a town
where social standing is tied to one’s ability
to follow religious rules. Your good name is
the only way you can get other people to do
business with you or even get a fair hearing.