crucible notes
Notes for The Crucible Characters: John Proctor - A local farmer who lives just outside town. John hates hypocrisy. He had an affair with Abigail Williams-that proves his downfall. When the hysteria begins, he hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined. Elizabeth Proctor - John Proctor’s wife. Elizabeth fired Abigail when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with Abigail. Mary Warren - The servant in John Proctor’s household and a member of Abigail’s group of friends. Abigail Williams – Reverend Parris’s niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail is smart, a good liar, and vindictive when crossed. Reverend John Hale - A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Reverend Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. Hale is a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused. Reverend Parris - The minister of Salem’s church. Many of the townspeople, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. Betty Parris - Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. Tituba - Reverend Parris’s black slave from Barbados. Tituba agrees to perform voodoo at Abigail’s request. Rebecca Nurse – Francis Nurse’s wife. Rebecca is held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. Francis Nurse - A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Nurse is well respected by most people in Salem, but is an enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife. Judge Danforth -The Deputy Governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials.