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© The Wateryard Group 2010 The Crucible Education pack 1

the Wateryard

Group

By Arthur Miller

The

e d u C a t i o n p a C k

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Contents

A brief biography of Arthur Miller 3

The United States in the 1950s 4

Life in 17th Century New England 6

The Crucible plot summary 8

The Crucible characters 20

The Crucible themes 27

The Crucible structure and language 30

An actor prepares 32

Bibliography 34

The rehearsal and production photographs in this document are from the Wateryard’s

production of The Crucible, performed in St Dunstans Church, Mayfield, 16 - 18 April

2010. They are reproduced by kind permission of photographer Mark Bostock.

©Mark Bostock www.markbostock.com

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A brief biography of Arthur Miller 1915 – 2005

Arthur Miller Was born in October 1915 in Harlem, New York. His parents, Augusta and Isadore, were Jewish, and his father was a successful clothing manufacturer, employing nearly a thousand

people. Harlem was at that time a prosperous district where many Jewish families lived. Life is his early years for Arthur and his brother, Kermit, was comfortable.

But in 1929, the Millers, not unscathed by the Depression that was affecting thousands of businesses throughout the United States, were obliged to move to Brooklyn. When Arthur graduated from High School in 1932, there was no money to send him on to university. Instead he worked in a car parts warehouse, and saved to go to the University of Michigan in 1934, where he read journalism initially, then English.

By the time he graduated in 1938, Arthur Miller was already winning awards for his plays, and he began working for the Federal Theatre Project in New York. However this project closed a year later, due to the withdrawal of government funding, and Miller turned to writing plays for radio. As in his university days, the financial imperative to earn enough to live, obliged him to take an extra job, this time, in 1941, as a shipfitting helper at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

In 1940 Miller married Mary Grace Slattery; the couple were to have two children, Jane and Robert, before they divorced in 1956.

In 1947 All My Sons won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and was Arthur Miller’s first major critical and financial success. He could now afford to buy a city flat in New York as well as a farmhouse in Connecticut, where he did most of his writing. Two years later, in 1949, The Death of a Salesman won both the New York Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1953 The Crucible won the Antoinette Perry and Donaldson Prizes. Arthur Miller’s status as one of the pre-eminent American dramatists of the twentieth century, was assured.

In 1951 Arthur Miller met Marilyn Monroe, the American film actress, singer and model who was to become known as “the sexiest bombshell to ever grace the big and small screen”, according to a Fox News poll in May, 2010. Miller married Marilyn Monroe in June 1956, but the marriage lasted only five years.

He continued to write plays, essays, screenplays and short stories throughout his life, but his most well known works are the stage plays, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge (first performed in 1955).

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The United States in the 1950s

The CruCible Was Written in the early 1950s, so it is useful to think about the political climate in America at that time. After the end of

the Second World War (1939-1945), in which the United States and the

Soviet Union were allies against the Germans, relations between the two major powers

deteriorated. They became suspicious, and then so fearful, of each other that this period

became known as the Cold War, even though no war between them was ever declared.

The United States was a democracy, and the US government believed in capitalism,

whereas the Soviet Union was a dictatorship, and was a communist state. In theory at

least, in a communist state everyone shares in the wealth of the country, so that no one

will be either very rich or very poor. Many people, both in England and in America,

thought that this system of government would be fairer.

In the US, the government was so concerned that they decided to appoint a committee

to investigate people who were thought to be communist sympathisers; this committee

was called the House Un-American Activities Committee, and was chaired by a senator

called McCarthy. The Committee was particularly anxious to restrict people in the arts

and media worlds, who might be able to influence a lot of people. In 1952 Elia Kazan,

the theatre and film director, and at the time a close friend of Arthur Miller’s, was

questioned. He had been a member of the American Communist Party in the 1930s, and

the united states in the 1950s


he was asked to give the names of other people who had left wing views, in exchange for

immunity from prosecution for himself. Kazan did give the Committee names. He talked

to Arthur Miller about the experience, and this was the spark that sent the writer to

Salem to begin research on the play that was to be The Crucible.

Note that Arthur Miller himself cautions against too close a comparison: “I was drawn

to write The Crucible not merely as a response to McCarthyism. It is not any more an

attempt to cure witch hunts than Salesman [Miller’s play The Death of a Salesman] is a

plea for the improvement of conditions for travelling men”.

Some years later, in 1957, Arthur Miller was himself required by the House Un-

American Activities Committee to give the names of communist sympathisers, but

Miller refused to comply with the request, saying “I could not use the name of another

person and bring trouble on him.” He was convicted of contempt of Congress, fined

$500, and given a 30 day suspended sentence. This conviction was quashed by the

Supreme Court in 1958.

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Life in 17th Century New England

What did the 17th Century Puritans in New England eat? A lot of corn and beans, apparently, although grains for bread, and root vegetable were also grown. So Proctor’s rabbit stew would

have been something of a treat. Few people used forks in the 17th century, and they ate off wooden plates called trenchers, which two or more people would share. Beer and cider were commonly drunk, as the water was not safe to drink.

The settlers had fled religious persecution in England,

and they had a strong belief in the rightness of their

way of life and faith which helped to sustain them

in the tough early years of the new colony. Many

children died before the age of sixteen, and average

life expectancy was thirty five. Salem was a farming

community, but the land was difficult to farm; farmers

needed to work from dawn to dusk, and it was hard,

physical work. Summers were hot and the winters

bitterly cold. The Revd Parris certainly needed his

firewood to keep warm. The way of life was strict and

sombre; “vain enjoyment” such as dancing or reading

novels was not permitted, and even children were

discouraged from playing; they were expected to “walk

straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides,” and

not to speak unless spoken to. Women were expected to

be subservient to men (note the way Proctor speaks to

Elizabeth in their first scene together). Even Christmas

was not celebrated, and any holiday from work meant

more prayer.

The laws of the new community were based on the Bible, and more specifically on the

strictures of the Old Testament; there were fifteen capital offences, including murder,

rape, adultery with a married woman, and of course, being a witch: “If any man or

woman be a witch, that is, hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit, they shall be put

to death.” Fornication (having sex with a single woman) was against the law, and

was punishable by “enjoyning to marriage, or fine, or corporall punishment”. Not

to mention the public shame that Proctor endures when he confesses the affair with

Abigail; his private shame he acknowledges to Elizabeth in their first scene together.

This small community was also subject to external stress; there was political uncertainty,

land titles were in dispute, (as Putnam and Corey exemplify) and the country was not

entirely safe; Native American tribes still attacked settlers from time to time.

And so “ a host of socially disruptive pressures were upon Salem which seemed to

threaten a disorder beyond the power of the mind to analyze. The girls lifted up a cause

for it all out of the morass”. (Arthur Miller)

life in 17th Century neW enGland


• The Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts.• It is 1692.• Salem is a farming community.• The land was difficult to farm.• Children in Salem were expected to “walk straight, eyes

slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak.”

• Salem was called a town but was the size of a small village.• Salem had a “few small-windowed, dark houses.”• Salem was established about 40 years ago.• The beliefs of the settlers meant they did not read novels,

had no theatre or “vain enjoyment”.• Dancing was not permitted in Salem society.• They did not celebrate Christmas.• A holiday from work meant more prayer.• The way of life was strict and sombre.• Raising the roof of a new farmhouse was cause for

celebration, with special food and perhaps cider passed around.

• There is a tavern in Salem.• The tavern is near the meeting house.• There is a shovelboard in the tavern.• There is a good supply of ne’er do wells in Salem.• The settlers built the meeting house in Salem.• During the church services a two man patrol took the names

of anyone who stayed at home, in the fields, or did not pay attention in the meeting house. These names were reported to the magistrates.

• The country was reasonably, but not entirely, safe.• There were no more armed camps.• It was important for the village to maintain unity in order to

be safe.• Indian tribes still attacked settlers from time to time.• The edge of the wilderness was close to Salem.• Some of the villagers had relatives who had been killed by

Indians.• The settlers tried to convert the Indians.• Very few Indians were converted.• Salem people believed that the virgin forest was the home

of the Devil.• Salem people thought that everywhere on earth God was

worshipped, except in the American forest.• The fathers of the Salem settlers had been persecuted in

England.• The settlers were afraid that their way of worship would be

defiled and corrupted.• They had a strong belief in the rightness of their way of life

and faith.• The Puritans in Massachusetts set up a communal society.

• This society was united by a commonly held ideology; the importance of perpetuating this ideology justified their sufferings.

• The Puritans had no ritual for the absolution of sins.• The people of Salem lived in a theocracy – a combination of

state and religious power.• This theocracy worked to prevent any kind of disunity which

might make the community vulnerable.• The law was based on the Bible.• Lechery was a crime.• People believed the Bible was written by God.• The witch hunt gave people license to speak out against each

other, even to take revenge.• There is a doctor in Salem.• There is a marshal in Salem.• A year ago a witch was found in Beverly.• Two years ago a witch was hanged in Boston.• The role of the minister was one of the most important in

the village.• Thomas Putnam is the eldest son of the richest man in the

village.• Thomas and John Putnam had George Burroughs, a former

Salem minister, jailed for debts he did not owe.• Burroughs had been made the minister when James Bayley,

Thomas Putnam’s brother-in-law, had been rejected.• James Bayley had all the qualifications and a two thirds vote.• Thomas Putnam felt that his name and the honour of his

family had been “smirched by the village”.• Salem votes on decisions democratically, not by acreage.• The Nurse family had been in the faction opposed to Bayley.• Francis Nurse fought a land war with his neighbours, one

of whom was a Putnam. This squabble escalated into a 2 day fight in the woods.

• Some families allied to the Nurses (either by blood or friendship), and whose farms were close to the Nurse’s land, combined to break away from the Salem town authority and set up Topsfield.

• Topsfield was a new, independent entity.• The old Salemites resented the creation of Topsfield.• There was division within the church in Salem.• There has been trouble in Salem for years.• Putman’s grandfather left land in his will which did not

actually belong to him.• There have been arguments in the village; it was hoped this

year would be peaceful.• Giles Corey is the scapegoat of the village.• Legally, a person who does not respond aye or nay to an

indictment cannot be condemned.

Below is a list of facts taken from the Penguin version of The Crucible. These facts are useful in establishing the world of the play.

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The Crucible plot summary

The play is set in Salem, a small town, hardly bigger than a village, in Massachusetts, North America, in 1692. Salem has only been settled for about forty years.

Act IBetty Parris’s bedroom, early morning.

Betty is in bed, ill, and apparently in some sort of coma. Her father, the Revd Parris,

is praying over her. Tituba, a slave from Barbados, enters to find out how Betty is, and

is immediately sent away. Abigail, the Revd Parrris’s niece, who lives with them, comes

in to tell her uncle that the doctor has sent a message with Susanna Walcott. Susanna

delivers the unwelcome message that the doctor has been unable to find a medical

cause for Betty’s illness and he suggests Parris consider supernatural sources. Parris and

Abigail warn Susanna not to mention this in the village. In order to dispel rumours that

are already circulating, Parris has called for the Revd Hale of Beverly, a known expert in

matters of witchcraft and demonic possession, to come and quash the gossip by proving

Betty’s illness is not related to witchcraft.

the CruCible plot suMMary


As soon as Susanna has gone Parris questions Abigail about the activities of the

previous evening, when he found Betty and Abigail, together with several other girls,

dancing in the forest while Tituba waved her arms over a fire and chanted. Parris

suspects there was more going on; he thought he saw one of the girls naked. Abigail

insists they were just dancing. Parris also asks Abigail why she was dismissed from the

Proctors’ service, and why none of the other families in the village have asked her to

work for them. Abigail blames Goody Proctor for blackening her name. The discussion

is interrupted by the arrival of Mr and Mrs Putnam, who have come to compare Betty’s

condition with that of their own daughter, Ruth, who has also been taken ill. Mr and

Mrs Putnam are convinced that the girls’ illness is caused by witchcraft. Ann Putnam

admits that she had sent her daughter Ruth to Tituba because “Tituba knows how

to speak to the dead”; Ann has lost seven children in childbirth and is sure that there

is a “murdering witch” in the village. She now sees the girls’ illness as proof. Abigail

confesses that Tituba and Ruth were conjuring spirits.

The Putnams’ servant, Mercy Lewis, arrives to see how Betty is, and reports that Ruth

has sneezed, a sign of improvement. Parris is persuaded to lead the villagers, who are

waiting downstairs for news, in a psalm. The adults leave the girls alone, and Abigail

and Mercy immediately try to wake Betty. Mary Warren, the Proctors’ servant, rushes

in, and tries to persuade the other girls that they must confess the truth of what went

on in the forest, because the villagers are all talking about witchcraft. Betty whimpers,

and then jumps out of bed, calling for her dead mother. She reveals that Abigail drank a

potion to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail slaps Betty and threatens the other girls to keep

quiet; they can only admit to dancing, and that “Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead

sisters.” Betty collapses again, and John Proctor comes in. He sends Mary Warren home,

and Mercy also leaves. Abigail dismisses the idea of witchcraft and begs John for “a

soft word”, but he rejects her. Abigail then reminds him of their affair, and claims that

he still loves her. As Proctor tries to leave, the psalm is heard below and Betty comes to,

screaming.



Parris, the Putnams, Giles Corey and then Rebecca Nurse all rush in. Rebecca’s presence

calms Betty; she advises Parris not to go “in search of loose spirits”, reminding him that

all children have their “silly seasons”. Proctor supports Rebecca’s view, and agrees with

her that it would be best to “send Reverend Hale back as soon as he come”. Putnam

insists that the Revd Hale should “look for signs of witchcraft here”. Arguments break

out over Parris’s position and authority, and then Giles and Putnam argue over the

ownership of a tract of land. The dispute is interrupted by the Revd Hale’s arrival.

Following introductions, Hale establishes his authority: ”I must tell you all that I shall

not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of hell upon

her”. He has brought with him several heavy books, which contribute to the intellectual

superiority he appears to have. He is confident that he can find the Devil out and “crush

him utterly”. Proctor has already left, and Rebecca now leaves also, but Giles stays; he

asks Hale for advice about his wife, Martha, who reads “strange books” at night.

When Hale turns to Betty she does not respond, even when he prays over her in Latin,

banishing the evil spirits to hell in the name of God. He then questions Abigail, who

has been quietly observing the proceedings, demanding details of what happened

the previous night. Parris and Hale put pressure on Abigail, and when she mentions

Tituba’s name, Parris jumps to the conclusion that Tituba called the Devil. Tituba is



sent for, and Abigail immediately accuses Tituba of making her drink blood. Hale

is now convinced that Tituba is responsible for Betty’s illness, and no one pays any

attention to Tituba’s denials; Parris threatens to whip her to her death, and Putnam says

she “must be taken out and hanged”. Absolutely terrified, Tituba agrees to anything

either of the ministers suggests to her. As she starts to name the supposed witches,

Abigail, and then Betty, start calling out the names of other villagers as the curtain falls

on the first Act.

Act IIEight days later, in the “common room” of the Proctors house. Evening.

Elizabeth is heard singing to her children upstairs as John Proctor comes in. Elizabeth

wants to know why he is so late; he has been planting right out to the edge of the forest,

and the farm is now all seeded. She has prepared a rabbit for his supper, and has taken

“great care”. He talks of his plans for the farm, and tells her he wants to please her. Yet

he is aware that she is “sad again”. (“Sad” originally meant serious, and I think Miller

is using both senses of the word here.) Elizabeth brings up the subject of Salem; there is

now a court, with judges from Boston, in Salem, and Mary Warren has been made an

official of the court. Fourteen people are in jail, and Abigail is being treated like a saint.

Elizabeth tries to persuade John that he must go to Salem and tell Ezekiel Cheever that

Abigail had told him that the girls’ sickness “had naught to do with witchcraft”. Proctor

is reluctant to go, as he has no proof: “she told it to me in a room alone”. Elizabeth is

angry that John did not tell her that he had been alone with Abigail; she fears that he

still has feelings for the girl. Proctor is angry that she is suspicious, and continues to

judge him in the light of the past affair.



Mary Warren returns from Salem, and Proctor turns his anger towards her: she

has gone to Salem when he forbade it. But Mary says she is ill, having been “in the

proceedings all day”. She had passed the time with sewing a rag doll, a “poppet”,

which she gives to Elizabeth. She tells the Proctors that there are now thirty nine people

arrested, and that “Goody Osburn will hang”. Sarah Good, who has confessed, will

not hang. Mary had told the judges that if Goody Osburn were refused bread and cider

when she came to beg at the door, she would mumble to herself. Goody Osburn claimed

that she was saying the commandments, but in court she was unable to repeat a single

one, and so was condemned.

Proctor forbids Mary to go to the court again, but she insists she must go, as a court

official. Proctor threatens to whip her, and as she avoids him she tells them that she has

just saved Elizabeth’s life. Elizabeth has been accused, but Mary will not say by whom.

Since Mary told the court that she had never seen any sign that Elizabeth sent her

“spirit out to hurt”, the court dismissed the accusation. Mary goes to bed, and John and

Elizabeth are left to decide what to do. Proctor decides he will go to Ezekiel Cheever

and “tell him she said it were all sport”, but Elizabeth sees that this will no longer

be sufficient. She realises that Abigail “thinks to kill me, then to take my place”. She

understands that “spoke or silent, a promise is surely made” in a sexual relationship, and

that the only thing John can now do is to make it clear to Abigail that he sees her as a

whore; he must break any promise Abigail senses.

As John and Elizabeth argue, Mr Hale arrives. Mr Hale is going from house to house,

visiting the people who are “mentioned” in the court, in order to form his own opinion.

He has come without the court’s authority. Elizabeth and John are shocked to discover

that he has just been to see Rebecca, because Rebecca’s name has been “mentioned

somewhat”. Hale has found in the church record that Proctor has only been to church



twenty six times in seventeen months, and that only two of the Proctors’ children have

been baptized, although they have three sons. Proctor admits he did not want Parris to

baptize his baby: “I see no light of God in that man.” Hale asks Proctor to repeat the

Commandments, but he can only remember nine: Elizabeth has to remind her husband

about adultery. Despite their assurances that “this be a Christian house”, Hale clearly

has misgivings; he is about to leave when Elizabeth asks John to tell him what Abigail

had said. Hale is suspicious because John has said nothing before, and because John

hesitates when Hale asks if he will testify in court. Hale is also aware that John has the

reputation of not believing in witches at all. When questioned, Proctor says he “will

not deny them”, but Elizabeth says that she “cannot believe it”. Hale is again preparing

to leave when Giles and Francis Nurse arrive in a panic; both their wives have been

taken to jail. Francis Nurse appeals directly to the Revd Hale to intervene, but Hale

insists they must rely on the “justice of the court”; he claims that he has seen “too many

frightful proofs…the Devil is alive in Salem”. Giles explains that his wife has been

accused by Walcott, who had a longstanding grievance against her.

At this moment, Cheever arrives with a warrant for the arrest of Elizabeth, who has

been accused by Abigail. Cheever notices the poppet that Mary gave Elizabeth earlier,

and discovers a needle stuck in it. Even though Mary accepts that she made the poppet,

and stuck the needle in herself, Cheever considers the find to be “proof of Hell” because

Abigail had fallen to the floor that evening, and was found to have a needle stuck in her

stomach. Abigail had testified that it was Elizabeth’s “familiar spirit” that had pushed it

in. Proctor tears up the warrant, but is unable to prevent Cheever from taking Elizabeth

and, in a final humiliation, chaining her in his wagon. Giles and Proctor accuse Hale of

failing to act, but Hale cannot accept that the cause should be “the vengeance of a little

girl”, and tells them to consider what the village might have done to “draw from heaven

such thundering wrath upon you all.” He leaves, followed by Giles and Francis Nurse,

leaving Proctor with Mary Warren. Proctor tells Mary she must tell the court how the



poppet came to be in the house, and how the needle came to be stuck in, but Mary is

too afraid of Abigail, and warns Proctor that “Abby’ll charge lechery on you”. Proctor

realises that Mary knows of the affair, and he determines to reveal the relationship with

Abigail publicly in order to save his wife.

NOTE: In the Acting Edition of the play, there is a short scene here between Abigail

and Proctor, set in the forest. Proctor has come to ask Abigail to withdraw her

accusation against Elizabeth, or he will shame her publicly in the court. He threatens

her “you will tell the court you are blind to spirits; you cannot see them any more, and

you will never cry witchery again, or I will make you famous for the whore you are!” But

Abigail is by now sure of her own invincibility, and is confident that John is “singing

secret Hallelujahs” that Elizabeth will hang. In her delusion, she assures him “From

yourself I will save you.”



Act IIIThe vestry room of the Salem meeting house, which is being used as the ante-room to

the court.

Off stage, in the main court room, Judge Hathorne is questioning Giles’s wife, Martha

Corey. Giles interrupts the proceedings, shouting out that he has evidence for the court.

He is thrown out of the court, and is brought into the vestry room, still struggling to

be heard. Hale tries to calm him down, then Judge Hathorne and Deputy Governor

Danforth, Cheever and Parris all come in; Danforth warns Giles that his evidence must

be submitted in “proper affidavit”, and he is dismissed. Francis Nurse explains that

he and Giles are desperate, as they have attended court for the last three days without

being heard, and they have proof that “the girls are frauds”. Danforth pauses, although

Hathorne declares that Francis is guilty of contempt. Danforth explains to Francis that

nearly four hundred people are now in jail, and seventy two condemned to hang, on his

signature. However, Francis politely insists “Excellency … you are deceived.”

Giles comes back in, with Mary Warren and John Proctor. Parris warns Danforth

against Proctor, but Danforth asks Mary what she would like to say. She is at first unable

to speak; Proctor has to answer for her, that she never saw spirits, and she has signed a

deposition to that effect. Danforth is immediately concerned lest the village has heard

this story, and Parris accuses Proctor of trying to overthrow the court. Nevertheless,

Danforth is prepared to question Mary; she replies that “it were pretence”, and that

the other girls were also pretending. However, Danforth is still suspicious that Proctor

is trying to overthrow the court in order to free his wife; like Hale earlier, Danforth has

accepted the truth of the girls’ behaviour in court and their accusations. But Hale is now

beginning to doubt the girls.

Danforth now tells Proctor that Elizabeth has said she is pregnant, and if this is so,

then she will not be hanged for another year. Proctor confirms that Elizabeth will never



lie, and that she must therefore be pregnant. Danforth then asks Proctor to drop the

charge he is bringing; if the purpose was to save his wife, this has been achieved by her

pregnancy. When Proctor answers that he cannot, Danforth is convinced that Proctor’s

“purpose is somewhat larger.” Proctor gives Danforth a document, signed by ninety

one local people, testifying to the good character of Rebecca, Elizabeth and Martha

Corey. Parris and Hathorne suggest that the document is an attack upon the court,

and Danforth asks Cheever to draw up arrest warrants for all of the people who have

subscribed their names. Danforth tells Francis that people must either be with the court,

or be counted against it.

Giles produces his deposition, in which he accuses Putnam of prompting his daughter

to make accusations against George Jacobs; Putnam is brought in and denies the

accusation. Hathorne demands to know who gave Giles the information; when Giles

refuses to answer, he is arrested for contempt of court. Only Mary’s deposition remains

to be read.

After he has read Mary’s deposition, Danforth sends Cheever to fetch the other girls,

and tries to ascertain whether Mary is lying now, or whether she was lying previously,

in the court. Mary declares that she is now “with God.” Abigail leads the group of girls

in from the court. She denies everything that Mary Warren has said. Proctor then tells

Danforth about the girls dancing in the woods, led by Abigail. Parris reluctantly has to

confirm the truth, and Danforth starts to see Abigail in a different light.

Hathorne obtains permission to question Mary Warren, and asks her to faint, as she

had fainted so many times before in the court. But Mary is unable to faint to order.

Danforth asks Abigail again to search her heart; she responds with a thinly veiled

threat; “Let you beware, Mr Danforth … that the power of Hell may not turn your

wits?” Immediately she feels a cold wind, and the other girls also complain that they are

freezing. As Danforth asks if she is bewitching them, Mary tries to escape.

Suddenly John Proctor accuses Abigail of being a whore; he confesses that he had an

affair with Abigail, and that that was the reason Elizabeth dismissed her. Danforth

summons Elizabeth to establish the truth. Proctor and Abigail have to turn their backs.

Danforth questions Elizabeth about the reasons for Abigail’s dismissal. Elizabeth tries

to avoid incriminating John, but Danforth is relentless, and finally when he demands “Is

your husband a lecher!” she replies “No, sir”. She has tried to protect her husband, not

knowing that John has already confessed it. Hale intervenes to support the Proctors,

but as he tells Danforth that Abigail “has always struck me false” Abigail, and then

the other girls, see a yellow bird on the rafter. Abigail refers to the bird as Mary; there

is uproar as the girls all mimic whatever Mary says until finally Mary, unable to resist

Abigail’s influence, screams at Proctor “You’re the Devil’s man!” Hysterically, she agrees

with suggestions put by Parris that Proctor signed the Devil’s book, and Danforth is

convinced. Proctor and Giles are taken to jail as Hale denounces the proceedings and

leaves the court.



Act IVA cell in Salem in jail. Late autumn, very early morning, before light. It is very cold.

The marshal wakes Sarah and Tituba, who are looking forward to flying to the warmth

of Barbados with the Devil. The marshal pushes them out just in time, before the arrival

of the Deputy Governor with Judge Hathorne and Cheever. Parris and Hale have been

with the prisoners; some are due to hang at dawn. Hathorne has noticed that Parris has

seemed “unsteady” recently. Parris comes in to report that “Reverend Hale has returned

to bring Rebecca Nurse to God.” The prisoners have not yet confessed, but Parris is

hopeful. He admits to Danforth that his niece, Abigail, has vanished; she and Mercy

Lewis have both been missing for three nights, and furthermore his strongbox has been

broken into and thirty one pounds has been taken. Parris recommends postponing the

day’s hangings; he fears that hanging popular people such as Rebecca and John Proctor

will encourage rebellion in Salem, as there has been in neighbouring Andover. Danforth

will not consider postponement, even though Parris tells him that a dagger was left

outside his house, and that he fears for his own safety.

Hale comes in to the cell and asks Danforth to pardon the prisoners due to be hanged.

Danforth replies that he cannot, since others have already been hanged for the same

crime. Hale has spoken to all the condemned prisoners except for Proctor, who is kept

separately, in the dungeon. Danforth has the idea that Elizabeth, now well on in her

pregnancy, might be able to persuade Proctor to confess, and Elizabeth is sent for. Hale

begs Elizabeth to “prevail upon your husband to confess.” He argues that “life is God’s

most precious gift”, and that Proctor should lie to save his life, because “it may well be

that God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride.” But Elizabeth

sees through the moral ambiguity. Danforth then tries to appeal to her on a personal

level to save her husband. Elizabeth will “promise nothing” but she does ask to speak

with John.



Chained, bearded, filthy from the weeks in the dungeon, John enters. Everyone else

goes out, leaving John and Elizabeth together. They talk of their children, of Rebecca,

of Giles’s death. John has been thinking of confessing, and wants Elizabeth’s approval.

But Elizabeth cannot encourage him to lie. She has come to realise that she shared the

responsibility for the problems in the marriage; “John, I counted myself so plain, so

poorly made, no honest love could come to me! Suspicion kissed you when I did; I never

knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept!”

Hathorne interrupts to know Proctor’s decision. Proctor says he wants his life, and

Hathorne rushes out, calling the news to the others. Proctor is still unsure, but Elizabeth

tells him “Do as you will”. She refuses to judge him whatever he chooses, but he knows

that she would not lie, even to save her life.

Hathorne, Danforth, Cheever, Parris and Hale all come in to witness the confession.

Cheever is writing it down when Rebecca is brought in. She is surprised that John

has decided to confess, and refuses to damn herself by confessing to a lie. Despite the

pressure from Danforth, Proctor refuses to name anyone else in his confession, and says

“I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another.” Reluctantly, Proctor signs his confession

as the sun comes up. But as Danforth reaches for it, Proctor snatches it away. He realises

that his confession will be seen to incriminate his friends. He understands that his name

will be used to blacken other people. “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”

he pleads; then in a final act of defiance, he tears up his confession. Hale and Parris

try desperately to plead with John and Elizabeth as Danforth sweeps out, but Rebecca

encourages John, “Let you fear nothing! Another judgement waits us all!” On his knees,

Hale begs Elizabeth to try to change John’s mind, but as the morning sun pours in to the

cell Elizabeth accepts the rightness of John’s decision; “He have his goodness now.”

The play ends, as it began, with a minister’s frantic prayers.

the CruCible CharaCters


The Crucible characters

This CharaCter Work is based on the Penguin version of The Crucible. They are the facts relating to each character at the start of the play, and formed the basis of the character work I did with the actors.

• You live in Salem in Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You live with the Revd Samuel Parris.• The role of the minister is one of the

most important in the village.• Parris has given you a home, fed you

and clothed you.• Parris is your uncle.• Your aunt, Parris’s wife, has died.• Parris has a daughter called Betty.• Betty is 10 years old.• Betty is afraid of you.• Also in the household is Parris’s slave,

Tituba.• You are seventeen years old.• You are strikingly beautiful.• Your parents have died.• You saw Indians smashing your

parents’ heads on the pillow next to you.

• You have an “endless capacity for dissembling”.

• You have been dancing in the forest with Betty and other girls from the village.

• There were 12 or 13 girls in the forest with you.

• Your uncle discovered you dancing in the forest.

• Dancing is not permitted in Salem society.

• Salem people believed that the virgin forest was the home of the Devil.

• Betty fainted when her father broke in upon the dancing.

• Tituba was with you in the forest.• A fire had been lit.• You used to work for the Proctors.• You were discharged from Goody

Proctor’s service seven months ago.

• Mary Warren has taken your place in the Proctors household.

• No other family in Salem has asked you to work for them.

• You drank blood in the forest.• Tituba gave you chicken blood to drink.• You had asked Tituba to make the

charm.• You drank the blood as a spell to kill

Elizabeth Proctor.• It was Elizabeth who dismissed you.• You think Elizabeth has blackened

your name in the village.• You had a sexual relationship with

John Proctor.• John thought of you “softly” and

lusted for you.• You and John had sex in the cow barn.• Lechery is a crime in Massachusetts.• Elizabeth found out about the

relationship.• She dismissed you for being a harlot.• You have seen John Proctor looking up

at your window since you left his farm.• John still blushes when he sees you.• You dream about John coming to the

Parris’s house for you.• You will not give up the relationship

with John.• You have often laughed at prayer.• Twice this year you have been put

out of the meeting house for laughing during the prayers.

• Your name is Ann Putnam.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• Your husband is Thomas Putnam.• The Putnams are well to do

landowners.• You have a daughter called Ruth.• Ruth has been taken ill.• Ruth is your only surviving child.• In the past year Ruth has become

secretive.• Since last night Ruth has been

“struck dumb” and does not eat.• You have a brother in law called

James Bayley.• James Bayley was turned down as

minister of Salem, despite having all the qualifications and a two thirds vote.

• The role of the minister is one of the most important in the village.

• George Burroughs was made the minister when James Bayley was rejected.

• You had seven babies who died within a day after they were born.

• On three occasions Goody Osburn was your midwife.

• You begged Thomas not to call Goody Osburn.

• You were afraid of Goody Osburn.• Goody Osburn is a drunk and “half

witted.”• None of these babies were

baptized.• You think your babies were

murdered.• You sent Ruth to see Parris’s black

slave, Tituba.• You think “Tituba knows how to

speak to the dead.”• You sent Ruth to Tituba to learn

“who had murdered her sisters.”• Last night Tituba conjured your

dead babies to come out of the grave.

• You have a servant called Mercy Lewis.

• Mercy is 18 years old.

Ann Putnam

Abigail Williams



• Your name is Betty Parris.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• Salem is a farming community.• It is 1692.• Your father is the Revd Samuel Parris.• Your father is in his mid 40s.• Your mother is dead.• You are 10 years old.• Your father has “no interest in

children, or talent with them”.• Your bedroom is at the top of the

house.• The roof rafters are exposed in your

bedroom.• The window is narrow and has leaded

panes.• Your room contains a bed, a chest, a

chair and a small table.• It has an “air of clean spareness”.• It is lit by candlelight.• Your home is near the meeting house.• The edge of the wilderness was close

to Salem.• Salem people thought that everywhere

on earth God was worshipped except in the American forest.


• Your father has a Negro slave called Tituba.

• Your father brought Tituba with him from Barbados.

• Your father was a merchant in Barbados before entering the ministry.

• Tituba loves you.• Tituba is the scapegoat in your

household.• You have a cousin called Abigail

Williams.• Abigail is 17 years old.• Your aunt and uncle are dead.• Your aunt and uncle were killed by

Indians.• Your cousin lives with you and your

father.• Abigail is strikingly beautiful.• You are afraid of Abigail.• Your home has a parlour large enough

to accommodate people from the village.

• Your father discovered you and Abigail dancing in the forest.

• Tituba was with you and Abigail in the forest.

• Tituba had conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters to come out of the grave.

• Abigail drank blood in the forest, as a spell to kill Elizabeth Proctor.

• A fire had been lit in the forest.• You were dancing with 12 or 13 other

girls from the village.• At least one of the girls was naked.• Dancing is not permitted in Salem

society.• The punishment for dancing is a

whipping.• You fainted when your father broke in

upon you dancing.• You have been unable to move since

midnight.• Your father has been praying by your

bedside since midnight.• Dr Griggs has been to see you.• Dr Griggs has been unable to find any

medecine in his books to help you.• Dr Griggs thinks the cause of your

illness might be unnatural.• Your father has many enemies in the

village.• Your father preaches hellfire and

damnation.• Your father rarely mentions God in his

sermons.• Your father does not preach for

children.• Your father is a graduate of Harvard.• Your father’s business in Barbados was

thriving.• Your family is unaccustomed to

poverty.• You know the two young daughters of

Revd Hale.

Betty Parris

• Your name is Ezekiel Cheever.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• John Proctor knows you well.• You are an honest man.• You are a tailor.

Ezekiel Cheever

• Your name is Thomas Danforth.• You are in your 60s.• Your father was a judge.• About 35 years ago your father

tried one of Giles Corey’s cases.• Your father awarded Giles Corey

£9 in damages.• £9 pa is the amount that Mary

Warren is paid by the Proctors.• You are the Deputy Governor.• You have been 32 years at the bar.• The law is based on the Bible.• People believe the Bible was written

by God.• Lechery is a crime.• You are a man “of some humour and

sophistication.”• You are loyal to your position in

society, and to the cause of justice.• The Puritans in Massachusetts had

set up a communal society.• This society is united by a

commonly held ideology; the importance of perpetuating this ideology justifies their sufferings.

• A theocracy, a combination of state and religious power, governs the province.

• This theocracy works to prevent any kind of disunity which might make the community vulnerable.

• The country is reasonably, but not entirely, safe.

• The year is 1692.• You have the power to condemn

people to hang.• Two years ago a witch was hanged

in Boston.

Danforth



• Your name is Elizabeth Proctor.• You live in Salem Massachusetts.• It is a farming community.• The year is 1692.• You are married to John Proctor.• John is in his mid 30s.• He is a farmer.• He works very hard.• The land in Salem is difficult to farm.• John is physically powerful, even

tempered and not easily influenced.• John is respected, and even feared in

Salem.• Mary Warren is your servant.• Your house is on the road to Salem.• You live five miles from the Revd

Parris’s house.• You also live five miles from the

meeting house.• Abigail Williams used to be your

servant.• You found out that Abigail and John

had a sexual relationship.• You turned Abigail out of the house for

being a harlot.• You knew that Abigail was a harlot.• In the seven months since Abigail left,

John has been making every effort to please you.

• But still “an everlasting funeral marches round” your heart.

• Abigail thinks you are blackening her

name in the village.• Abigail thinks you are “cold, snivelling”

and “sickly”.• You acknowlege you are a cold wife.• You think you are plain.• You do not know how to express your

love for John.• You neither forget nor forgive.• You are suspicious.• You are “not wholly well”.• You have been ill this past winter.• You and John have three young sons.• Only your two older children are

baptized.• You were ill for a long time following

the birth of your last baby.• Five months ago John bought a tract of

land by the river from Francis Nurse.• Sarah Good used to come to your house

to beg for bread and a cup of cider.• You are not accustomed to visitors

after dark.• You know the Commandments.• You are a “covenanted Christian woman”.• Yours is a Christian house.• You are known for never lying and

“cannot” lie.• You have never lied in your life.• You do not believe in witches.• You had poppets when you were a girl.• You think you lack learning to dispute

with John Hale.

• Your name is Mercy Lewis.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• Salem is a farming community.• It is 1692.• You are the Putnams’ servant.• The Putnams are well-to-do

landowners.• You are eighteen years old.• You are a “sly, merciless girl”.• Ruth Putnam has been taken ill.• Ruth has been “struck dumb” since

the previous night.• Ruth is the Putnams’ only surviving

child.• You beat Ruth Putnam to try to wake

her up.• There are rumours of witchcraft in

the village.• Two years ago a witch was hanged in

Boston.• You were dancing in the forest

with Abigail, Ruth, Betty and Mary Warren.

• There were 12 or 14 girls dancing in the forest.


• You danced naked in the forest.• Dancing is not permitted in Salem

society.• The punishment for dancing is a

whipping.• The Revd Parris discovered you all

dancing in the forest.

Elizabeth Proctor Mercy Lewis

• Your name is Giles Corey.• You live in Salem Massachusetts.• Salem is a farming community.• There has been trouble in Salem for years.• You are the scapegoat of the village.• The year is 1692.• You are 83 years old.• You are going deaf.• You are powerfully built, “canny,

inquisitive”.• You are “a crank and a nuisance”.• You are also deeply innocent and brave.• To protect your property, you would have broken Putnam’s grandfather’s fingers.• During the past year, you have been in court 6 times.• You were paid £4 in damages by John Proctor.

• John Proctor pays his servant, Mary Warren, £9 per year.• You are a farmer.• You have 600 acres, and “timber in addition”.• The land around Salem is difficult to farm.• You are friends with John Proctor.• You wife’s name is Martha.• Martha is your third wife.• Martha often reads at night.• Martha is more interested in books than either of your first two wives.• Martha hides her books from you.• You only started going to church in your later years, after you had married Martha.• Martha is a woman “close to God”.• You only recently learned prayers.• Four or five years ago Martha sold a pig to Walcott.

• The pig died.• Martha told Walcott “If you haven’t the wit to feed a pig properly, you’ll not live to own many.”• Since then Walcott has not been able to keep a pig alive for more than four weeks.• Martha used to read fortunes.• You never hired a lawyer in your life.• Judge Hathorne knows you well.• You have been in court 33 times.• You are always the plaintiff.About 35 years ago, Danforth’s father tried one of your cases.Danforth’s father awarded you £9 in damages.In 1657 you owned a white mare.You have sons.

Giles Corey



• Your name is Mary Warren.• You are 17 or 18 years old.• You are unmarried.• You are a “subservient, naïve, lonely girl.”• You live in Salem Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You have been in the forest with Abigail Williams and Betty Parris.• There were 12 or 13 girls dancing in the forest with you.• You only watched the others dancing.• The Revd Parris discovered the dancing in the forest.• Dancing is not permitted in Salem society.• The punishment for dancing is a whipping.• Salem people believed that the virgin forest was the home of the Devil.• Betty fainted when her father broke in upon the dancing.• Tituba was with you in the forest.• A fire had been lit.• Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters to come out of the grave.• Mercy Lewis was dancing naked.• You are the Proctors’ servant.• You have been their servant for less than seven months.• John Proctor pays you £9 per year to keep house for him.• Abigail Williams used to be the Proctors’ servant.• You fear John Proctor.• John Proctor has to look for you more often than his cows.• The Proctors’ house is on the road to Salem.• The Proctors’ house is five miles from the meeting house.• Sarah Good used to come to the Proctors house to beg for bread and a cup of cider.• Sarah Good used to mumble if you did not give her something to eat and drink.• A month ago you were ill for two days after you turned Sarah Good away.

• Your name is John Hale.• You are a minister.• The role of minister is one of the most important in the community.• You live in Beverly, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You are nearing 40.• You are an “eager-eyed intellectual”.• You have studied witchcraft in detail.• You specialise in ascertaining witchcraft.• You found a witch in Beverly last year.• You believe in the existence of the Devil and his “many-faced lieutenants”.• You are confident in your abilities in “this most precise science”.• You brought half a dozen heavy books with you from Beverly to Salem.• Your books contain details about witches and wizards, “incubi and succubi”.• You know of Putnam, and of Rebecca Nurse.• John Proctor has heard that you are a sensible man.• You have two young daughters.• Betty Parris has met your daughters.• Cider upsets your stomach.

• Your name is Hathorne.• You are a judge.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You are in your 60s.• You are “bitter, remorseless”.• You know Giles Corey well.

• Your name is Francis Nurse.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You are married to Rebecca Nurse.• Rebecca is 72 years old.• You are an old man.• You have a good reputation.• You have 300 acres of land.• Your children are settled in separate

homesteads on your estate.• Your land was originally rented.• You bought the land gradually.• You fought a land war with your

neighbours.• One of these neighbours was a

Putnam.• This squabble escalated into a two

day fight in the woods.• Your family were in the faction

opposed to James Bayley.• James Bayley was Thomas Putnam’s

preferred candidate for the Salem ministry.

• Some families allied to your family either by blood or friendship, whose farms were close to your land, broke away from the Salem town authority.

• These families set up a new independent entity called Topsfield.

• The old Salemites resented the creation of Topsfield.

• You have eleven children.• You have 26 grandchildren.• You have lost none of your children

or grandchildren.• Five months ago you sold a tract of

land by the river to John Proctor.• You and Giles Corey are friends of

John Proctor’s.• You made pewter candlesticks for

the altar of the church.

Mary Warren

John Hale

Francis Nurse

Hathorne



• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• Salem was established about 40 years ago.• Salem is the size of a small village.• There is a good supply of ne’er do wells in Salem.• Your house has two storeys.• You have a daughter called Betty.• You are a widower.• The window in Betty’s room is narrow.• The window has leaded panes.• The roof rafters are exposed in the bedroom.• The room is sparsely furnished, but is clean.• Betty is 10 years old.• You are in your middle 40s.• You are a widower.• You have “no interest in children, or talent with them”.• Your house is near the meeting house.• During church services the names are taken of those who have

not come to church or are not paying attention. These names are reported to the magistrates.

• Some of your parishioners have relatives who have been killed by Indians.

• Abigail’s parents were killed by Indians.• You have a Negro slave called Tituba.• Tituba is in her 40s.• You were a merchant in Barbados before entering the ministry.• You are ordained.• You brought Tituba with you to Salem from Barbados.• Tituba is the scapegoat in your household.• You have a niece called Abigail Williams.• Dr Griggs has visited your house.• Your house has a parlour large enough for people to gather in.• You discovered Betty and Abigail dancing in the forest.• Betty fainted when you broke in upon the dancing.• You saw a dress on the grass in the forest.

• You saw someone running naked through the trees.• You saw a “kettle in the grass” where the girls were dancing.• You have many enemies.• There is a faction in the village that has sworn to drive you

out.• You have struggled for three years to bring the people of

Salem to your point of view.• The role of minister is one of the most important in the

village.• After her parents died, you gave Abigail a home and clothes.• You have been praying since midnight; it is now morning.• The Proctors live 5 miles from your house.• You preach hellfire and damnation.• You rarely mention God in your sermons.• You do not preach for children.• You have an allowance of £36 per annum to buy firewood.• Your salary is £60 per annum.• You are a graduate of Harvard.• Your business in Barbados was thriving.• You are unaccustomed to poverty.• You demanded the deed to the minister’s house.• You are the third preacher in Salem in 7 years.• There is division within the church in Salem.• Rev Hale is a colleague of yours.• Betty has met Rev Hale’s daughters.• When you came to Salem the altar candlesticks were pewter.• You preached about golden candlesticks for 20 weeks until you

got them.• John Proctor does not want you to baptize his baby.• Proctor sees “no light of God” in you.• You consider John Proctor to be “mischief”.• Proctor has “no love” for you.

• You are a Negro slave.• You are owned by the Revd Parris.• You come from Barbados.• Parris brought you with him from

Barbados.• You are in your 40s.• You love Betty.• You are the scapegoat in the Parris

household.• The Parris home has a parlour where

people from the village have assembled.• You were with the girls in the forest.

• There were 12 or 14 girls in the forest with you.

• A fire was lit in the forest.• Ann Putnam sent her daughter, Ruth

to you, believing that you know how to speak to the dead.

• You conjured Ruth’s sisters to come out of the grave.

• Abigail asked you to make a charm.• You gave Abigail chicken blood to drink.

• You are a marshal.• You have known John Proctor all

your life.• You know Proctor to be a “good

man”.• You drink to keep warm in the jail.

• Your name is Susanna Walcott.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• Salem is a farming community.• It is 1692.• You work for Dr Griggs.• You are a little younger than

Abigail, who is 17 years old.• You are “a nervous, hurried girl”.

Parris

Tituba Willard

Susanna Walcott



You are a farmer.You are in your mid-thirties.Your land is difficult to farm.You are physically powerful.You are even tempered.You are not easily influenced.You have sinned against the contemporary

moral code.You have also behaved in a way that is

contrary to your own vision of decent conduct.

You are respected, and even feared, in Salem.

You feel that you are “a kind of fraud”.On the surface you appear confident and

powerful.You are a man in his prime.You are married.Your wife is called Elizabeth.You have a servant called Mary Warren.Abigail Williams used to be your servant.You had a sexual relationship with Abigail.Elizabeth dismissed Abigail for being a

harlot.Abigail left your service seven months

ago.Since Abigail left the farm, you have

sometimes looked up at Abigail’s window.You are “no wintry man”.Your “heat” has drawn Abigail to her

window.You still think of Abigail “softly”.You are determined never to “reach for”

Abigail again.You are protective of Elizabeth.You have three young sons.Two of your sons are baptized.Mary is afraid of you.You have to look for Mary Warren more

often than your cows.

Your house is on the road to Salem.You live 5 miles from the Revd Parris’s

house.You also live 5 miles from the meeting

house.You have not been to church since the

snow melted.A month ago you paid £4 in damages to

Giles Corey.The roof of you house was burned.Five months ago you bought a tract of

land by the river from Francis Nurse.You have heard that Mr Hale is a sensible

man.You know Ezekiel Cheever well.Since Abigail left seven months ago

you have made every effort to please Elizabeth.

You pay Mary Warren £9 per year to keep house for you.

Elizabeth is still “not wholly well” following the birth of your last baby.

Elizabeth has been ill during the past winter.

Elizabeth discovered the relationship with Abigail.

Elizabeth neither forgets nor forgives your relationship with Abigail.

“An everlasting funeral marches round” Elizabeth’s heart.

Sarah Good comes to your house to beg for bread and a cup of cider.

A month ago Mary Warren was ill for two days.

You still blush when you see Abigail.You are not accustomed to visitors after

dark.You have only been to church 26 times in

the last 17 months.You prayed at home when you did not

attend church.

You work hard every day from dawn to “blink of night”.

When you see the golden candlesticks in church you are unable to concentrate on your prayers.

You contributed to the golden candlesticks.

Your youngest son is not baptized.You do not want Parris to baptize your

baby.You see “no light of God” in Parris.You nailed the roof on the church and

hung the church door.You are not secure in your knowledge of

the ten commandments.Yours is a Christian house.You only go to church once a month.You have “no love” for Parris.You love God.Occasionally you plough on Sundays.You know how to read.You read the gospel.You have known Willard all his life.Francis Nurse and Giles Corey are your

friends.You had sex with Abigail in the cow barn.You lusted for Abigail.Lechery is a crime.You never get drunk.You never waste time in games at the pub.You are of good standing in Salem.Your honesty was destroyed by the affair

with Abigail.Elizabeth loves you, but does not know

how to express her love.Since the affair, Elizabeth has been

suspicious of you.

Your name is Rebecca Nurse.You live in Salem, Massachusetts.The year is 1692.Your husband is Francis Nurse.You are 72 years old.You have prayed regularly for seventy

years.You are “the very brick and mortar of

the church.”You are a person of good standing in

Salem.You are white haired.You walk with the aid of a stick.You “exude” gentleness.

You are held in high regard.Your “great charities” are well known as

far as Beverly.You and Francis have 300 acres of land.Your children are settled in separate

homesteads on the estate.Your land was originally rented.Francis bought the land gradually.You have eleven children.You also have 26 grandchildren.You have “seen them all through their

silly seasons.”You have lost none of your children or

grandchildren.

You are nearly 60.You sleep in ditches.You are very old and poor.You are known as a “jabberer”.You beg for bread and cider at the

Proctor’s house.The Proctors live 5 miles from Salem.You used to mumble if Mary Warren

did not give you something to eat and drink.

Dr Griggs has examined you and found you to be pregnant.

You have no husband.You are a pipe smoker.

John Proctor

Rebecca NurseSarah Good



• Your name is Thomas Putnam.• You live in Salem, Massachusetts.• The year is 1692.• You are married to Ann Putnam.• The Putnams are well to do landowners.• Your name is known as far afield as Beverly.• You have a daughter called Ruth.• Ruth has been taken ill.• Ruth is your only surviving child.• In the past year Ruth has become secretive.• Since last night Ruth has been “struck dumb” and does not eat.• You are the eldest son of the richest man in the village.• You are one of nine sons.• You fought the Indians at Narragansett.• You are deeply interested in parish affairs.• You consider yourself intellectually superior to most of your

neighbours.• You have a vindictive nature.• You have a brother called John.• You have a brother in law called James Bayley.• James Bayley was your preferred candidate for the Salem

ministry.• James Bayley was turned down as minister of Salem, despite

having all the qualifications and a two thirds vote.• The role of the minister is one of the most important in the

village.

• George Burroughs was made the minister when James Bayley was rejected.

• You and your brother John had George Burroughs jailed for debts he did not owe.

• You felt that your name, and the honour of your family, had been “smirched by the village.”

• Your father’s will left a disproportionate amount to a stepbrother.

• You tried to break your father’s will.• Your grandfather bequeathed land in his will that did not

actually belong to him.• To protect his own property Giles Corey would have broken

your grandfather’s fingers.• Your wife had seven babies who died within a day after they

were born.• On three occasions Goody Osburn was the midwife.• Ann begged you not to call Goody Osburn.• You think these babies were murdered.• None of these babies were baptized.• Your wife sent Ruth to see Parris’s black slave, Tituba.• Ann thinks that “Tituba knows how to speak to the dead.”• Ann sent Ruth to Tituba to learn “who had murdered her

sisters.”• You have a servant called Mercy Lewis.• Mercy is 18 years old.

Thomas Putnam

the CruCible theMes


The Crucible themes

PurificationA crucible is:

a container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high

temperatures and

a situation in which people or things are severely tested

(Concise Oxford English Dictionary)

The title of the play is thus a metaphor for Salem and its people. In the heat of the witch

hunt people face an extreme situation, and many are unable to withstand the pressure

of events. However, others (eg John and Elizabeth), learn from their experiences, and are

finally seen as better people.

EnvyExemplified by:

• Abigail, who envies Elizabeth’s position as John’s wife.

• Ann Putnam, who envies Rebecca for her large, healthy family.

• Hathorne envies Danforth’s position as a senior judge.

the CruCible theMes


Fear/InsecurityExemplified by:

• Parris, who is too concerned about risking loss of face in the community, to accept the truth of the situation.

• Tituba, who is so terrified that she says whatever she thinks Parris and Hale want to hear.

• Abigail, who is afraid to admit the truth of what happened in the forest for fear of punishment.

• Mary Warren whose fear of Abigail, both in Act I and Act III, has such disastrous consequences.

• John Proctor, who was afraid to lose his position as a respected member of the community, and did not act soon enough to expose the truth about Abigail.

• Giles Corey, whose suspicion about his wife’s reading habits, led ultimately to her arrest.

• John Hale, who fears to speak the truth, even when he knows that Abigail has lied (Act II).

• Judge Hathorne, who is anxious to maintain the rule of law, even at the expense of the truth.

• Danforth, determined to uphold the letter of the law, however high the price. He is afraid of being seen as weak.

GreedExemplified by:

• Parris, determined to ensure he gets his firewood money, and more distressed by the loss of his savings than by the loss of his niece.

• Thomas Putnam, who is ambitious to increase the amount of land he owns.

Honesty/IntegrityExemplified by:

• Mary Warren, who tries to stand up to Abigail early in the play, “We must tell the truth, Abby!” (Act I) and to withstand Danforth’s questioning, and Abigail’s influence, in Act III “I cannot lie no more. I am with God, I am with God.” However, ultimately she is not strong enough to maintain her position.

• John Proctor, who has to confess publicly to the shameful affair with Abigail. Also, his integrity is exemplified by his decision to face hanging rather than to lie.

• Elizabeth, who doesn’t lie to Hale about her lack of belief in witches, and who refuses to be bullied into persuading John to lie to save his life. Ironically, on the one occasion when she does lie, to protect John’s reputation, she condemns him.

• Rebecca, who refuses to lie to save her life.

• Giles Corey, who refuses to give the name of the person who told him that Putnam had engineered his daughter’s accusation against George Jacobs.

the CruCible theMes


PrideExemplified by:

• Parris “You will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year.” (Act I)

• Abigail “I will not black my face for any of them!” (Act I)

• Ann Putnam “I’ll not have you judging me any more!” (Act I)

• Thomas Putnam “I’ll have my men on you, Corey! I’ll clap a writ on you!” (Act I)

• Mary Warren “I’ll be gone every day for some time. I’m – I’m an official of the court”. (Act II)

• John Proctor “How do you go to Salem when I forbid it?” (Act II)

• Giles Corey “I am never put upon; I know my rights, sir, and I will have them.” (Act III)

• John Hale “Have no fear now – we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!” (Act I)

• Hathorne “How do you dare come roarin’ into this court! Are you gone daft, Corey?” (Act III)

• Danforth “Do you know who I am Mr Nurse?” (Act III)

Arthur Miller’s view was that “the real and inner theme…was the handing over of conscience to another…and the realization that with conscience goes the person, the soul immortal, and the “name”.” (Arthur Miller’s Theatre Essays)

the CruCible lanGuaGe and struCture


The Crucible structure and language

The CruCible is Written in four Acts.In Act I many of the characters are introduced, and much of the backstory is told. Divisions within the community are clearly expressed, and the religious influence is clear.

