ACT BY ACT Summaries
SUMMARY- ACT 1
 Setting: home of Rev Parris.
 Parris is praying over Betty who is in a coma.
 Abigail enters. Susanna says the Doc doesn’t know
what is wrong with Betty. The cause might be
“UNNATURAL” or demonic.
 Parris warns Susanna not to tell anyone about the
“unnatural” causes.
 Abigail admits to dancing NAKED in the woods!
 Parris asks why Abigail lost her job as Proctors’
servant. Abigail says it’s because Eliz. Hates her.
ACT 2 SUMMARY
 John and Elizabeth are at their house
 There is a lot of tension and things seem
forced.
 Mary (the servant) has gone to Salem to work
as a court official.
 John is angry with Mary.
 Elizabeth tells John to go tell everyone what
Abigail told him– that it was just dancing, not
witchcraft.
ACT 2 Summary continued
 John gets caught when he says he was
ALONE with Abigail .
 Mary comes back and gives a gift to
Elizabeth– A DOLL.
 Mary reveals that now 39 people have
been arrested for being witches.
 If you confess (Sarah Good), you will
NOT be hanged.
Act 2 summary
pages 1167- 1168
 Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft.
 Elizabeth says John made a promise to be
with Abigail when he chose to sleep with
her. And now Abigail wants to kill Elizabeth
and take her place as John’s wife.
 Elizabeth tells John that he must go to
Abigail and tell her she is ONLY A WHORE.
Act 2 summary
pages 1167- 1174
 Rebecca Nurse is charged as a witch.
 Hale “Tests” Proctor by asking him questions:
- Why don’t you go to church every Sunday?
- How come only two of your boys are baptized?
- Do you know the Ten Commandments? (John
forgets one– ADULTERY)
- John admits that Abigail said it was NOT witchcraft.
- - John and Elizabeth admit they don’t believe in
witches at all.
ACT 2 SUMMARY CONT.
Giles’ wife (Martha) was arrested
Rebecca Nurse is arrested (70 year
old) because they said she
“murdered Putnam’s babies”.
Elizabeth arrested because they
think she tried to murder Abigail
(with the needle in the poppet)
ACT THREE SUMMARY 1190-97
 Parris says Proctor is “mischief” when he brings in
Mary as “proof” to court.
 Mary says she never saw no spirits. She says they were
all pretending when they cried out other “witches”.
 John finds out his wife is pregnant and the court will
not hang her til the baby comes.
 Proctor shows the court a testament which says
Elizabeth , Rebecca and Martha are GOOD
CHRISTIAN WOMEN. 91 people signed this
testament.
Act 3 SUMMARY: 1198-1205
 Danforth questions Mary Warren. She says she is now
with God and the idea of witches “was all a lie” and
that she was lying before in court.
 Abigail comes to court and says Mary is lying. She also
says Elizabeth always kept poppets in her house.
 Proctor: ‘IT is not a child’- talking about Abigail.
 When asked about why Mary fainted when the spirits
were in her, she tells the court the fainting was faked.
The court asks her to faint on demand to prove it was
pretend. She is not able to and then says she “thought”
she saw ghosts which is why she fainted.
Act 3 SUMMARY: 1206-1207
 Abigail starts accusing Mary Warren of
“sending her spirit out” but John stops
this by grabbing Abigail and calling her
a WHORE. And he admits to the court
that he slept with her (committed
adultery). He tells the court that
Abigail wants to “dance with him on
Elizabeth’s grave”.
Act 3 SUMMARY: 1207 Elizabeth is called to court. They want to
know if she will admit that Abigail is indeed
a WHORE (harlotry).
 Danforth asks why Elizabeth fired Abigail.
She says her husband is a good man and that
she was probably cold toward husband but
when asked if he was a LECHER (adulterer),
she LIES and says he IS NOT.
Act 3 SUMMARY: 1210-1211
 Abigail interrupts things again by screaming
and pointing at a “bird” she claims to see on the
ceiling. This bird apparently is possessed by
Mary’s spirit and she and the girls start
mimicking everything Mary says and the court
start to believe that Mary’s spirit is “witching”
them all. Finally, Mary “breaks” and joins the
hysterical girls and all scream together.
 To save herself, Mary claims John is the devil
and it was him who came to Mary trying to
corrupt her spirit.
End of Act 3- SUMMARY
John Proctor is accused of being
the devil and witching everyone
and he goes wild and screams “
GOD IS DEAD”! He is arrested and
Hale slams his books and leaves the
court (he’s sick of this sham!)
ACT 4 SUMMARY
 Sarah and Tituba are rotting in jail,
dreaming about the devil coming to get
them and going to Barbados.
 Meanwhile, Parris comes in to join the
leaders of the court- he looks scared.
 He tells them that Rev Hale is still
trying to save Rebecca, Martha and a
few others (by convincing them to
confess)
ACT 4 SUMMARY
 Parris reveals the shocking news that
Abigail has ran away and robbed him of all
of his money.
 Parris says people are rebelling/rioting in
Andover because they’re worried the
witchcraft madness will spread to their
town.
 Parris wants to postpone the hangings
because he’s worried Salem will riot too.
ACT 4 SUMMARY- 1222
 Hale says to postpone; Danforth responds
with:
-I will not postpone anyone’s hanging.
- Postponement looks like I made a mistake.
- If you’re worried about rioting, don’t worryI’ll hang them all if they dare fight the court!