Belief in the Devil and witchcraft, equally amongst educated people as amongst the young and superstitious, is apparent.

In Act II the focus moves to Elizabeth and John Proctor, and the divisions between

them. Elizabeth and John do not believe in witches, but are powerless to influence the

course of events at this stage. Arrests have begun, and Salem has a court with judges

from Boston presiding.

In Act III, the judges and the legal system are introduced. It is clear that the “evidence” required by the legal system is based only on hearsay, and the hysteria of the girls. Attempts by John Proctor to produce other evidence, including Mary Warren’s, are dismissed. Ironically, Elizabeth undermines John’s evidence in an attempt to protect his name.

In Act IV, the law takes its course. John and Elizabeth have both travelled a long way,

both physically and emotionally, from their first scene together. John has learned to

withstand the fire of the crucible sufficiently to accept his own death rather than betray

his conscience. The ministers, Hale and Parris, have journeyed in the play towards shame

and degradation, and the law is seen to be a clumsy and unjust instrument.

The structure roughly follows the legal process: in Act I a wrong has been done and attempts are made at investigation. In Act II, arrests are made, and cross examination of some witnesses has begun. In Act III, the court is in full session and judgements are passed. In Act IV, sentences have been passed; some executions have taken place, others are about to happen.

The play also follows the seasons; Act I is Spring, Act II eight days later, but still Spring.

Act III is in the summer, Act IV the Autumn. The play starts and ends in the early

morning.

The language of the play is particularly interesting. Arthur Miller read many of the

court documents from the Salem trials, and incorporated some of the words and

linguistic structures that were used at the time. Using words and expressions in a

different way forces the reader or hearer to evaluate the language more carefully, that is

to say, the result of using words in an unfamiliar way is that we think more about what

the character is saying. Some examples are the use of words such as “goody” which are

no longer current, double negatives, or inverted sentence structure.

The language therefore contributes actively to the particular world of the play. Like the

costumes the actors wear, it emphasises the different physical and cultural world that the

people of Salem inhabited.

the CruCible lanGuaGe and struCture


The Crucible design elementsWhen thinking about the world of the play with the Designer, we needed to take into

account both practical and aesthetic considerations. We started with the world of the

early American settlers, what would have been available to them, and how we could

translate that into the set. We decided to use wooden pallets to build the walls and a

suggestion of roofs over the playing space. New England houses are often still weather

boarded. There was a suggestion of prison bars in the structure of the pallets, which

worked well in terms both of the legal framework in the play, and the restrictions of

Puritan society.

Simple wooden furniture was also built using pallets as a base, and wooden stools and

benches were found in the church where we performed.

Candles were used, not for practical lighting, but for the design element, and to add to

the atmosphere.

Costumes were chosen from a restricted colour palette. We wanted to keep the natural,

earthy colours as much as possible (within our budget) for all the farmers, but the

ministers and judges were dressed in formal clothing, in black and white. The division

between Church and State on the one hand, and the people of the community on the

other, was thus clearly visible.

Lighting also needed to fulfill both a practical and an aesthetic function. We needed

to create the shadowy feel of those early American buildings, yet still be able to see the

action of the play. It was also important to use lighting to help define both the seasons,

and the temperature. The quality of sunlight is very different in early Spring from late

Autumn, for example, and adding a blue gel will help to cool the temperature in the cell

in Act IV.

Sound and music design was another area that was particularly important to me. With

the support of the Sound Designer, we decided to use only live sound effects, using the

cast to implement them. The Sound Designer was able to provide some old instruments

for the cast, and we also used their voices to create sound and music that added depth

and texture at critical points.

an aCtor prepares


An actor prepares

An interview with Jenny Walters, the actress who played Elizabeth, in which I asked her about the ways she approached the role.

Q: First things first. How did you approach the audition?

Usually, as in this case, I am given a scene to prepare. It is important to read the whole

script. If it is a classic play, as opposed to new writing, I research the play as much as

possible in the time available.

I also go over the scene I am preparing several times, and mark up the script for myself,

for example marking in pauses.

If there is anything in the text I am not absolutely clear about, I try to find out before

the audition, or if necessary at the audition itself, so that I understand the whole scene

clearly.

Q: After you have accepted a role, what is the first thing you do?

I re-read the whole play, paying particular attention to my own instinctive decisions. I

read it all in one go, letting the play speak to me, giving me ideas, throwing up feelings.

I like to learn lines early, and some directors require early learning. I choose not to

highlight, because that encourages me to think only of my own lines. I do focus on my

lines, of course, but as part of the whole text.

Q: How do you approach work on your character?

A lot of character work happens in rehearsal, of course, but I always write down

everything my character says about herself, and everything other characters say about

her. Also, the internet is a fantastic resource for research, so I try to find out, for

example, what my character might eat, what she might wear. I like to wear rehearsal

costumes, particularly when it affects movement; this is especially important with

corsets! For The Crucible, I wore a long rehearsal skirt, a shawl and boots. I also put my

hair up.

Clothes and shoes can often help me find my way into a character.

It’s important to keep working on the text until you find the way your character thinks;

the clues are not only in the way she speaks, but in what she chooses to say, and what she

chooses not to reveal.

As an actor, you only have yourself to work with, so you have to find something to draw

on in your own life that will help to spark your imagination. For Elizabeth, I was able

to make use of some of my personal life experience to inform the way I approached the

role. This helps to deepen the character’s emotional life.


an aCtor prepares

Q: How do you work on individual scenes?

At the beginning of each scene I pick out perhaps three characteristics that the character

displays in that scene; these can be inner or outer characteristics. In the cell scene in

Act IV, for example, I might choose to focus on being tired, lonely and frightened. In

another rehearsal of the same scene, I could choose different characteristics to focus on.

I also divide the text into units, and work out the character’s wants for each unit. So,

every scene will have different characteristics, objectives and wants, and each of these

can be played with varying actions (that is, the way the character tries to get what she

wants).

All these approaches are just starting blocks to help get into the world of the play, and

into the world of the character, and as rehearsal progresses some of this original work

may not fit with the production, so it’s important to be flexible, to be prepared to let

stuff go.

I also think about each scene as part of the character’s whole journey through the play;

again, this will also be worked at in rehearsal with the director and the other actors.

Q: Do you think about the character’s physicality?

The way a character moves reflects their personality, so Elizabeth was very direct in the

way she moved. Her clarity of thought, and her upright character were reflected in the

way she always sat up very straight, and stood erect.

Q: With a well known play, is it difficult to avoid ways of playing the role which you may have come across in the past?

I had seen The Crucible twice, so it was important to put aside these interpretations.

I constantly returned to the text to inform my own interpretation of Elizabeth. Also,

my playing needed to be free enough to react to the changes other actors brought in to

the scene, which could vary every time we did the scene. It’s important to be open to

reacting in the moment.

Q: Any words of advice?

Beware of adding too much – do less. Let the play speak.

Chapter head


Bibliography

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Penguin Modern Classics

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Dramatists Play Service Inc

The Crucible York Notes for GCSE, Longman and York Press

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey, Doubleday Anchor

Talking Theatre by Richard Eyre, Nick Hern Books

The Theatre Essays of Arthur Miller edited and introduced by Robert Martin, Methuen

WebsitesAmerican Legal History – Russell

Plimouth Plantation at http://www.plimoth.org/features/village.php

The Arthur Miller Society

The Royal Shakespeare Company

Wikipedia

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